There are many ideas for Filipino food, but what if you’re already okay with the food you prepare for your family and friends but still want to make things a bit interesting? In this article, we’ll discuss some seemingly simple ingredients that engineers can make a lot of difference when you switch them up with other ingredients or just add them to the entire mix. Engineers’ next cooking project should include these ingredients.
Five Spice Powder
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This ingredient is a type of spice that provides a certain depth of flavor with many complex elements. It combines sweet and earthy tones with something else that’s quite hard to pinpoint. Spices like star anise can further elevate the taste of saucy dishes without the need for additional soy sauce and other sodium-based ingredients.
Anchovies
These are already used in pizzas and can provide that interesting salty flavor with umami. Why not incorporate them in other dishes that call for additional crunch as well? If you’re hesitant to experiment just yet, start off with dishes like stir-fried veggies with anchovies and work your way up from there.
Molasses
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Unlike sugar, molasses has a deeper and slightly earthy flavor that can add complexity to the flavors of your dish. If you’re somewhat hesitant to incorporate this ingredient into your dish, start small by adding it to the usual desserts with sugar. Add molasses little by little to the food and taste it every time to ensure the sweetness is not overwhelming. This is important because molasses is usually sweeter than table sugar, so there may be adjustments to the amount you need to place. This is especially important if you’re baking, as it’s important to balance the wet and dry ingredients ratio.
Vinegar
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If the dish seems bland, even if you followed the recipe to the dot, you may need to incorporate a bit of acid. Vinegar is a great ingredient for this purpose. It’s inexpensive, easily accessible, and has worked well with many dishes so far.
Lemons and Limes
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These two are another acid to consider if you aren’t a fan of vinegar. You can readily use them in meals and baking goods. You may even use the grated zest to further elevate the dish’s aroma and enhance its flavors. Some dishes to consider using are lime pies and lemon chicken.
Panko Breadcrumbs
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If you have a little more budget, try to do away with the flour or cornstarch as your final coating for your fried foods. Panko breadcrumbs have a fan following already and for good reasons. The crunchy texture ensures that the final dish is top-notch, while the extra depth of flavors it can bring to the fried dishes makes the food all the more appealing to the crowd. It also absorbs less oil if cooked under the right temperature, so you don’t have to worry about soggy fried food a few minutes after getting it out of the hot oil.
Chickpeas
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In terms of flavor, chickpeas don’t alter the dish in a significant way. It gives off the faintest hint of earthy and nutty flavors in each round piece of this ingredient. What it’s mostly known for, however, is its ability to improve the dish’s texture. If you’re looking to add some crunch to what you’re cooking, this ingredient may come in handy and add that interesting depth that you may be looking for.
Pickled Chili
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It’s not exactly as spicy as it will seem from the name itself, but it certainly packs a punch to the additional sour and sweet combination that comes with it. You can dry them off so you’ll have more to go around later for additional spices, or you may use it in its wet form as a sort of secret ingredient for your usual non-spicy dish. Some people even mix it with other fermented dishes to further bring spice and whet their appetite while eating. Some even eat the pickled form as a side dish.
Hot Sauce
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It’s not just for pizza and buffalo wings. If you think about it, the sour and spicy combination of this ingredient also has the potential to improve the spiciness meter of soups, pasta, and other traditional dishes you may not have imagined will have this ingredient as one of those in its lineup.
Sea Salt
This ingredient is as simple and as straightforward as it can get. It’s a salty ingredient used to enhance the dishes’ original flavors and allow the taste buds to experience more of the gastronomic elements that the food offers. It’s affordable, it’s easily accessible, and it’s easy to use. A few years ago, people started experimenting on these even further and ended up with sea salt caramel, sea salt chocolate, and so on–for a good reason. It adds that interesting but non-overwhelming boost in flavor that you won’t readily get from using the usual table salt.
Fish Sauce
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Many salty ingredients can improve the overall taste of the dish without causing a major shift in flavor. In this regard, fish sauce is a good ingredient, especially if you’re trying to cook Filipino dishes. Try it on nilaga, menudo, and the like, and hopefully, you’ll taste the difference.
Chili Flakes
If pickled chilis are not up your alley, chili flakes can be a good ingredient, especially if you have little time to figure out how an ingredient works with your dishes. This straightforward ingredient does what its name implies: add a certain level of spice to the food. In this regard, the spice meter is truly up to you–add more if you’re looking for an additional flavor that can heat your taste buds, and add less if you just want another element of flavor incorporated in your final dish.
Fresh Herbs
If you’ve been planting herbs lately, you’ll have little problem experimenting with them. Compared to their dried counterparts, fresh herbs can add a deeper flavor to your dishes. They can also add a couple of interesting aromas and flavors without the need for table salt and other sodium-based ingredients. This is even more important if you’re looking to serve food to people with health concerns or are just health-conscious.
There are still a lot of “secret ingredients” you can try to incorporate into your meals that aren’t in this list if you’re feeling adventurous and want to explore more of what your taste buds may like. On a similar note, you may also consider experimenting more with these things if you’re looking to have your specialty, assuming you don’t have one yet. This approach can help you improve your kitchen skills while learning more about your preferences.
