4 surprising flavor hacks to make your soups irresistible

Michelle Huneven March 27, 2024

If you try a soup-for-dinner diet to cut back on calories or just to simplify your life, amp up the umami and other flavor notes with these unexpected flavor spikes when your soup needs a boost.

The ‘soup for dinner’ diet: It’s easy, delicious. A never-boring way to slim downFOR PRINT, WE CAN DELETE THE INTRO AND JUST TO THE LISTRed Boat Salt

Infused with Red Boats famous fish sauce, this salt is pricey

,

but highly concentrated a little goes a long way. In a soup that uses 4 to 5 cups of broth, Ill use a scant half teaspoonful for an instant blast of umami. (A friend once ruined some good steaks brining them in this salt. Use sparingly for maximum benefit). Try with this recipe for Roman-style Chickpea and Tomato Soup with Bulgur.

Accent

Yes. MSG. Blind tests have long indicated that MSG is safe

; and

that negative reactions to MSG have not been reproducible in scientific studies. A synthetic glutamate

most commonly

made from fermented sugar beets, sugar cane

,

or molasses, MSG is

the salt version of glutamic acid, which occurs naturally in many foods. It’s

basically

synthesized

umami

Umami

in its purest form. Added with restraint,

with

it amplifies savory flavors.

Huy Fong chili garlic sauce

I add a teaspoon

of the chili garlic sauce from famed sriracha makers Huy Fong Foods

when soups are simmering. Like wine, it needs to cook a bit to settle in. In small doses, it adds a warming, subtly spicy lift to soups. More, and the heat rises.

Ground shiitake mushrooms

In thicker soups (like bean

soups, or

potato soups

or, and

purees), I sometimes sneak in a teaspoon of shiitake mushroom powder, another source of deep umami. In more delicate brothy soups, the powder can add an unwanted murkiness or mustiness.

More flavor spikes to have on hand

Aleppo pepper, smoked paprika, brewers yeast, lime and lemon juice, grated lemon peel, fish sauce, Parmesan cheese rinds, finishing salts.