To help you make a dent in your collection of this and that, here are some tips and recipes from our archives for getting through that surplus of harissa, tahini, miso and more.
As my former colleague Kari Sonde wrote a few years ago: “Harissa is a spicy chili paste used in North African and Middle Eastern cuisine. Although the ingredients themselves vary from region to region, they generally include peppers, garlic, olive oil and spices.
It can add zest to salad dressings, whether for greens or chicken salad. Add it to homemade dips or tomato sauce. Whip into pancake or waffle batter for a savory breakfast option. Harissa is a great addition to a glaze for roast meats, fish, or vegetables, including Turkey Legs with Harissa and Sweet Potatoes with Sumac.
“Chipotles en adobo are smoked and dried jalapeños rehydrated and canned in a sweet and tangy mash of tomato, vinegar, garlic and other spices, for a reddish sauce that packs a wicked heat but with plenty of flavor. ‘balance and body’, wrote Max Falkowitz. on Serious Eats.
Chipotle pairs well with the earthy flavor of black beans, especially in Hot Chipotle Black Bean Dip. Chipotles are great in barbecue sauces or to drizzle over grilled meats. They add zest to salad dressings and soups. Enhance your sandwich by adding chopped peppers to the mayonnaise.
Miso is a fermented paste often made with rice and soybeans, explains my colleague Aaron Hutcherson in his article on the subject.
When looking to add an umami punch, especially in vegan recipes, consider miso. Remember that it is very salty. Miso brings a complex flavor to soups, sauces, dressings and batters, including Crispy chilli miso-parmesan pasta. It is an excellent coating for roasted vegetables. If you are a fan of savory or savory flavored desserts, miso can help you, whether in cakes or ice cream.
Add fish sauce as another option in your umami booster arsenal. A staple of Vietnamese and Thai cuisines, it is made with liquid extracted from small fermented fish. The flavor is savory, salty and, when tasted straight, fishy. In a supporting role, you might not taste the fish at all.
Try it in soups, like Restorative Chicken and Rice Soup. It blends into vinaigrettes, salads and curries. Use it in stir fries and noodle salads. He performs in the Vietnamese dip known as nuoc cham.
These small, silvery fish are usually sold filleted and canned in oil or packed in salt, and can be used similarly to fish sauce.
Anchovies can be chopped and cooked in tomato sauce for a touch of complexity and depth. They can play in a vinaigrette, especially Retro Caesar Salad. Try in sauces for roasted vegetables. Use as the base for a quick pasta dish.
This sesame paste, a staple of Middle Eastern cuisine, is nutty with a pleasantly bitter undertone that makes it work in both savory and sweet dishes.
Tahini is a fundamental ingredient of hummus. Its thick texture makes it ideal for drizzling sauces over cereal bowls, meat and vegetables. Stir into salad dressings for green vegetables, chicken or chickpea salads or cold noodles. I love it as a substitute for peanut butter in sesame flowersand you can also incorporate it into cakes.
“This thick, reddish-brown sauce is sweet and spicy, and widely used in Chinese cooking,” explain Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst in “The New Food Lover’s Companion.”
A spoonful or two of hoisin is great if you like to make your own stir-fry sauces, like in Sticky Broccoli Hoisin with Almonds. Try it as part of a glaze over roasted vegetables or meat, or in a marinade. It can also be used in salad dressings.
As I’ve said before, tomato paste — made from mashed cooked tomatoes that’s squeezed dry and then placed in evaporation tanks to remove the water — is a pantry powerhouse.
Like some of the other ingredients here, it’s loaded with compounds that contribute to a dish’s savory umami flavor. I always drop some into any batch of vegetable broth. Try sautéing some with your herbs when making soup or stew. This step also appears in Tomato-Balsamic Chicken. Enhance your tomato sauce with a spoon or two.
