A splash of seasoning in the kitchen

Those of us who cook do so from scratch but we all still have some seasoning helpers in the kitchen. These are three favourites that pack a ton of flavour, are relatively clean label and are easy to use.

For those who like to camp, or who live in more remote areas, these are also items that will add excitement to dishes when access to a large selection of ingredients is limited.

Hondashi is a popular Japanese staple used around the world. It’s the ultimate shortcut for making dashi stock used in things like miso soup, Japanese omelet or rice dishes.

It contains dried bonito tuna, broth and extracts, as well as a variety of sugars such as lactose, maltose, xylose and dextrose and msg and yeast extracts.

This is delicious stuff, and don’t restrict yourself to just Japanese cuisine. It’s fairly intense so use it sparingly.

I find it easily at many Asian food stores, such as T&T and Green Fresh for about $7.

Next is this Matsutake Mushroom Seasoning. I discovered it at T&T late last year and found it a fantastic and versatile addition to so many dishes. Now they’ve started stocking a large format version (400 grams for $16) and I don’t want to do without it.

It’s an umami-forward experience that contains an assortment of mushrooms: matsutake, shiitake, straw and oyster in addition to apple, carrot, seaweed, cabbage and monk fruit powders as well as sesame, salt and yeast extract. That’s it. No MSG necessary, and it’s vegan-friendly.

Use this instead of salt if you like, and I find it works beautifully in salad dressing, stir-fried vegetables and scrambled eggs. A final note: this is not a powder but a granule, and as such, it dissolves easily.

Another clean label is Better Than Bouillon Organic seasoned vegetable base. I buy my large format version (597 grams) at Costco for $14 and it’s enough to last me six months. 

Shameful as it might be, it’s my one concession to buying an American product, as I’ve not found a Canadian equivalent. If you know of one please send me a note.

They also do an organic beef and chicken broth (also at Costco) that is excellent but I don’t understand why they refuse to put those products through a fining process. Both these meat-based broths contain small bits of cartilage and sometimes bone. I suppose the thinking is that it lends authenticity but I don’t care for it.

Use this veg concentrate in soups, sauces, vegan chilli or just as a mug of comfort when you want something savoury but not a big meal. Very good stuff.