What's your secret sauce? When something you're cooking lacks a certain je ne sais quoi?

[KnopkaPixie]

That secret ingredient that whacks up the taste-o-meter. Even if it's really unhealthy and bad, like Knorr Aromat which is pure MSG or doing the old Chinese takeaway baking soda technique to 'velvet' meat.

They'll never know.

In other circles it's known as "Elevating the dish."

What's your cheat's guide to instant flavour?

Mango powder. I mostly cook Asian.

I often throw in a bit of Old Bay!

Miso, I make my own and I’ve got some old ones that are just packed full of savoury salty flavour as they’ve aged, just really hits the spot when you’re trying to make a dish more salty/umami

Heinz ketchup great with nuggets 😋

Paprika
Worcester sauce

must buy mango powder.

Sweet chilli sauce.

Depending on the dish:

Soy sauce. Light soy sauce, not dark.

Sesame oil (not too much)

Fish sauce

Garlic powder, if garlic is not available

I’d never heard of this - just googled. What doesn’t taste like?

What is that? I’ve seen the tin of it in tesco

It varies...smoked paprika, garlic and ginger paste, gochujang, celery salt, depending on the dish

@KnopkaPixie whats the baking soda trick?

Tamaki is my all time favourite sauce. Use it in every stir fry I make.

Yes, we must find this mango powder sorcery.

A splash of vinegar

Capers. Mayonnaise and capers. Pasta sauce and capers (bit of a theme here).
Chillies, fresh or powder, or some kind of hot sauce.
Lemon juice, vermouth and herbs.
NB not all of those at the same time!

Maggi or ketcap manis

Maggi Liquid Seasoning.

I could swig it from the bottle tbh

You know how Chinese restaurant meat is sort of silky? They make a slurry with baking soda or bicarb and marinate the meat in it. It's not an exact science and recipes differ but that's the basic principle.

Worcestershire sauce into anything meaty/tomato-y

Ketchup is actually the ingredient to quite a few things that I don't tell anyone about. I add a squirt to all sorts of things. Bolognese, curries, soups...

It's called amchur in Indian shops. Adds tanginess.

@Nespressso @Pinkfluffypencilcase They have three different types or I have found three different types. It's a mix of lots of different herbs and spices and seems to perk up lots of dishes. Whenever something isn't quite working out I add a spoon or two. The lemon and herb has resurrected a couple of bland pasta dishes! I often throw a bit or the original into fajitas or tomato based sauces. Even adding some to mayonnaise to dip in crispy potatoes or add an extra layer to garlic mayonnaise.

Oxford sauce, like Worcestershire with knobs on

Squirt of lime juice into most dishes to give a zing or a chunk of very dark chocolate to any tomato based sauce