Secret ingredients

[Eliza9917]

What do you add if you think a soup or stew is missing something?

Worcestershire sauce

For a stew/cottage pie mix I'd add a dollop of marmite or HP sauce.

Soup would depend on the ingredients but garlic puree/chilli flakes or sriracha probably.

A drop (or several) of sherry?

Salt is invariably the first thing to try, though I try to limit it as much as possible. As far as semi-secret ingredients go, or less obvious ones, freshly grated nutmeg or liquid smoke (for a lovely BBQ flavour) are two of my favourites. A lot of stews (inc bolognese, chilli etc) also benefit from the addition of chorizzo or smoked bacon lardons.

Cajun spice

Cinnamon. Only a pinch mind!

Celery salt.

Depend on what it is but I often add condiments, cranbury sauce, mustard, horseradish, worcstersauce, white pepper, balsamic vinegar

Squeezed Bovril

Another vote for Worcestershire sauce

Red wine

Half a teaspoon of curry powder or English mustard and add herby dumplings 😋

Vinegar and or smoked paprika

Salt, veggie stock cube, tomato puree/passata, half a tsp sugar, paprika, soy sauce or ketchup. Or a combination.

Rose Harissa paste!

Ketchup, worcester sauce and/or garlic pepper.
I work with a lady who swears by mushroom ketchup but DP hates mushrooms so I've never got to try it :(

Thank you. Sorry I didn't add this earlier, I was being rushed to go out: If making a beef stew or tomato based dish I normally add balsamic vinegar, smoked paprika, light or dark soy sauce to 'beef' up the flavour but yesterday I made Jamaican pea soup and it tasted like it still needed something and I wasn't sure what to add. Its a soup that tastes better the day after you make it so I was making it for today. I haven't made it before.

I added:
lamb
kidney beans
water
onions & garlic
carrots
potatoes
s&p
thyme
smoked paprika
cumin seeds
allspice
dumplings

In that order.

We always add hot pepper sauce at the table rather than while cooking as its to taste.

By the time it finished cooking it tasted like it should so it just needed to simmer but it made me wonder what other people add when something tastes like its missing something.