Miso also adds essential umami to this creamy barbecue sauce and this grilled cauliflower with miso mayo.
Or just add garlic
And when in doubt, there’s Canelo’s other piece of advice: Add garlic, lots of garlic, wherever you can. There’s a reason sinangag is one of my favorite foods: It’s all about the crispy fried garlic chips, which get tossed with just-cooked rice and garlic-infused oil.
And crispy garlic’s not just for rice: As Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley explained in their recent story about adha, it’s the perfect addition to hummus, stuffed vegetables, stews, and more.
But peak-season produce doesn’t need much...
Produce is at its very best right now, so it’s an ideal time to embark on some truly simple vegetable-based cooking. The kind of cooking that simply consists of slicing tomatoes and putting them on a plate—but don’t forget to season.
Chetna Makan, author of Chetna’s Healthy Indian: Everyday Veg and Vegan Feasts Effortlessly Good for You, reminds us that some vegetables and pulses are so flavorful on their own that they just need a simple companion to really shine. She likes to “add the tiniest bit of salt to sweet things and a tiny bit of sugar to savory things,” she says. “A touch of lemon or lime to finish off some veg is such a great way to get that balance right.”
Layer on the lentils
Cyrus Todiwala, author of Simple Spice Vegetarian, likes to incorporate multiple proteins into one dish. He points to dhaansaak, a classic Parsee dish, as an example: “Dhaan refers to the caramelized onion rice flavored with star anise, and saak refers to the lamb cooked with lentils. “Traditionally,” he adds, “seven different lentils are used together along with a host of vegetables that are then puréed together, and then blended with the lamb. Each of the lentils is different and has its own qualities.”
He explains that different lentil varieties differ significantly when it comes to flavor. They also offer different amounts of protein, and some, like urad daal, are starchier. “Collectively they form a smooth, creamy texture,” he says, with more complex flavor than a single variety would offer. Of course, you can apply this same idea while eliminating the meat.
This dal recipe packs in lentils and chickpeas.
A dehydrator is your secret weapon
David Lee, chef and co-founder of PLANTA in Toronto and Miami, touts the super-concentrated flavors of dehydrated veg. Start by playing with any vegetables you like, smoking them in a Big Green Egg, “or dehydrating them to get the most concentrated sweetness,” Lee says. “Dehydrated mushrooms are my go-to; local chanterelles, morels, you name it.”
