Strange secret ingredients you put in your cooking?

Marmite in stews, baked beans, and baked spuds.

 

Par-boiling potatoes before roasting - I always add a spoonful of turmeric to the water. Gives them a real earthy taste and a lovely glowing colour.

 

A shot of espresso in a chilli is my add on, find it better than chocolate.

 

I do a lot of chinese cooking and one ingredient used in stews, especially Szechuan stews, is Chilli Bean paste aka Toban Djan aka Doubanjiang. Putting this in any English stew makes it amazing.

 

If you put a tiny piece of chocolate in your gravy it makes it smoother with the texture of a sauce....don't add a full square otherwise you can taste chocolate in your gravy

A splash of white vinegar in your Yorkshire puds mixture will cause them to really rise

When making pastry always let it rest in the fridge for 20 minutes it helps bind it better....

Chip shop curry .......use a basic white sauce recipe ....I chuck it all in together milk butter flour ( I use Soya ) add ground cumin salt pepper ground ginger garlic powder onion powder turmic and curry powder mustard powder and a veg (knors) stock cube
Stir with a whisk constantly....

Garlic mushrooms....you can boil your mushrooms in milk or lightly fry them and add later....once again I make a white sauce mixture including a veg stock cube garlic powder ginger mustard onion powder salt and pepper ...mix up some Gravy granules with warm milk until you have a paste then add that to your white sauce along with some cream if its runny add corn starch paste using milk to mix it .....once again stir constantly to avoid lumps ....
Enjoy.....
being vegan I use plant based products that said cows milk can be used...
All from the top of my head recipe range
( Standing joke in the shed household ..)
Cooking is an art that anyone can do its about experimenting with different products and flavours...some you win sometimes you lose its about passion beauty creativity always
Cook with love without restraints and feel free express it but most of all don't eat with your eyes ....because if you do ....you will never know how good something tastes...
Enjoy campers....

 

Love juice..

 

Love it. Makes a good and very easy dip when mixed with sour cream or mayo, and I often put some in home made hummus when I fancy a kick. It's called adjika here, but it's more or less the same. I'm sure @TbilisiTyke will know all about adjika!

 

N'duja in absolutely ******* everything.

 

I can imagine that for people who like horseradish that's pretty nice, but unfortunately I can't stand the stuff! It's weird as I absolutely love chilli heat, but there's something about horseradish and especially wasabi that I really can't deal with!

 

Not an ingredient choice. And not so much unusual.
But. Curry and rice in a giant Yorkshire pudding. Give it a try.

 

Are we allowed to call the dish Mole Negro in the current climate

 

Tabasco sauce in Baked Beans is lovely.

 

Try adding vinegar to your bowl of soup or stew once served...that compliments them well

 

Fresh ginger, onion and plenty of garlic is the best base for a curry then add the spices you want.
Asoefetida and a tablespoon of Fenugreek seeds takes your curry to another level.

 

I agree .....off at a tangent I get most of my herbs spices nuts pulses oils dates from Sprouts in Rotherham its an Asian supermarket......very reasonably priced.... vegetables and fruit , salad etc always very fresh...and not covered in plastic packaging that you get at most other supermarkets

 

Sarsons malt vinegar on pancakes. Bellissimo

 

Weirdo

 

Try it!
If youve not tried it you can't knock it.
I'm happy to try your curry and rice in a Yorkshire pudding.
I won't mention sprouts!

 

That's where I go.
Prefer the International Supermarket in Bradford but needs must whilst this pandemic has been on.
Their selection of fresh stuff, curry leaves etc is brilliant
We're due another visit in the ne t few days

 

We tend to use fenugreek seeds if we make a fish curry. We've used Asafoetida once and it upset my missus (southerners, sheesh!), but I quite liked it added to the rice, though we usually add a couple of curry leaves and split some cardamom pods in there.