CookSmart (4th Issue) Page9

Feature Article

Appearance

Good appearance makes the food more attractive to diners. The elegant French cuisine best illustrates how the appearance of a dish affects its character.

Scent

Apart from the usual ginger, garlic and chilli, think of spices such as lemongrass, curry powder and ginger powder. Their distinctive scents are equally useful in enhancing the flavour of a dish. (Table 1 is a list of natural flavour enhancing ingredients).

Tastes

Flavour enhancers are commonly used to enhance the "umami" of food. Like salt, they should be use in moderation because of their high sodium content which is detrimental to one's heart health. Consider using natural ingredients rich in Glutamic Acid such as tomatoes, cheeses (e.g. parmesan cheese) and agaricus mushroom instead! Glutamic Acid is released from food with prolonged cooking. This may explain why the Japanese chefs love to use plenty of kelp (kajime), Italians use cooked tomato sauce in their signature pastas and Chinese add stewed black mushrooms to soup and dishes.

The texture and temperature certainly have an effect on our impression of a dish. If we attend to the details of every single step, we will be able to make dishes which are appealing in appearances, scents and tastes without the assistance of flavour enhancers.