Miso paste is a popular ingredient in Japanese cooking because it's filled with natural glutamate, an amino acid that gives the paste the savory, meaty flavor known as umami. In addition to making the base for classic miso soup, you can find miso in recipes for everything from salad dressings to sauces to marinades to spreads. It's even a great way to elevate a chocolate cake. Glutamate is also naturally present in salty, savory foods with meat-like flavors such as parmesan cheese, mushrooms, and peanut butter, as well as meats like chicken, beef, and fish. A few tablespoons can give any dish a more enjoyable mouthfeel and richer flavor, so it's great to have around in the fridge.
If you want to get some of miso's umami goodness into your pasta sauce, just melt a tablespoon or two into the pot. For homemade sauce, the best time to add it is at the beginning, right as you're sweating the onions. If you melt it in with the butter or oil, you can build the sauce's flavor and still have some room for additional seasonings at the end of the recipe. If you find that the sauce still needs a little something when it's done, or you're working with store-bought sauce, dissolve a little more miso into some water or stock and stir it into the sauce to taste.
The Umami Ingredient That'll Give Almost Any Pasta A Serious Upgrade - Daily Meal
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