How to Add Umami to Your Cooking | Everything about umami | Umami | Ajinomoto Group Global Website - Eat Well, Live Well. (2024)

A happy and yummy meal is often the reason for that smile on your face. Relishing a flavorful meal, even after a very long day feels really nice! Wondering how to amp up your own cooking with umami goodness? It’s simpler than you think. Follow our easy tips and you can have an umami-rich experience with every meal!

1. Use umami-rich ingredients

How to Add Umami to Your Cooking | Everything about umami | Umami | Ajinomoto Group Global Website - Eat Well, Live Well. (1)

Some foods naturally pack a ton of umami. Ripe tomatoes, dried mushrooms, kombu (kelp), anchovies, parmesan cheese, etc..— all of these bring the savory deliciousness of umami to recipes.
Here’s a flavorful Mediterranean dish that uses tomato for the extra umami boost.

2. Use fermented foods

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Fermented foods have high umami content. Try using ingredients such as miso paste and soy sauce in your cooking. Be experimental!
Adding this miso twist to your usual pasta will create some umami heaven.

3. Use cured meats

How to Add Umami to Your Cooking | Everything about umami | Umami | Ajinomoto Group Global Website - Eat Well, Live Well. (3)

Aged or cured meats abound in umami. Bacon, aged sausages and salami will all bring an umami boost to any recipe.
Try this refreshing carpaccio, which gets its umami from cured ham.

4. Use aged cheeses

How to Add Umami to Your Cooking | Everything about umami | Umami | Ajinomoto Group Global Website - Eat Well, Live Well. (4)

Parmesan isn’t only for pasta —Try this vegetarian pizza made with four types of cheese, each adding a punch of umami making you want more!

5. Use umami-rich seasonings

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Using umami-rich seasonings such as ketchup, molasses, tomato paste, fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Marmite, or miso paste will give you a quick fix of umami. Don’t be afraid to innovate. Give this Umami Meatloaf Burger a try and experience it yourself.

6. Use pure umami aka MSG

How to Add Umami to Your Cooking | Everything about umami | Umami | Ajinomoto Group Global Website - Eat Well, Live Well. (6)

Or you can get an umami boost by adding monosodium glutamate, aka MSG, to your dish. Next time you’re cooking, put a pinch of MSG into your soups, pasta sauce, salad dressings, meat marinades, and stir-fries. MSG does not add extra calories, unnecessary color or unwanted, complex tastes. It just brings pure umami depth of flavor. Try this Beef and Vegetable Stir-fry to experience the power of umami!

Umami discovery tour in Japan; Nick Lee, award winner in the 1st World Umami Cooking Competition

Professional recipes to help you enjoy umami


How to Add Umami to Your Cooking | Everything about umami | Umami | Ajinomoto Group Global Website - Eat Well, Live Well. (7)

Stirring the emotions with umami: the rise of a young Korean-American chef

Nick Lee’s World Umami Cooking Competition winning recipe combined ingredients naturally rich in umami, such as kombu, parmigiano reggiano, tomatoes, and shiitake mushrooms. The dish reflected the influence of both Western and Eastern cultures.


How to Add Umami to Your Cooking | Everything about umami | Umami | Ajinomoto Group Global Website - Eat Well, Live Well. (8)

An up-and-coming “umami ambassador” gets inspiration from a seasoned pro

Ryohei Hayashi, chef-owner of Tenoshima, a one-star Michelin restaurant in Tokyo demonstrates how to make orizume bento.

What is MSG?

A popular seasoning and flavor enhancer, MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is the purest form of umami, the fifth taste. MSG (monosodium glutamate) is widely used to intensify and enhance umami flavors in sauces, broths, soups and many more foods. Originally associated mainly with Asian cuisines, MSG (monosodium glutamate) is now used around the world to bring out the delicious flavor of foods.

How to Add Umami to Your Cooking | Everything about umami | Umami | Ajinomoto Group Global Website - Eat Well, Live Well. (9)

The Ajinomoto Group is contributing to the well-being of all human beings,
our society and our planet with "AminoScience".

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How to Add Umami to Your Cooking | Everything about umami | Umami | Ajinomoto Group Global Website - Eat Well, Live Well. (10)

Umami is Found in Every World Cuisine

Umami (“essence of deliciousness”) may be a Japanese word, but the taste is not limited to Japanese cuisine. You can find umami in foods prepared ...

How to Add Umami to Your Cooking | Everything about umami | Umami | Ajinomoto Group Global Website - Eat Well, Live Well. (11)

What are the Five Basic Tastes?

The five basic tastes—sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami—are messages that tell us something about what we put into our mouth, so we can decide ...

How to Add Umami to Your Cooking | Everything about umami | Umami | Ajinomoto Group Global Website - Eat Well, Live Well. (2024)

FAQs

How to Add Umami to Your Cooking | Everything about umami | Umami | Ajinomoto Group Global Website - Eat Well, Live Well.? ›

A taste is based on a single sensation, whereas flavor is the combination of multiple sensations experienced simultaneously. Umami's controversy lay in determining whether it was the result of multiple sensations, or could be detected singularly.

Why is umami controversial? ›

A taste is based on a single sensation, whereas flavor is the combination of multiple sensations experienced simultaneously. Umami's controversy lay in determining whether it was the result of multiple sensations, or could be detected singularly.

How do you add umami to stock? ›

Mushrooms are a good source, especially dried Shiitake mushrooms. Just add them to the stock. Caramelizing onions before putting them in a stock will also boost umami. Slow cook in a bit of oil until golden brown before adding the other veggies and water.

How do you use umami paste? ›

It can be used all year round in stews, stir fries and marinades, just a squeeze or two can transform and elevate the flavours of a dish, giving it that real Michelin star wow factor. However what makes Clearspring umami paste unique is that it can also be used in its own right as a delicious dip, sauce or topping.

How do you add umami to cooking? ›

Using umami-rich seasonings such as ketchup, molasses, tomato paste, fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Marmite, or miso paste will give you a quick fix of umami. Don't be afraid to innovate. Give this Umami Meatloaf Burger a try and experience it yourself.

What seasoning gives umami flavor? ›

Spices like green cardamom and herbs like bay leaves have bold and bright profiles and pair wonderfully with a wide range of umami foods. You can experiment by pairing sweet paprika, cumin, allspice, tamarind, parsley, cocoa, or cinnamon with umami-rich foods.

What is the strongest umami flavor? ›

Foods that have a strong umami flavor include meats, shellfish, fish (including fish sauce and preserved fish such as Maldives fish, Katsuobushi, sardines, and anchovies), tomatoes, mushrooms, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, meat extract, yeast extract, kimchi, cheeses, and soy sauce.

What ingredient has the most umami? ›

10 Foods Naturally High in Umami
  • Tomatoes. Fresh, canned, roasted, or sun-dried, tomatoes top the plant-based umami charts. ...
  • Mushrooms. ...
  • Peas. ...
  • Fresh Corn. ...
  • Nuts. ...
  • Sea Vegetables. ...
  • Miso. ...
  • Soy Sauce and Tamari.
Sep 22, 2023

How do you increase umami without MSG? ›

Soy sauce is a good substitute, rich in umami. As with broth cubes, first check the list of ingredients to ensure that there is no MSG added. Oyster sauce, fish sauce (nam pla), and Worcestershire sauce can also be used to enhance the taste of dishes. Being high in salt, they should be used in moderation.

Do chefs use umami? ›

Chefs often use umami-rich ingredients or techniques to elevate the taste of their creations. Some common culinary applications include: Broths and Stocks: The foundation of many soups and sauces, broths and stocks made from umami-rich ingredients contribute depth and complexity.

How to add umami to pasta sauce? ›

Amp Up the Umami

In addition to umami-rich ingredients like mushrooms and grated cheese mentioned in other sections here, you can melt a couple anchovy fillets in some olive oil before adding the sauce, or dissolve in a bouillon cube, a spoonful of miso, or a splash of fish sauce or Worcestershire sauce.

What is umami for dummies? ›

Umami, which is also known as monosodium glutamate is one of the basic five tastes including sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Umami means “delicious savory taste” in Japanese, and its taste is often described as the meaty, savory deliciousness that deepens flavor.

What is umami used for in cooking? ›

Umami is a flavor enhancer. It can make foods taste richer, saltier, and more satisfying. Even though it's a savory flavor, it can also bring out sweetness in foods.

Is umami seasoning the same as MSG? ›

While MSG was made in a lab to be chemically similar to umami, and they target the same receptors in our bodies, an essential distinction between them significantly affects how each reacts in our bodies.

Where can I use umami powder? ›

Eggs, meat, vegetables, soups, and seafood are some of the recipes that go best with Umami seasoning. The taste level varies from person to person, just like with other spices.

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