How does pineapple affect umami when used in vegan-fish-sauce recipes?

How does pineapple affect umami when used in vegan-fish-sauce recipes? - From above of crop anonymous person taking picture of blurred pineapples in eco friendly bags

I have seen mushroom and wakame as ingredients in fish sauce substitutes but does pineapple just take the cake?

A number of recipes are simmering fresh chopped pineapple along with salty ingredients before straining: does that add umami or in any way help extract umami?



Best Answer

Umami is the result of glutamic acid (ions) getting in touch with the tongue. Glutamic acid in fish sauce is the result of a fermentation process, which involves bacteria doing the work of breaking down fish components. Glutamic acid easily dissolves in water though. This is after all, how it was detected millennia ago and centuries ago verified by creating glutamic acid salts: Cooking seaweed in water and boiling the result down.

The wakame is added due to its natural content of glutamic acid. There isn't anything special the pineapple can/has do to it that regular water can't do.

Therefore the answer is: No, the purpose of the pineapple is not to increase the glutamic acid of the substitute.




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Quick Answer about "How does pineapple affect umami when used in vegan-fish-sauce recipes?"

IMO pineapple is an excellent flavour balancer and adds umami to the dish... Salt is not infrequently recommended in thai recipes as a better substitute for fish sauce than soy sauces etc ... probably because the role of the fish sauce is mostly adding salt, just as you would with Light Soy Sauce in chinese recipes...

How does vegan fish sauce taste?

The vegetarian nuoc mam had a nice brown color, little aroma, and a faintly sweet, savory flavor. It's not salty and definitely not fishy. Most Viet vegetarian dishes tend to be delicate in flavor so I can see the vegetarian fish sauces working well in those kinds of dishes.

What is a vegan alternative to fish sauce?

Soy sauce, which is made from fermented soybeans, water, salt, and wheat, is an excellent alternative to fish sauce. It's also suitable for vegans ( 5 ). Due to the amino acids in soybeans, soy sauce has a rich umami flavor with a hint of sweetness.

What is vegan fish sauce made from?

It's basically a very condensed broth infused with soy sauce -shoyu, tamari or gluten-free Bragg's Liquid Aminos, dried mushrooms, seaweed and a few garlic cloves. The broth is simmered and reduced, and flavors become very concentrated.

Does fish sauce have a strong fish taste?

We love the flavor of fish sauce for its umami, the earthy, savory flavor field that makes things like mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, and soy sauce taste so complex and crave-able. There's a distinct, pungent fishiness to the sauce, sure, but that flavor is flanked by a salty, briny, caramel-y sweetness.



The Ultimate Vegan Fish Sauce




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