Flavour swaps

Flavour Swaps

There are lots of different ways of replicating some of the flavours you miss or crave when embarking on a vegetarian diet that are sustainable and delicious. Here are some of the key swaps I made when I became vegetarian.

Smoked Paprika

I use this where I used to use chorizo. Most of the flavour from chorizo comes from smoked paprika. I use it in baked eggs and to flavour stews. The smoke is what is important here, the fact that these chillies are smoked is what gives them that heat and freshness with a rounded depth.

The best - La Chinata, Santo Domingo

Smoked Salt

I use smoked salts where I may have used smoked meat. By using a smoked salt or smoke water (which is just water that has been put in a slow cooker) you get a rounded woody smokiness which really helps replicate that flavour. When making carbonara I use a swede or a turnip and I will season it with maple syrup and smoked salt, a really great alternative for bacon in a carbonara.

The best - Halen Mon smoked salt and water

Capers

Capers can be used to echo anchovies. I do often replace anchovies in recipes with capers from pastas to pizzas and way beyond that. If you finely chop your capers in pasta sauce you'll get that deep umami saltiness and hopefully you won't miss the anchovies. You can shallow fry capers in a pan of hot olive oil and they go super crispy. I sprinkle them on top of pasta, on top of quiches and tarts and on top of tray bake roasted vegetables to add texture and saltiness.

Parmesan

Parmesan is not vegetarian but there are many parmesan style vegetarian cheeses. My personal favourite is British Old Winchester cheese. It's produced in a similar way to parmesan and has a deep umami flavour.

Marmite

A yeast extract like marmite or vegemite is so key in the kitchen for me. I often add Marmite to add to stews and gravies. It's one thing that I might add towards the end of cooking if I've got a gravy, for instance that I feel is lacking in flavour if it needs that umami hit and some more depth.

Miso

Miso is great in stocks, gravies and soups where you miss that richness and depth.

Saffron

Saffron adds a distinctive rounded flavour. Persian and Spanish cooking uses lots and lots of saffron. If you were making a vegetarian paella, the saffron with still give you the same signals as a fish paella, but with none of the fish or seafood.

Star Anise

Star anise has a really deep rounded flavour with a sort of aniseed note. I find it really helpful for adding to things like Vietnamese pho, Thai curries, massaman curry, and marinades for vegetables I might put on the barbecue. Try adding a couple of star anise to a squash soup.

Seaweed

Adding seaweed to your food adds that fresh clean taste of the sea without having any fish.

Smoked Tofu

Smoked tofu is a brilliant thing to have in your fridge. I use it where I may have used bacon in the past. I slice it thinly and I fry it in a hot pan with some oil until crisp on each sides. Then I mix a little maple syrup with smoked paprika and drizzle this onto the the smoked tofu slices making sure that its evenly coated. I give them a few more seconds on each side then take the pan off the heat.

Aquafaba

The liquid that chickpeas are cooked or stored in is a miraculous replacement for eggs. It can be whipped up in the same way that eggs can to make meringue or to replace eggs in cakes. If you're trying to cut down on the amount of eggs in your diet or if you're vegan, I would encourage you to experiment with aquafaba. The other great thing about it is you're using up something that would otherwise be wasted.

Nutritional Yeast

When a recipe calls for a punchy cheesy flavour this can stand in really well. It is great as it will sit in the cupboard for months.

Tofu

Tofu comes in many consistencies, flavours and types and can be quite hard to get your head around. The firmer tofus are better for frying and sautéing and using in stir-fries. Silken tofu is a brilliant replacement for eggs.

Tempeh

Tempeh is a great ingredient. It is a great thing to use as a protein in your cooking you can fry it up with maple and smoked paprika to make a can of a vegan source of bacon, it's also brilliant fried up in a noodle or rice dish.

Charring

Using fire and smoke when it comes to vegetables is a really really smart thing to do to recreate some of the flavours that we perhaps miss in vegetarian and vegan cooking. I use the gas flame of my cooker for all sorts of other things too – especially warming rotis or flatbreads. The charred crunch adds an edge to a curry or salad. Keep a careful eye and remember not to use wooden tongs.

Plant-based Dairy

Plant-based dairy is a great swap for vegetarians and vegans. There are loads of different types of plant-based dairy.