Entry #4: Seasonings and Sauces

Extra additives to food add great flavor and extra depth to the way you eat. Some of those additives are condiments, seasonings, and sauces. I always keep in mind of what is best to add to my breakfast, dinner, or lunch, and can be even fun with new foods.

Starting off with one of the most common spices, black pepper is a simple but effective method in enhancing the taste of your food. Some of my favorite types of food to use it on are: eggs, almost any meat, and soup broths. I love to add enough pepper to completely coat the tops of whatever I am eating, and enough in soups to the point that it bothers your nose. Not only does pepper work well alone, but paired with soy sauce or salt, it creates a cluster of flavors, blending saltiness and subtle hints of spice.

Me, being from an Asian background, hoisin sauce is a precious commodity for many types of foods like pho, beef dishes, and vegetables. With the flavor of the fermented soybeans and light spices used in the sauce, you can instantly recognize the uniquely sweet and salty combination in this thick, black liquid. For me and my family, we dump globs of hoisin into hot bowl of pho (a Vietnamese soup dish) until we are satisfied with the flavor. As an alternative to barbeque sauce or A1, hoisin is also a great choice for steak and fried pork in my experiences.

Another extremely popular sauce I prefer is sriracha. On the milder side of hot sauces, you can really taste the red chiles along with the garlic, sugar, and vinegar. Those ingredients give it the spicy punch while also delivering a sweet and sour flavor. Pretty much anything you can think of that uses hot sauce, you could substitute with sriracha. I frequently use the sauce in noodle-based foods like ramen, pho, and chow mein. I find that it easily spreads its flavor into whatever you put it into, making it effective for instantly adding an interesting twist to a non-spicy meal.

Condiments are truly some of the most important things when it comes to eating and are convenient to find. As an example, you can find black pepper on Amazon, hoisin sauce at Walmart, and Sriracha at Asian markets like LeeLee. What are your favorite condiments you like to buy?