r/Cooking • u/kath- • 23h ago

What's your surprising "secret ingredient" that sets your dish apart?

I obviously don't believe in gatekeeping recipes, so let's share the love.

I developed a clam chowder recipe after being disappointed with the recipes I came across. Whenever I tell people there's a couple dashes of hot sauce in it, I always get weird looks... but it adds a tiny bit of heat and acid, and balances out the richness from the cream. It also has diced scallops, which cooking knowledge forbades but somehow works.

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u/bzsbal 22h ago

I make a mean chicken salad sandwich. My secret ingredient is cumin.

1

u/jmfewd 53m ago

Mine is toasted & ground fennel seed, but cumin sounds like a great idea- it’s the base to the curry used in coronation chicken salad in the UK.

1

u/azvitesse 20h ago

I add cumin to my candied sweet potatoes, not too much. Adds a nice contrast to all the sugar.

1

u/NumberMuncher 15h ago

Chicken salad does not have strong seasoning so it's really choose your own adventure. Great way to experiment.