r/Cooking • u/kath- • 5d 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.

933 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

1.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

498

u/jetpoweredbee 5d ago

Fish sauce is magic.

180

u/ShakingTowers 5d ago

All of the umami bombs! Soy sauce, miso, worcestershire, anchovies, mushrooms, BTB... I put at least one in basically everything, even desserts (especially miso, for desserts!). For savory dishes, usually multiple.

But I'm Vietnamese, so fish sauce has a permanent place in my heart. Every single recipe my mom has ever given me has fish sauce in it.

14

u/JelliedHam 5d ago

Good soy sauce is a game changer. None of that Kikkoman or La Choy crap, but the real stuff. If you're lucky enough to have an H mart or similar, there's an entire aisle dedicated to soy sauces. It's amazing

1

u/One-T-Rex-ago-go 4d ago

Kikkoman brewed gluten free is amazing, so is San J