Find your flavour
My dad always likes to say that I’m on the seafood diet, aka I see food and I eat it…. but it’s certainly not a bad way to be because I’m not fussy when it comes to cuisine, food or recipe types. I like to think that my passion for food and for cooking has been largely influenced by the fact that my tastebuds know no bounds when it comes to eating!
If you’re someone who likes food but are wanting to broaden your tastebuds and cooking repertoire, then this is the blog post for you! So come along with me as I provide a few easy (and actionable) tips and tricks that can help you go from Mie Goreng to Michelin Star in a matter of minutes *well maybe a little longer but you get the gist*. Read on!
Pick an ingredient you love and research different recipes its part of
This might seem simple, but so many people get lost or overwhelmed when looking online trying to find new inspo or recipes to try. If you know you love Salmon or Cauliflower or whatever it might be - I would recommend literally Googling “recipes with Salmon” etc. There are thousands of food blogs online (none quite as good as mine hehe) that are structured and tailored to the different ways someone might search for inspiration. They range from being as broad as best dinner recipes to specific as vegetarian recipes using Tofu. They also often have filters that you can apply to suit your tastes and preferences - but I recommend letting yourself have a wander - you never know what you might stumble across you’d otherwise not have looked out for!
You can’t go wrong by searching for recipes with an ingredient you love because it will often hero that ingredient (as one of the staple components) and then incorporate other ingredients that compliment. Better yet, it might just expand your tastebuds while you’re at it if you’re trying something new! Simple yet effective. Next.
If you like a particular cuisine, explore different recipes to cook with the cuisine’s ingredients
This is another great way to try new recipes because if you love a certain cuisine that features similar flavours in different ways e.g. Mexican tostadas versus enchiladas, then it’s unlikely you’ll go wrong. Now I’m not saying that you have to go and spend hours making a particular dish or buy a million ingredients to nail it first time around. However, say you love a classic like Lasagna or Spaghetti Bolognese that’s hero ingredients are the rich tomatoey sauce, onion, garlic and fragrant herbs like oregano… i’d pretty safely say you’d like other flavour rich dishes like Moussaka (a Greek Eggplant bake) and Moroccan Tagine (meat and vegetable simmered stew with 10+ spices like cumin and saffron).
There really is no right or wrong way to go about this - it’s all about doing a little research, spending a little time (which we def have #lockdowntimes) and letting the flavours dance with one another and your tastebuds! Voila.
Keep it simple and build your repertoire as you become more comfortable with pairing staple ingredients
My advice when it comes to expanding your tastebuds and skill set in the kitchen would be to not over complicate it. This might seem like silly advice but attempting the first searched recipe found on Google containing a million and one ingredients you’re not comfortable using or familiar with is not only going to turn you off cooking in general, but is going to leave your tastebuds confused.
Instead, first nail the basics, there are so many great meals that can be pulled together from a few simple staple ingredients. Narrow your searching to those that contain few ingredients, whether you search literally like that or for quick and easy weekday/night meals, I guarantee there will be more than a few options! Once you become more familiar with balancing flavours e.g. the right amount of spice, garlic, pairing protein with fruit/vegetables - you’ll be able to set your sites on more complex components that turn your meal into a masterpiece.
