As the coronavirus continues to rage throughout the world, people are turning to cooking and baking for sustenance, entertainment and comfort.
With Cebu on Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ), I’ve decided to explore the exciting world of flavors.
It has been said that “the secret to a perfect match is compatibility, balance and maybe a little heat.” Pairing flavors is no different.
Culinary matchmaking is an engrossing and uplifting activity for me. And right now, I’m celebrating the fact that I still have my gustatory and olfactory receptors working well for me. ( it has been said that COVID-19 symptoms also include loss of sense of smell or taste.)
This week, I discovered that matchmaking of flavors doesn’t require skill; but it does require instinct and lots of experimentation.
It is very important to give each flavor a chance to shine when mixing flavors with different profiles, such as sweet and spicy.
More than ever, I’m craving diversity and nontraditional pairings with such complex combinations as black pepper with orange peel, macadamias, pepitas, and dried mangoes. I also think that combining chickpeas, lentils, cashews, roasted edamame, puffed brown rice and black sesame seeds is a good idea.
At the office, these trail mixes of seeds, nuts, dried fruits, dried beef strips and pork cracklings (yes, chicharon) are what I graze on throughout the day after having eaten my one full meal.
Most of the time I don’t make the trail mix. I conveniently purchase them at a supermarket, health food store or online. It’s my “no mess” survival food which I keep in my huge bag along with my multivitamins, alcohol, umbrella, cellphone, roll of tissue, etc. (no, I’m not exactly carrying everything out of the house).
In this MECQ, I’m opening my taste buds to new possibilities. If I can’t physically travel, partaking of edgy food and beverages is the best way for me to explore the world.
On August 7, I mixed matcha almond milk with pistachio ice cream. I paired this beverage with spicy black bean chips. The taste reminded me of Japanese anime. It had that unique, aberrant, nice vibe to it.
I can get a complex depth of flavors from pairing one or more types of flavor or two similar flavors. I have this growing interest in new and ethnic flavors, including foods and sauces that feature a combination of flavors.
I’ve already produced my own comfort foods wherein I can tweak ingredients from time to time. I have my own energy bars which are a combination of tableya, seeds, nuts, honey, raisins, other dried fruits that come to mind, virgin coco oil, butter etc. There is my embotido or homemade meat loaf made with cooked ground pork/ beef, spam, cauliflower, carrots, green pepper, pineapple tidbits, ground black pepper, onions, garlic, ginger, eggs, green beans, ground black pepper, chicken powder, soy sauce, cornstarch moistened with milk, etc.
The energy bars and the embotido can be kept in the freezer for a maximum of one month. I always look for the easiest and yummiest foods to prepare.
If these two comfort foods aren’t enough to satisfy me for the day. I make sure that my one full meal is filling. My sister often tells me that I eat like a laborer (meaning I eat an amount that is good for two people). So, if you see me eating demurely in a restaurant, I have already eaten a lot beforehand.
When properly executed, flavor combinations simultaneously activate multiple taste receptors, delivering a more intense and interesting experience for the tongue and brain.
While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to flavor pairing, a well-made match may be achieved with experience, and overall it takes time to find the perfect midpoint between flavors being overly mild versus overpowering. #
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