Umami’s Magic Dusting Powder

Umami: It’s the 5th flavor. You know, as in; sweet, salty, bitter, sour and… umami. It’s a savoriness, also described as brothy. You’ve tasted it a million times, like when you had that mind-blowing grilled hamburger with sautéed mushrooms at that place– it was so good because it was so umami. Or, think back to the first time you had Parmesan-Regiano cheese, truly Parmesan cheese– remember that remarkable depth of flavor? That was umami, too.

Umami shows up in a lot of Italian and Asian foods. Sea algae has the highest levels of it, but so do cured meats (Hello? BACON!) and sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms and preserved or fermented foods.

So, how does one get umami into their recipes? Sort of the same way you would get more sour in a recipe– use ingredients that are high in that factor. Which brings me to Umami’s Magic Dusting Powder. Sprinkle just the slightest amount of this dust over burgers before cooking them and you will end up with the best, most beefiest burgers you’ve ever tasted. No lie. It’s worth finding the ubiquitous ingredients for this one.

You’ll need a clean coffee grinder, which is handy to have anyway for grinding whole spices.

While you’re at it, make up a double batch to have on hand.

1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms

1 tablespoon dried Wakame (edible sea algae found in Asian markets and natural food stores)

1 teaspoon (heaping) Bonito flakes (fish flakes, also found in Asian stores and some natural food stores)

Pulverize the porcini mushrooms in the coffee grinder then add in the Wakame and Bonito flakes and pulverize again. Makes about 3 tablespoons Dusting Powder, enough for about 20-24 large burgers or steaks.

Dust sparingly over beef before cooking, follow up with a dash of salt then, griddle or grill as usual.