The flavor equation : the science of great cooking explained in more than 100 essential recipes

Aroma, texture, sound, emotion—these are just a few of the elements that play into our perceptions of flavor. The Flavor Equation demonstrates how to convert approachable spices, herbs, and commonplace pantry items into tasty, simple dishes.In this groundbreaking book, Nik Sharma, scientist, food blogger, and author of the buzz-generating cookbook Season, guides home cooks on an exploration of flavor in more than 100 recipes.• Provides inspiration and knowledge to both home cooks and seasoned chefs• An in-depth exploration into the science of taste• Features Nik Sharma's evocative, trademark photography styleThe Flavor Equation is an accessible guide to elevating elemental ingredients to make delicious dishes that hit all the right notes, every time. Recipes include Brightness: Lemon-Lime Mintade, Saltiness: Roasted Tomato and Tamarind Soup, Sweetness: Honey Turmeric Chicken Kebabs with Pineapple, Savoriness: Soba Noodles with Mushrooms and Walnut Sauce, and Richness: Coconut Milk Cake.• A global, scientific approach to cooking from bestselling cookbook author Nik Sharma• Dives deep into the most basic of our pantry items—salts, oils, sugars, vinegars, citrus, peppers, and more• Perfect gift for home cooks who want to learn more beyond recipes, those interested in the science of food and flavor, and readers of Lucky Peach, Serious Eats, Indian-Ish, and Koreatown• Add it to the shelf with cookbooks like The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science by J. Kenji López-Alt; The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg; and Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat. Cover Title Dedication Copyright Contents Introduction I. THE FLAVOR EQUATION EMOTION SIGHT SOUND MOUTHFEEL Making Food Crispy Thickening a Sauce STARCHES PROTEINS FATS AND OILS AROMA What Is Aroma? How Aromas Work The Family of Aroma Molecules Aroma in Cooking TASTE How Taste Works Tastes and Receptors Qualifications to Be a Taste II. RECIPES + THE ANATOMY OF FLAVOR 1 BRIGHTNESS How Brightness Works THE PHSCALE Brightness Boosters BUTTERMILK, KEFIR, ANDYOGURT AMCHUR AND UNRIPE MANGO LEMONS AND LIMES POMEGRANATE MOLASSES SUMAC TOMATOES CARBONATED BEVERAGES TAMARIND Grilled Hearts of Romaine with Chilli Pumpkin Seeds Chickpea Salad with Date + Tamarind Dressing Green Beans with Preserved Lemons + Crème Fraîche Potato + Roasted Corn Herbed Raita Herb + Paneer Pulao Roasted Cauliflower in Turmeric Kefir Roasted Butternut Squash + Pomegranate Molasses Soup Tomato Aachari Polenta Tart Spareribs in Malt Vinegar + Mashed Potatoes Chouriço Pao (Buns) Pomegranate + Poppy Seed Wings Lemon + Lime Mintade Blueberry + Omani Lime Ice Cream 2 BITTERNESS How Bitterness Works MEASURING BITTERNESS Bitterness Boosters ALCOHOL: BEER AND RED WINE CACAO AND COCOA COFFEE BITTER FRUIT: CITRUS, CURRANTS TEA COOKING FATS AND OILS VEGETABLES AND BITTER GREENS Warm Kale, White Bean + Mushroom Salad with Chilli Tahini Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad Charred Asparagus with “Gunpowder” Nut Masala Vegetable Pakoras Collard Greens, Chickpea + Lentil Soup Grapefruit Soda with Chai Masala Spiced Coffee Kulfi Roasted Fruit with Coffee Miso Tahini Hazelnut Flan Hazelnut-Infused Milk Sweet Potato Honey Beer Pie Chocolate Miso Bread Pudding 3 SALTINESS How Saltiness Works THE SALTINESS SCALE Common Salt and Varieties BASIC SALTS Table Salt Coarse Salt Rock Salt Fine Sea Salt Kosher Salt FANCY SALTS Flaky Salt Kala Namak or Indian Black Salt Infused Flavored Salts CONDIMENTS “Pizza” Toast Gunpowder Oven “Fries” with Goat Cheese Dip Paneer + Beet Salad with Mango-Lime Dressing Green Olives + Chouriço Stuffing Roasted Tomatoes with Curry Leaves Couscous with Sesame-Roasted Carrots + Feta Roasted Tomato + Tamarind Soup Grilled Spiced Chicken Salad with Amchur Beef Chilli Fry with Pancetta Lamb Chops with Scallion Mint Salsa Spiced Fruit Salad 4 SWEETNESS How Sweetness Works THE SWEETNESSS CALE Sweetness Boosters NON CARBOHYDRATE-BASED SWEETENERS AND SUGAR SUBSTITUTES OTHER SOURCES OF SUGAR IN OUR FOOD Baked Sweet Potatoes with Maple Crème Fraîche Crispy Carrots with Garlic + Mint Tahini Honey + Turmeric Chicken Kebabs with Pineapple Masala Cheddar Cornbread Polenta Kheer Cherry + Pepper Granola Bars Raspberry + Stone Fruit Crisp Semolina Coconut Cookies (Bolinhas) Saffron Swirl Buns with Dried Fruit Peppermint Marshmallows Hot Honeycomb Candy No-Churn Falooda Ice Cream 5 SAVORINESS How Savoriness Works OTHER FOOD CHEMICALS GLUTAMATE NUCLEOTIDES 5’ - INOSINATE (IMP) 5’ - GUANYLATE (GMP) UMAMI SYNERGISM How Savoriness Is Measured Savoriness Boosters MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE (MSG) ALLIUMS ANCHOVIES AND FISH SAUCE BONITO FLAKES MISO MUSHROOMS PARMESAN SEAWEED SOY SAUCE AND TAMARI TEA TOMATO YEAST EXTRACT Blistered Shishito/Padrón Peppers with Bonito Flakes Roasted Broccolini + Chickpea Pancakes Chicken Hakka Noodles (Indo-Chinese) Stir-Fried Cabbage Goan Shrimp, Olive + Tomato Pulao Chicken Kanji Roast Chicken Thighs + Vegetables Shepherd’s Pie with Kheema + Chouriço Coffee-Spiced Steak with Burnt Kachumber Salad 6 FIERINESS How Fieriness Works FIERINESS SCALES THE SCOVILLE SCALE PYRUVATE SCALE FOR ALLIUMS Pepper and Pepper Varieties SICHUAN PEPPER CORNS CHILLIES (FRESH AND DRIED) GINGER ALLIUMS: GARLIC, ONIONS, AND MORE HORSERADISH AND WASABI MUSTARD AND MUSTARD OIL OLIVE OIL Chicken Lollipops Fried Eggs with Masala Hash Browns + Seared Tomato Green Peppercorn Chutney Potato Pancakes New Potatoes with Mustard Oil Herb Salsa Roasted Delicata Squash with Herbed Yogurt Dressing Manchow Soup Garlic + Ginger Dal with Greens Masala Shrimp Black Pepper Chicken Spiced Roast Chicken Lamb Koftas in Almond Gravy Hibiscus (Ginger Pepper) Refresher Gingerbread Cake with Date Syrup Bourbon Sauce 7 RICHNESS SOLID FATS VERSUS LIQUID OILS FATS = SOLID FATS + LIQUID OILS UNREFINED AND REFINED FATS AND OILS HYDROGENATED OILS NEUTRAL FATS AND OILS STORAGE OF FATS AND OILS RANCIDITY AND DEGRADATION OF FATS AND OILS Cooking with Fats and Oils TEMPERATURE DEEP-FRYING AND CHANGES THAT OCCUR IN FATS Richness Boosters ANIMAL FATS Butter and Ghee Lard and Other Animal Fats PLANT-BASED FATS Nuts and Seeds Coconut Oil Mustard Oil Olive Oil Sesame Oil Neutral Oils How to Prepare Ghee Burrata with Chilli Oil + Thai Basil Crab Tikka Masala Dip Cucumber + Roasted Corn Salad Roasted Eggplant Raita Braised Cabbage with Coconut Dal Makhani Parathas + Masala Parathas Caldine (Goan Yellow Fish Curry) Chicken Coconut Curry Chickpea, Spinach + Potato “Samosa Pie” Coconut Milk Cake PANTRY ESSENTIALS Plain Rice Rice Crumbs Spice Blends My Shahi Garam Masala My Garam Masala My “Gunpowder” Nut Masala Salt-Cured Egg Yolks Dips + Spreads Burnt Shallot Dip Sundried Tomatoes + Red Bell Pepper Spread Dipping Oils Emulsions Toum Curry Leaf + Mustard Oil Mayonnaise My Quick Marinara Indo-Chinese Condiments Chilli-Soy Vinegar Sauce Indo-Sichuan Sauce Preserved Lemons, Two Ways (Classic + Quick) Quick Pickled Nectarines with Mint + Serrano Cauliflower Aachar (Pickle) Chutneys Green Apple Chutney Tamarind-Date Chutney Mint Chutney Pumpkin Seed Chutney Cardamom Toffee Sauce Homemade Date Syrup Flavor Reactions Appendix Sources Consulted With Gratitude Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W Y About the Author Chronicle Ebooks Aroma, texture, sound, emotion--these are just a few of the elements that play into our perceptions of flavor. The Flavor Equation demonstrates how to convert approachable spices, herbs, and commonplace pantry items into tasty, simple meals. The Flavor Equation, an Indian cuisine cookbook is an accessible guide to elevating elemental ingredients to make delicious dishes that hit all the right notes, every time and gives you the science behind it. Recipes include Brightness: Lemon-Lime Mintade, Saltiness: Roasted Tomato and Tamarind Soup, Sweetness: Honey Turmeric Chicken Kebabs with Pineapple, Savoriness: Soba Noodles with Mushrooms and Walnut Sauce, and Richness: Coconut Milk Cake. "In this groundbreaking book, Nik Sharma, scientist, food blogger, and cookbook author, guides home cooks on an exploration of flavor via 125 recipes. He demonstrates how to convert approachable spices, herbs, and commonplace pantry items into tasty, simple dishes, providing inspiration and knowledge to both home cooks and seasoned chefs"-- Provided by publisher