What does Potato Dumplings Taste Like?
Sweet is one of the five main tastes. It has smooth and round notes in its flavor profile. Sweet is a naturally occurring flavor in many foods, including fruits, berries, winter squashes, sugarcane, and honey. The sweet taste in these foods is due to a higher sugar content. Sweetness is characteristic of desserts and is used as an accent in savory foods.
Umami is one of five main tastes. It is savory with a depth of flavor. Umami is a taste in many foods, including meat, seafood, beans, and nuts. It is both naturally occurring and created through the specific use of ingredients to create a satisfying taste. Umami is characteristic of proteins and savory dishes.
Ingredients
The potato is a starchy vegetable and tuber that forms under the soil. There are a number of varieties of potato, including Russet potatoes, the yellow colored Yukon Gold, and many others that are purple, red, small and large. All potatoes have a very thin skin, though baking potatoes have a slightly sturdier skin. The potato is hard and inedible until cooked. It can be boiled, baked, fried or cooked any number of ways and is an extremely versatile starch vegetable. The texture of a cooked potato is soft, while holding its shape and has an earthy and sweet flavor that is extremely bland, until salted.
Dumpling wrappers are small squares about 3 or so inches across all diameters. They are made from flour and water. The wrappers are filled with meat, seafood or vegetables and fried or steamed. They are thin, soft, cream colored and have a mild, bland and nutty flavor.
Bok choy is a plant in the cabbage family with flat, wide, milky stalks that vary from white to green, and leaves that are green and thin. Bok choy is harvested when it is young and tender, as well as when it is mature. Mature bok choy can be over a foot tall. The stem has a crunchy, juicy and mildly fibrous texture with a flavor that is sweet and vegetal. The leaves taste sweet and green. Bok choy is popular in China and used in soups and stir fries.
Soy sauce is a liquid condiment and seasoning made from fermented soybeans. Traditionally it was been made with just soy, many versions and brands use wheat as well. Soy sauce is dark brown with a thin viscosity. The flavor is intensely salty and umami. Soy sauce is used to season meats, seafood and vegetables, it is also used in sauces to perk up the flavor of the food and enhance other tastes.
Green onions, also called scallions are used in cooking and have a milder flavor than a round onion, though they pack a punch of their own with a mild zestiness and onion flavor that is bright and a bit green. Green onions are thin stalks with white dense bottoms two thin hollow green stalks, sprouting from the base. Scallions have a crunch to them and a hint of juice. They perk up any dish with their bright flavor.
Sesame oil is pressed and extracted from sesame seeds. Sesame is a tiny seed with an earthy and nutty flavor. The sesame ranges in neutral colors from white to black. Raw sesame oil is yellow. Roasted sesame oil is a light to medium shade of brown. The raw, or non-roasted oil has a milder taste than the roasted variety and is more multi-purpose, whereas the oil from roasted sesame seeds lends a deep, earthy flavor that pairs well in East Asian dishes and is used as a flavoring.
Ginger is a spice whose root is used in food around the world. The root is grown underground and has a hard body and thin beige skin. The root has many rounded and long shoots and is often fat. The flesh of the ginger is golden colored with a flavor that is earthy, spicy and bright. Ginger is made into tea, used in sauces, desserts and savory dishes.
Garlic is used in cuisines around the world and is extremely popular for its depth of flavor. The garlic bulb forms underneath the soil and is harvested once it reaches maturity. The bulb typically has thin, dry, white and flaky skin, surrounding the individual cloves. Often there are 10-12 cloves to a bulb/head of garlic. The cloves are cream colored with a strong smell and flavor that is spicy and sharp. Garlic takes on a nutty flavor in addition, when cooked. It is used in countless dishes, sauces, breads and more.
The peppercorn plant grows in tropical climate and produces tiny black fruit. The fruit is dried and become hard. At this point it is ground into a textured powder comprised of black and grey dots. It has a flavor that is spicy, pungent and sharp. Pepper is an extremely popular spice, especially in Western cuisines and lends a gentle heat to dishes. There are different varieties of black pepper and the flavor changes subtly because of this.
