Check out these umami-rich recipes perfect for cold days

São Paulo, June 2025 – In winter, the search for recipes that warm, nourish, and bring comfort increases. Therefore, meals take center stage, with warmer dishes like soups, broths, and pasta, ideal for facing the cold days with more flavor.

With this in mind, Lisiane Miura, chef of the Umami Committee, has prepared a special selection of recipes that share the prominent presence of umami, the fifth taste of the human palate, characterized by enhancing the flavor of food, prolonging the pleasure of the meal, and awakening that classic ‘mouth-watering’ sensation, making the dining experience even richer and more engaging.

See below for the step-by-step instructions for each dish:

CHICKEN SOUP

Preparation Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 10 servings
Developed by: Portal Umami

Ingredients

• 1 bone-in, skinless chicken breast (650 g)
• 2 teaspoons of salt (10 g)
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (15 ml)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil (15 ml)
• 1 small chopped onion (100 g)
• 1 chopped celery stalk (70 g)
• 2 liters of boiling water
• 1 medium potato, diced (200 g)
• 1 small grated carrot (120 g)
• 1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped (150 g)
• Half a cup of uncooked rice (85 g)
• 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley (5 g)

Preparation Method

1. In a bowl, place the chicken breast and season with Half the salt and the lemon juice. Set aside.
2. In a pressure cooker, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the onion and celery, and sauté for 3 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add the reserved chicken and fry for 10 minutes or until browned on all sides. Pour in the water, cover the pot, and cook for 15 minutes after it starts boiling.
3. Remove from heat, wait for the pressure to release, and open the pot. Reserve the broth, debone, and coarsely shred the chicken.
4. Return the shredded chicken to the pressure cooker and add the potato, carrot, remaining salt, and pour in the reserved broth. Cook over medium heat, with the pot partially covered, for 10 minutes or until the potato and carrot are tender.
5. Add the tomato and rice, and cook for another 15 minutes or until the rice is tender.
6. Remove from heat, stir in the parsley, and serve immediately.

ONION SOUP

Preparation Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes (+ 15 minutes in the oven)
Yield: 10 servings
Developed by: Portal Umami

Ingredients

Broth

• 500 g of beef muscle cut into pieces
• 2 medium onions, chopped (300 g)
• 2 cloves of garlic (6 g)
• 1 large carrot (200 g), diced
• 2 medium tomatoes (300 g), diced
• 1 leek, with leaves, sliced ​​(100 g)
• 1 bay leaf (0.08 g)
• 2 liters of water
• 2 sachets of SAZÓN® Beef Broth Powder
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil (30 ml)

Soup

• Half a cup of unsalted butter (100 g)
• 1 kg of onions, thinly sliced
• 2 Ingredients: – 220g cups of wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper (1.5g)
• 2 French rolls, cut into 5 slices each (100g)
• 1 1/2 cups of grated Parmesan cheese (150g)

Preparation:

1. Make the broth: In a pressure cooker, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the meat and fry for 10 minutes or until browned on all sides. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, tomato, leek, and bay leaf, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add 1 liter of water, stir, and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes after it starts to boil.
2. Turn off the heat and wait for the pressure to release. Strain through a fine sieve. Reserve the solids, add the beef broth and the remaining water, mix, and return to the heat to warm.
3. Prepare the soup: In a large saucepan, melt the butter over high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 13 minutes, or until softened and translucent. Reduce the heat and gradually add the flour, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, or until fully incorporated. Gradually add the hot broth, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Cook, stirring constantly, for 15 minutes, or until boiling. Simmer for another 2 minutes, or until thickened. Add the pepper, stir, and remove from the heat.
4. Divide the soup into 10 individual oven-safe bowls and place a slice of bread and Parmesan cheese on top of each. Bake in a preheated oven (200 degrees Celsius) for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
5. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Tips:

1. Use the solids from the broth to prepare a delicious pasta sauce.
2. This recipe was inspired by the famous onion soup from Ceagesp.

SPINACH RISOTTO

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 5 servings
Developed by: Portal Umami

Ingredients

• 1 piece of kombu seaweed (5 g) (10 cm)
• 1 liter of water
• 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter (45 g)
• Leaves from 1 small bunch of spinach (200 g)
• 1 small chopped onion (100 g)
• 1 cup of carnaroli rice (160 g)
• 1 teaspoon of salt (5 g)
• 3 tablespoons of dry white wine (45 ml)
• 100 g of diced curd cheese

Preparation Method

1. In a large saucepan, place the seaweed and water, and bring to a boil over high heat, with the pan partially covered. Remove from heat and remove the seaweed.
2. In a medium saucepan, place 1 and a half tablespoons of butter and heat over high heat to melt. Add the spinach and sauté until wilted. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.
3. In the same saucepan, place the remaining butter and return to high heat to melt. Add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes or until it begins to brown. Add the rice and stir until the grains are completely coated with butter. Add salt and drizzle with wine. Gradually add the reserved kombu broth and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 15 minutes, or until the rice is moist and “al dente”.
4. Add the sautéed spinach and the cheese curds, and mix gently. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Tip: If desired, chop the kombu hydrated in the broth and use it in the preparation of soups or salads.

OXTAIL RAGU WITH POLENTA

Preparation Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Developed by: Portal Umami

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons of oil (60 ml)
• 1 medium grated onion (150 g)
• 1.5 kg of cleaned oxtail
• 1 and a half teaspoons of salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1.5 L of water
• 4 large, ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded (720 g)
• 2 cloves of crushed garlic (10 g)
• 3 tablespoons of chopped parsley (15 g)
• 2 cups of pre-cooked cornmeal (260 g)

Preparation Method

• In a pressure cooker, place 2 tablespoons of oil, the onion, the meat, 1 teaspoon of salt and the bay leaf, and sauté over high heat for 15 minutes or until it starts to brown. Add 2 and a half cups (500 ml) of water and cook over medium heat for 40 minutes after it starts to boil.
• Remove from heat and wait for the pressure to release before opening the pot. Strain the broth, reserving it in another pot, and shred the meat with a fork.
• Still in the pressure cooker, add the remaining oil, the tomato, the garlic, the parsley, and the shredded meat, and sauté for approximately 5 minutes or until the tomato begins to break down. Remove from heat and keep warm.
• In the pot with the reserved meat broth, add the remaining water and salt, the cornmeal, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes or until thickened.
• Remove from heat and serve with the oxtail ragu.

WHOLE WHEAT PENNE “ALLA PUTTANESCA”

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Developed by: Portal Umami

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, sliced ​​(10 g)
• 1 can of sardines, chunks (125 g)
• 1 can of drained tuna (120 g)
• 2 tablespoons of drained capers (25 g)
• 1 tablespoon of pitted and sliced ​​black olives (10 g)
• 2 tablespoons of sliced ​​mushrooms (30 g)
• 2 cups (400 ml) tomato pulp
• 1 teaspoon of salt (5 g)
• 2 tablespoons of chopped basil (15 g)
• 250 g of Whole wheat penne pasta cooked “al dente”

Preparation method

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over high heat and sauté the garlic for 1 minute or until golden brown.
2. Add the sardines, tuna, capers, olives, and mushrooms, and mix well.
3. Add the tomato pulp and salt, and cook over low heat, covered, for 5 minutes. Add the basil, mix, and remove from heat.
4. Pour the sauce over the pasta, mix, and serve immediately.

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UMAMI

It is the fifth basic taste of the human palate, discovered in 1908 by the Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda. It was scientifically recognized in 2000, when researchers at the University of Miami found the existence of specific receptors for this taste in the taste buds. The amino acid glutamic acid and the nucleotides inosinate and guanylate are the main umami substances. The two main characteristics of umami are increased salivation and the persistence of the taste for several minutes after ingestion of the food. To learn more, visit hmg-new.portalumami.com.br/wp/

About Ajinomoto do Brasil

Present in the country since 1956, Ajinomoto do Brasil is a benchmark in amino acids and widely known for its retail products, such as SAZÓN® Seasoning, MID® Soft Drinks, VONO® Soups and AJI-NO-MOTO® itself, in addition to operating in the food service segment (food away from home). The company offers high-quality products both for consumers and as inputs for the food, cosmetics, sports, pharmaceutical, animal nutrition and agribusiness industries. Its purpose is to contribute to the well-being of society, people and the planet using its expertise in “AminoScience,” the science of amino acids, from production to application, through a sustainable food system. To this end, it works with products developed from the Biocycle – a circular process of sustainable production – with less impact on the environment. With four factories in the interior of São Paulo and headquarters in the capital, it employs approximately 3,000 people and serves domestic and international markets. Globally, the Ajinomoto Group employs more than 34,000 people, has 117 factories, and its products are sold in over 130 countries. In 2024, it had global revenue of US$10.2 billion and national revenue of R$3.6 billion. For more information, visit www.ajinomoto.com.br.

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