Umami Recipe to Warm Up the Winter | Press

São Paulo, June 2016 – As winter approaches, it’s common for people to begin their rituals to face the coldest season of the year. It’s the time when friends gather at home to watch their favorite sports team, enjoy a movie night, or share a fondue.

To keep the body warm, in addition to the traditional hot chocolate, soups and broths such as canja (chicken and rice soup) are also popular. This dish, of Eastern origin (congee), was adapted in Europe and brought to Brazil by the Portuguese, becoming very popular in many regions of the country. In this typically umami dish –one of the five basic tastes of the human palate– the star is chicken, an important source of protein and essential amino acids. But the list of umami ingredients doesn’t stop there: carrots provide vitamin A and other carotenoids, while potatoes are rich in carbohydrates.

“Umami foods offer several benefits, such as improving food acceptance, aiding protein digestion, and promoting oral health,” explains Hellen Maluly, PhD in Food Science at Unicamp. “During colder periods like winter, canja is an excellent option to serve to children and the elderly,” she suggests.

To make the recipe even richer in umami, one tip is to add tomatoes –a source of lycopene– along with onions and garlic, widely used in Brazilian cuisine, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Finally, to make it even more nutritious, replace white rice with brown rice.

Check out the recipe:

Canja (Chicken and Rice Soup)

Ingredients:

• 500 g chicken thighs with skin
• 1 chicken breast with skin and bone (620 g)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1.5 liters boiling water
• 1 medium potato, diced
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped (150 g)
• 1/2 cup raw rice
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Preparation method:

1. In a bowl, season the chicken thighs and breast with half a tablespoon of salt and the lemon juice.
2. In a pressure cooker, heat the olive oil over high heat.
3. Add the onion and celery, and sauté for 3 minutes or until the onion becomes translucent.
4. Add the chicken and fry for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Pour in the water, close the lid, and cook for 15 minutes after it starts boiling.
6. Remove from heat, reserve the broth, and shred the chicken coarsely.
7. Return everything to the same pot, add the potato, carrot, remaining salt, and pour in the reserved broth.
8. Cook partially covered for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
9. Add the tomato and rice, and cook for another 15 minutes or until the rice is done.
10. Sprinkle with parsley, remove from heat, and serve immediately.
    

Yield: 8 servings
Preparation time: 40 minutes

Find more recipes at portalumami.com.br 

UMAMI
It is the fifth basic taste of the human palate, discovered in 1908 by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda. It was scientifically recognized in 2000 when researchers at the University of Miami confirmed the existence of specific receptors for this taste on 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 continuation of the taste for a few minutes after eating. To learn more, visit portalumami.com.br