Chef Steph de Sousa shares the 'controversial' ingredient she uses to jazz up 'just about anything'
When you make a good meal, you often can't help but wonder if there's a way you could turn it into a great meal next time.
Sometimes there's just something lacking in a dish; it doesn't mean it's not tasty, it simply means it has the potential to be tastier.
9honey Kitchen spoke to chef Steph de Sousawho is currently promoting her new cookbook Easy Dinner Queen, about the whole good-but-not-great dilemma, and she shared the simple hack she uses to jazz up "just about anything, really".
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Steph de Sousa has shared her secret ingredient to turn a meal from good to great. Supplied
Before she revealed her secret, de Sousa warned us that the ingredient used is "a little bit controversial", which had us wondering what it could possibly be.
Then, when she revealed that anchovies are her secret weapon, it all made sense.
"I throw anchovies into like just about anything, really," de Sousa shared.
"I made a garlic bread the other day, and I put butter, garlic and anchovy – some sneaky anchovy – and some parmesan cheese, and you can't even taste the anchovy."
De Sousa recently tried making garlic bread with some hidden anchovies. Getty
Now, if you're cooking for kids and you're thinking this hack will never work because they say they hate anchovies, de Sousa is living proof they'll never know the difference.
"My son, he thinks he hates anchovies, but he doesn't realise that he probably eats them nearly every day," she laughs.
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Steph de Sousa has just released her new cookbook Easy Dinner Queen. Supplied
"They have this umami flavour. So anchovies are really high in umami, it's almost like natural MSG," de Sousa explains.
"It just makes everything taste a little bit better."
Anchovies are super high in umami. Getty
But be careful not to use too many – de Sousa warns that if you try sneaking too many anchovies into a dish you risk crossing the line between a nice subtle umami taste and a straight-up fishy flavour.
If you want more easy tips for a delicious dinner, de Sousa's new cookbook Easy Dinner Queen is available nationwide from Tuesday, April 15.
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