Add Soy Sauce For The Perfect Gravy, Top Chemist Declares

I’ve been sneaking a dash (ok, a glug) of soy sauce into my meatballs, marina sauce, cottage pie, and even French onion soup for years. But I’ve always kept it on the sly, rapidly stirring away any physical evidence of the nearly black liquid and leaving only its intensely savory, mouth-filling flavor to entice my diners.  But this isn’t because I wanted to keep my secret ingredient to myself but because I feared I would be chased out of the kitchen for adulterating these classics with my salty Eastern elixir.

But now I’ve been vindicated. The irrefutable and much esteemed Royal Society of Chemistry in Britain has decreed that a teaspoon of soy sauce makes for the ultimate gravy. John Emsley, fastidious cook, revered scientist and notable author developed the recipe for his chemistry-based “perfect gravy” after rocking the culinary world last year with his ethereal, 4-inch high Yorkshire puddings (a.k.a. popovers).

As for the science, it’s all to do with soy’s high “umami” quota. Umami is quite simply a synonym for “deliciousness” and this deliciousness can be attributed to the presence of certain amino acids, in particular L-glutamate which are present in high-protein foods.

Here’s Emsley’s recipe:

The chemistry of perfect gravy | RSC Blog.

Ingredients

The juices from a roast joint of meat, preferably beef
Flour
Vegetable water (cabbage)
Iodized salt
Teaspoon of dark soya sauce
Pepper
Gravy browning if you prefer a darker gravy.

The joint should be cooked on a bed of halved onions, carrots and celery on to which juices from the meat will slowly trickle. When the meat is cooked, remove it from the roasting tin along with the vegetables. Sprinkle a small amount of plain flour over the meat juices and fat. Stir to form a dough (roux) gradually adding the water in which vegetables have been cooked, preferably cabbage water. Ensure all the meat juices and Marmite-like deposits on the bottom of the roasting dish have dissolved. Then add iodised salt to taste and a teaspoon of dark soya sauce (rather than gravy browning) or a little red wine . Simmer to reduce the volume of liquid to the right consistency, stirring occasionally.

Now I know what you are thinking: sans inclusion of fermented soybeans, this recipe isn’t all that revolutionary. In fact this is essentially how I and every other proponent of the Great British Roast that I know have been gravying for years. Many have  even pointed out that Emlsey’s recipe which made it into more than one national British newspaper, bears an uncanny resemblance to Mrs Beeton’s published in 1859. (Mrs Bee..who? She’s the Fanny Farmer of British cooking. Every domestic goddess, young and old, keeps a well-thumbed copy of Mrs. Beeton’s Cookery Book and Household Guide close to hand.)

You’re also wondering, no doubt, what the heck is “gravy browning”? I would say gravy browning belongs amongst those uniquely retro British pantry essentials such as Paxo dried sage and onion stuffing mix (the crux of Christmas dinner), shredded suet and Angel Delight (pastel colored powder that combines with milk to form a custardy pudding). Essentially, it does exactly what it professes; it makes gravy brown. It comes in liquid form or powder, is – as you would expect – a dark brown hue and usually contains an amalgam of caramel coloring, sugar and salt.  If you are missing this ingredient and anxious that your gravy is looking a tad anemic, try stirring in just a few instant coffee granules. Alternatively, you could up the soy content to 2 teaspoons. Or, swap the soy sauce altogether for some oyster sauce. In addition to Umami yumminess, it adds color and a touch of sweetness.