Cooking Vegan with More Flavor: Why Hot Sauces Are a Must for Vegans

Table of contents

• Cooking vegan means cooking more creatively
• The trap: flavor enhancers and additives
• Heat is flavor, not just heat
• What is in a good hot sauce
• How to bring hot sauce to vegan dishes
• Heat is fun
• Frequently asked questions

Cooking vegan means cooking more creatively

In vegan cooking there is no butter, cream or bacon-fat trick that quickly rounds off a dish. Fat carries flavor, and anyone cooking with animal products often gets a lot of it for free. That is not a disadvantage of vegan cooking, it is a challenge: you build the flavor yourself. Those who do it well often end up cooking more consciously and more creatively.

The trap: flavor enhancers and additives

Without animal fat, depth is often missing. The obvious way is to rebuild it with flavor enhancers, flavorings and substitute products. That can taste quite good, but it is not the idea of living vegan. For us Pikantistas, vegan should stay authentic and healthy. The better way is a few good ingredients that bring plenty of flavor themselves.

Heat is flavor, not just heat

Heat is often seen as pure burn. But it is also a taste experience: it makes dishes lively and lets other flavors come through more clearly. Chilis also bring their own aroma, fruity in the habanero, smoky in the chipotle, earthy in the guajillo. You can find more on the varieties in our chili variety encyclopedia and in the Scoville Guide.

What is in a good hot sauce

A hot sauce is more than heat. Depending on the recipe, it brings several things together:

• Acidity (vinegar, lime) makes dishes fresh.
• Salt and sometimes fermentation give depth.
• Roasted notes and smoke (roasted or dried chilis) bring body and warmth to the flavor.
• Fruit (mango, pineapple, papaya) gives sweetness and balance.

A hot sauce is therefore a concentrated source of flavor that you only dose at the end.

How to bring hot sauce to vegan dishes

The Pikantista drop technique: Put the sauce on the table. Put 1 to 2 drops directly on the dish without mixing, and feel the heat kick. Enjoy it. Do not pour. That way nothing gets too hot: you can wait, the kick fades, and you feel your way forward drop by drop. That way you keep trying more.

Protein and hot sauce always go together. That is true for meat as much as for vegan dishes. In the hot countries of Latin America people eat a lot of meatless protein, think beans ;) And the hot sauce sits on the table next to it.

This works with bowls, grilled vegetables, legumes, rice, noodles and soups. Also with snacks: how to make vegan jerky yourself is in the article Vegan Jerky.

Heat is fun

Spicy food needs fire and wakes the body up. In some countries it is called the aphrodisiac of the people, others take it to lose weight. We cannot prove that, but stay spicy: try it and let us know if it is true. We are sure of something else: everyone who tries hot sauces grins ;)

Frequently asked questions

Are hot sauces vegan?

Most are made of chilis, vinegar, salt and spices. There are exceptions, for example with honey, fish sauce or Worcestershire sauce. Read the ingredient list.

Why does vegan cooking need more work on flavor?

Animal fat makes many dishes easy because it carries flavor. When you cook vegan, you build flavor on purpose: with acidity, roasted notes, fermented foods and heat.

Why is heat so much fun?

Spicy food gives a kick that wakes the body up. We cannot prove more than that, but whoever tries it usually grins.

How much hot sauce should I use?

Start with 1 to 2 drops and put them directly on the dish without mixing. Wait a moment: the kick comes, and it fades again. It never gets too hot this way, and if you want more, you take the next drop. Pouring half a bottle over the plate is not a technique, it is reckless. Unless you get paid for it, haha.

You can find more brands in the Pikantista world of hot sauces.

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