What spice do you sautee with onions to make them taste like beef?

[Malmsy]

I read somewhere that the Chinese sautee onions with a specific spice to make them taste like beef in order to use less beef in recipes.

Anyone?

[Effete Snob]

1. Beef

[magicarpet]

2. Not spice... but beef drippings from,...

Beef roast,

Beef ribs,

Au jus sauce,

Beef bullion - dissolved in 1/4 cup water.

[Sneederbunk]

3. Beef bouillon or ground jerky.

Check with vegetarians. They know how to make anything taste like meat.

[Ocelot II]

4. Nothing makes onions taste anything but terrible.

Onions -

[PJMcK]

11. That's too bad.

There are many varieties of onions and they all have distinct flavors and odors. They can be used in so many ways, raw to cooked.

Ah, well. To each their own.

[Marthe48]

20. My best friend and her Mom

can't/couldn't stand onions.

My Mom could eat them in anything. I like onions, but not like my Mom did.

[SWBTATTReg]

5. beef stock?

[dweller]

6. Chipped beef

🤣



✌🏻

[unblock]

7. Toon leaves or toon leaf paste

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/toona-sinensis/

[rurallib]

15. thanks very much for that vid - will check out the toona!

[peacefreak2.0]

8. Umami power, maybe?

[Kablooie]

9. A1 sauce?

[MuseRider]

10. Better Than Bullion?

[Trailrider1951]

12. Since most of my family is vegetarian or vegan, I use a splash or two of soy sauce and

a couple of shakes of Maggi Seasoning. Don't overdo it though, Maggi is powerful stuff. If you can find it at your grocery store, it will be much cheaper than Amazon. Beware, it does contain gluten.

[usonian]

14. Oh my.

https://justinboey.com/maggi-liquid-seasoning-a-free-healthy-and-delicious-way-to-add-flavor-to-your-food/

Maggi Liquid Seasoning is a seasoning sauce made from hydrolyzed vegetable protein, sugar, salt, and monosodium glutamate. It is used as a flavor enhancer and is common in Asian cuisines.

MSG has countless stealth names.
https://www.glutathionediseasecure.com/other-names-for-MSG.html

[Hortensis]

13. Mushrooms would be one, dried or fresh and mushroom powder.

My husband really likes porcini, but my current supply of dried has a much stronger flavor than I like. I put mild dried shiitakes in a lot of stuff.

[docgee]

16. Liquid smoke

[Warpy]

17. In my veggie days when I'd make a seitan stir fry

I'd mix a little Marmite or Vegemite in water to make a dark, tea colored solution, mix a little cornstarch in as a thickener, and pour it over the seitan and veg. People swore they were eating meat. They weren't.

My guess is that it's probably a little beef tallow and some hydrolyzed vegetable protein, which is what Marmite et al. are.

I'm not nuts about the stuff on toast, too salty for me, but it hit the spot in the stir fry. Just don't go overboard, the stuff packs a punch and a half.

[sir pball]

18. Yeast extract, Vegemite or Marmite

In the right amount, a yeast extract is almost indistinguishable from beef bullion; start with just a dab and taste, add more as needed - you don't want too much!

[Malmsy]

19. Found it! Star Anise!

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2005/jun/11/foodanddrink.shopping4

[Marthe48]

21. Hope that works for you

I used star anise, which is like licorice. I made star anise chicken, using a recipe I found in a Chinese cookbook. It was ok, but I on;y made it once.

[Malmsy]

22. If you saute it with onion, the chemical reaction makes the onion taste like beef, and not anise.

You fish out the spice before adding anything else to the onions.

[Marthe48]

23. I might try that for my vegetarian relatives.

Please let us know how your onions turn out.

[Malmsy]

24. FABULOUS, thank you.

[global1]

25. I Saute Onions In A Microwave .....

1. Slice onions and separate the rings
2. Place in a microwave safe bowl
3. Add butter & EVOO - quantities appropriately measured to amount of onions in bowl
4. Microwave till onions turn soft(sauted) & take on a yellowish coloration
5. Add Lee & Perrins worstheshire sauce to impart the beef flavor

I used to try and saute onions in a frying pan over a flame with butter & evoo - but I always burned them and smoked up the kitchen. I experimented with the microwave technique - and they always come out perfect.