Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/800856
s p r i n g 2 0 1 7 | 7 "I use it in a couple of sauces and marinades and find that it's particularly good with a lot of Asian dishes; it's very good for barbecuing Vietnamese meats over coal, which need that depth of flavor to stand up to the char." Chefs around the world turn to Maggi Seasoning to add umami and richness to dishes. n The iconic red and yellow label on the distinctly shaped bottle is equal parts familiar and exotic. You may recognize it as something you've seen in grocery store spice aisles or recall it from the recesses of your childhood memories, from a favorite dish your abuela or lola made, something you watched your mother add a quick dash of into a boiling pot. But Maggi is more than nostalgic cooking; it's a flavor enhancer that's found a place in a variety of international cuisines. Likewise, Maggi is more than the at-home cook's favor- ite flavor; it's also a chef's secret weapon. With such an array of culinary applications, we turned to Chef Donnelly to better understand what Maggi is, how chefs use it and why it's such a cross-cultural sensation. The why, it turns out, is easy: "You put Maggi on anything and it makes it taste amaz- ing," says Donnelly simply. "It's got this great extra umami flavor; it's like a very rich soy sauce," he explains before rattling off a list of dishes he enhances with the addition of Maggi's signature flavor. "I use it in a couple of sauces and marinades and find that it's particularly good with a lot of Asian dishes," continues Donnelley. "It's very good for barbecuing Vietnamese meats over coal, which need that depth of flavor to stand up to the char," he explains. "Asian foods tend to go deeper with those marinades and brines, and adding just a little bit of Maggi to the marinade on some of these dishes can add a lot of flavor." At Chinese Tuxedo in Manhattan's Chinatown, where Donnelly's dishes cover the spectrum of style and flavors across Chinese cuisine, from Highland to Cantonese and Szechuan, Maggi adds depth and richness to the Mapo Lo Mein, served with fermented white tofu, spicy pork and housemade noodles. "We make the marinade for the pork using Maggi, and add in fermented white tofu, which adds a really nice, different texture and flavor. This was a dish inspired by a few friends of mine, a Chinese guy and a Cana- dian guy who really loved spaghetti Bolognese. It's a comfort food classic." But any chef worth his salt has to push the envelope, experimenting with clas- sic technique on unique ingredients, and Donnelly is no stranger to bringing Maggi's flavor-bursting qualities to the strange and unusual. "A few years ago, I used Maggi in a marinade for a pork uterus a la plancha," begins Donnelly. "I added some Maggi to a lemongrass, cilantro, green pepper marinade, and it was quite nice," he laughs. While we're sure pork uterus isn't for everyone, Maggi's good for more than making offal less, well, awful. "If you're making a nice steak, adding a little Maggi to the butter sauce would make it taste delicious, and a lot of people add it to simple foods, like potatoes. Instead of adding a pinch of salt of pepper, add a pinch of Maggi. It will be delicious!" Paul Donnelly is a Scottish-born chef who's lived in Australia and now cooks Chinese food in New York City. He's worked in some of Sydney's hottest restaurants, got his start in a Gordon Ramsay kitchen and has cooked all styles of cuisine, from Mexican to Thai and Asian fusion, and through each stop on his culinary tour around the world, there's been one ingredient he keeps stashed in his spice box: Maggi Seasoning. ■cr