KD’s Meshuga Powder (UMAMI seasoning)

The evolution of this crazy (Meshuga) seasoning started a few years ago when I began Faux Aging with Fish Sauce/Salt which I have written out quite a bit. Let's not forget Warm-Aging aka 2 stage Cooking with Sous-Vide Processing. Anyhow more and more UMAMI seasonings started popping up all over the place, and I said to myself I could do better!! So I started thinking about what I like to eat. My sauces and rubs are always unique, and out of the box nutty, so I started playing around with different flavors. Why did I call it Meshuga? My Bubbe spoke fluent Yiddish, and when I can, I always add it to my blog/posts. 

First of all, you will need a dehydrator. I have this one by Excaliber. I love this machine. 

These Castelvetrano Olives are just amazing. Hands down the best olives you will ever have. From what I have read it is suggested to purchase the ones with the Pitts for the flavor, and that is what I did. Believe me when I say I love Olives and these top the list!! From the texture to taste these babies are fantastic! 

Give the olives a light smash and remove the Pit. Yes, it is that simple. 

Dehydrate the Olives until they feel dehydrated or to the touch slightly hard. If you have to be able to grind them up. 

Black Garlic!!! I love this stuff.  I purchased mine. I am researching a Black Garlic Fermenters as we speak. Before you ask or suggest, I know that it can be made in other ways. Fermented Garlic is fantastic no matter how you process or use them. They are mellow and sweet compared to raw garlic. Sweet and syrupy and hints of balsamic vinegar sets them apart from fresh garlic too. 

I started the dehydrating process and realized very quickly that these babies are dense and moist. After 24 hours I cut them in half. Don't try this until the 24-hour mark. It's just easier to slice if you wait. Anyhow over the next few days, I kept cutting them in half making them smaller. Dehydrate until they are dry and slightly hard. You have to be able to grind into a powder. This process took a long time. I made my own HERE.


Buy Non-Pareil Capers and dehydrate them too. Drying them was easy and fast. Capers are an acquired taste. I think they make an excellent addition to this powder. They have a sharp- bite, pungent aroma, salty taste, and the briny flavors add a punch.

ALL DONE!

Buy dehydrated Porcini Mushrooms and dehydrate them a bit more. I could have bought the powdered stuff, but you never know what else is in the bag. Reading all the reviews leaves me with the impression that buying them whole is better. 

All Dehyrdated and processed. 

Measure it all out and give it a twirl in a food processor. Done. Silicon Dioxide is an anticaking product, so if you plan on making a lot, I would suggest adding this to your powder.


Recipe and Notes below.....

How to measure everything out... First, you need to figure out how much you want to make. Initially, it was a guess for me.

Understand that whatever you dehydrate except for the dried Porcini mushrooms will lose 75-90% of its water weight. 

The above recipe and percentages are based on the amount of salt which is always a set at 100%. 

These two versions have less salt and more UMAMI. Make up your own percentages to suit your palate. 

Here is an example recipe... I decided, based on the ingredients of the dehydrated weight that 200 grams of Kosher Salt were needed. Using this simple methodology, you will always have flawless, consistent results.

Note: Use Silcon Dixoide at 2% of the combined weight of salt and the 7 ingredients listed above.

I.E. Salt 200 grams X 10% or .10 = 20 grams of Fermented Garlic.

So far I have tried this on every protein except Fish, and it's incredible!!!! For protein, I like dry-brining 12-24 hours. 

Note: You might consider trying different types of mushrooms and olives too. Maybe Sundried Tomatoes also......only limited to your imagination. 

UPDATE COMING SOON........

Update HERE