The Secret of Salad Sauce 沙拉酱的秘密

There are 3 essential tastes
in salad to make it complete. 

At The Veg School, I often share in

Veg Nutrition Course, the secret of salad sauce. This is an important gastronomy lesson,  and I made a point to get students to create their own salad sauces,  by the principle I teach in class.

在素食学校的素食营养学课程里，曾经跟同学们分享沙拉酱的奥密，还要让同学们回家按沙拉酱的原则，研发创意沙拉酱。

The secret and principle of tasty salad sauce is actually very simple, as illustrated below:

个中的奥密和原则其实很简单，那不外是:

Sour. Sweet. Salty.
酸。甜。咸。

Basically, as soon as, Sour, Sweet and Salty ingredients are mixed together, the prototype of salad sauce is created.

基本上只要把含有酸甜咸口味的材料混合变成糊状，沙拉酱的雏形便形成了。

Recently,  a student created a salad sauce without the salty component and swore that it tastes good.

近来有位同学研发沙拉酱时，省略了咸味成份，誓言口味依然很好味道。

I explained that, the Sour.Sweet.Salty combination is required to serve a very important function, that is to neutralise alkaloids in raw veggies.

殊不知沙拉酱，必须酸、甜、咸俱全，才能发挥到一个很重要的作用，那就是中和生蔬菜的生物碱。

Alkaloids are toxins found inevitably in all raw veggies,  as they are part of the inborn defence system of the plants.

生物碱是生食蔬菜难免的一种天然毒素（植物与生俱来的自卫武器）。

If one were to consume raw veggies on its own, and find it revolting,  then likely it's an issue of alkaloid.

如果光只是吃生蔬菜会觉得难以下咽，那就是生物碱在作怪。

This is when salt and acids in salad sauce, are needed, to neutralise the alkaloids. And,  the sugar content is to help mask the astringent taste of the raw veggies.

这时就得靠沙拉酱的盐份和酸来中和生物碱。而糖份是用来掩饰生物碱的涩味的。

If one of the 3 tastes is missing in a salad sauce,  the alkaloid neutralisation function will be toned down. This will be especially  obvious when it goes with a very astringent veggie (eg  spinach,  bitterguord). Therefore,  it is best to design a salad sauce with 3 tastes, so that it suits widest range of veggies :)

沙拉酱酸甜咸缺一，功力会减退。如果所配的生菜特别涩的话(例如菠菜、苦瓜)，这个沙拉酱可能没办法过关。所以设计沙拉酱，最好能酸甜咸俱全，才能配搭多种不同的沙拉 :)

Next time,  when you have salad,  try pick a sauce with one taste missing,  and feel if there is anything not quite right on the tongue?  

下回吃沙拉时，试试选一个酸甜咸缺一的酱，看看舌头会不会有点不满足的感觉？

Bon Apetito,
Kee Yew

黄其铫 分享