We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about how restaurants make everything from salads to burgers taste so much better than most of us can manage at home.
But what about veggies more broadly? How come they’re so much tastier when you eat out?
Well, if you were expecting a health-boosting answer, you might be disappointed.
YouTuber and former chef to a Michelin-starred kitchen @SenpaiKai9000, as well as Anthony Bourdain, both agree that restaurants aren’t afraid to add fats (like oil or butter) to their dishes, rarely boiling them on the hob.
OK, but how ― and how do I make them tastier AND healthier?
@SenapiKai begins his YouTube Short on the topic by saying that the main reason veggies are so much better in restaurants is that “they’re deep-fried” a lot of the time. He used Brussels sprouts as a prime example.
Bourdain famously told the New Yorker “butter is in everything” at good restaurants. His own carrots vichy recipe incorporates two pounds (907g) of butter and one and a half cups (300g) of sugar.
Even his roasted cauliflower used 60ml of olive oil rather than a miserly drizzle.
But if, for completely understandable reasons, you don’t want to try this at home, @SenpaiKai9000 says “bacon is gonna be your best friend.”
He sautés “maybe a tablespoon” of lardons before frying his sprouts in the remaining oil, “over a high heat so they get some good browning, and they’re not just gonna steam and turn all sulphuric.”
Crowding the pan will lead to similarly mushy, cabbage-y veg flavours.
The YouTuber adds that the denser the veg, the more salt you need to add ― something like a wedge of Hispi cabbage will need more salt than, say, some finely-chopped onion.
Interesting. Anything even less oily?
Yep ― your dressing matters!
Umami-packed miso and nutty tahini coat Bourdain’s roasted cauliflower. And @SenpaiKai9000 likes tossing veggies in a sweet and sour sauce made of “equal parts vinegar [and] sugar” brought to a boil with “any spices or aromatics you like.”
He chooses to add cinnamon, cloves, and garlic, as well as some Chinese hot mustard that “basically tastes like wasabi.” Orange peels and jalapeños would also work, he says.
The YouTuber pairs the sprouts with crisp apples and mint ― I like a fruit/veggie combo too, like mangoes with carrots and apricots with potatoes.
Though you might not want to lob in the 300g of sugar Bourdain uses for his veggies or deep-fry your greens, then, the philosophy can be adapted and altered; try adding a fat source and roasting or sauteeing your veggies, don’t crowd them in the pan, season or even brine them as you would meat, and try some fun, flavour-packed dressings to make them sing.