Low sodium flavor ingredients for soups

[foodie67me]

Hello all!

As the cold weather is approaching for some of us, I want to do some dinner soups from scratch. I will be cooking a nice fairly hearty serving for one. The soup that I have in mind will have the below:

- California vegetables from frozen (i.e. chunks of carrot, cauliflower and broccoli)
- Tofu 1 inch cubes
- Pork or shrimp dumplings (potstickers) from frozen - maybe 8-12 pieces
- Sesame oil
- Soy sauce

To keep the carbs low and prevent being super full, I won't add noodles. The dumplings will contain a fair amount of sodium I am sure. If I want to avoid soy sauce, can you recommend an ingredient or ingredients that will have no or low sodium but can add some significant flavor to the soup?

Please avoid hot ingredients (e.g. hot peppers/hot sauce) and avoid fresh vegetable (green) ingredients (e.g. green onion) as I prefer ingredients that are readily available in the supermarkets but are dry/long shelf life in nature - e.g. frozen or dry seasonings/dry herbs. Obviously I don't want the soup to taste bland (you know, that low salt taste) but I would like it to be tasty but with low sodium.

Liquid soup stock and bouillon cubes are packed with sodium as we know, so I am trying to avoid those.

I am happy to hear your suggestions and thank you!

 

[karadekoolaid]

First of all, I'd make my own stock and thus avoid the dreaded bouillon cubes. I use all the cuttings/peelings from onions, potatoes,carrots,squash, celery and herb stalks. No tomatoes, no cabbage - makes the stock bitter. I just dump them in a bag and put it in the freezer, then when I've got a bagful, I boil the peelings with a bay leaf, some peppercorns and any herbs like parsley or coriander.
Secondly, and most importantly, I think you absolutely have to have salt (ie. sodium chloride) in your food, otherwise it tastes of nothing. I know of people who eat without any salt; as far as I'm concerned, good luck to them. Soy sauce is salty, so I'd say make your soup then taste. Add more soy if you wish, until you're happy with the saltiness. You can control the amount of salt/sodium in your soup, as long as you add it bit by bit.
Taste, taste, taste, all the way through the cooking - that's the solution to avoiding a sodium overdose.

 

[JAS_OH1]

First of all, I'd make my own stock and thus avoid the dreaded bouillon cubes. I use all the cuttings/peelings from onions, potatoes,carrots,squash, celery and herb stalks. No tomatoes, no cabbage - makes the stock bitter. I just dump them in a bag and put it in the freezer, then when I've got a bagful, I boil the peelings with a bay leaf, some peppercorns and any herbs like parsley or coriander.
Secondly, and most importantly, I think you absolutely have to have salt (ie. sodium chloride) in your food, otherwise it tastes of nothing. I know of people who eat without any salt; as far as I'm concerned, good luck to them. Soy sauce is salty, so I'd say make your soup then taste. Add more soy if you wish, until you're happy with the saltiness. You can control the amount of salt/sodium in your soup, as long as you add it bit by bit.
Taste, taste, taste, all the way through the cooking - that's the solution to avoiding a sodium overdose.

Exactly, and adding too much sodium before the soup reduces is a mistake as well. Best to start adding it near the end.

 

[badjak]

If you want to reduce salt, you'll have to up herbs and spices in my opinion.
So add some more bay leaves, garlic and so on.
I would add chili's or chili powder as well and probably fresh herbs on serving (Thai basil, coriander (cilantro), sawtooth herb and/or even mint)

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Hello all!

As the cold weather is approaching for some of us, I want to do some dinner soups from scratch. I will be cooking a nice fairly hearty serving for one. The soup that I have in mind will have the below:

- California vegetables from frozen (i.e. chunks of carrot, cauliflower and broccoli)
- Tofu 1 inch cubes
- Pork or shrimp dumplings (potstickers) from frozen - maybe 8-12 pieces
- Sesame oil
- Soy sauce

To keep the carbs low and prevent being super full, I won't add noodles. The dumplings will contain a fair amount of sodium I am sure. If I want to avoid soy sauce, can you recommend an ingredient or ingredients that will have no or low sodium but can add some significant flavor to the soup?

Please avoid hot ingredients (e.g. hot peppers/hot sauce) and avoid fresh vegetable (green) ingredients (e.g. green onion) as I prefer ingredients that are readily available in the supermarkets but are dry/long shelf life in nature - e.g. frozen or dry seasonings/dry herbs. Obviously I don't want the soup to taste bland (you know, that low salt taste) but I would like it to be tasty but with low sodium.

Liquid soup stock and bouillon cubes are packed with sodium as we know, so I am trying to avoid those.

I am happy to hear your suggestions and thank you!

I'm not sure I understand your restrictions but pretty much most things you've mentioned have lower sodium versions of them. Tamari sauce is a stronger lower sodium version. It's all I use here. (I'm from the UK originally but now in Australia). My favourite stock comes in a litre sodium version, so I'm sure you can find one if you look for it.

I eat very little salt because I'm super sensitive to it (i couldn't use toothpaste as a kid and had to use salt instead). Nothing gets salt added to it unless it is something I've made many times and know that it needs it during cooking, so flavour comes from herbs and spices. Salt is an optional extra in this household, but that doesn't mean food is without taste, any but that.

Unless you have a medical reason for limiting salt very quick from your diet, I would suggest you just half the usual amount and let yourself adjust to that change in taste first, then repeat. It will also give yourself chance to find the lower salt versions and the frozen veg in the freezer isle.