As described on my page about the basics of aromatics, I consider aromatics to be foods that release flavors when cooked in fat or oil. They are a vital part of most recipes, and soup is no exception. Aromatic combinations are simply mixtures of these foods that work well together.
It’s always a good idea to use more than one aromatic ingredient, otherwise your dishes will come across as one dimensional. But how do you go about finding combinations that make the most of your other ingredients?
Honestly, there’s no perfect answer. In the end it comes down to what you and your family enjoy. But a pretty decent shortcut is to look at popular regional or national cuisines for inspiration, because if millions of people are using the same combination of ingredients, then there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy that combination as well.
The classic and most well-known combination of aromatics is mirepoix, which originated in France, and consists of onions, carrots, and celery. It forms the base of almost every soup, sauce, and stew in French cuisine, along with the optional addition of garlic.
The French certainly don’t have a monopoly on aromatics, as almost every culture has its own common mixes. Onion, celery, and green peppers make up the “Holy Trinity”, which is used in many Cajun and Creole dishes.
Germans often use a blend of carrots, leeks, and celery root called Suppengrün, which roughly translates to “Soup Greens” or Soup Vegetables. It results in a slightly heartier tasting flavor than mirepoix, which is not unexpected from German cuisine.
East Asia has so many different cuisines that it’s difficult to nail down one dominant aromatic combo, but if you want a sort of “starter pack” then I would look no further than ginger, garlic, and scallions.
When we think of curry, the immediate thing that comes to mind is the spices, but curries are actually far more reliant on aromatics. The aromatic medley I’ve been using for a few years now (regardless of whether I’m cooking Indian, Thai, or other curries) is a blend of ginger, turmeric, lemongrass, shallots, garlic, chili peppers, and cilantro stems. Unlike other recipes, I run this through the food processor to get a rough paste. For some reason this combo just works better that way. (Full disclosure: my wife will NOT eat this, due to the alliums and heat. So I only make this when she travels for work.)
Sofrito is used in Latin American and Spanish cuisines, and while it varies from region to region, the most common variant is onion, garlic, and tomato, with bell peppers being added in some locales. Personally, I don’t consider tomatoes to be aromatics in the technical sense, but there’s no denying that they add a lot of flavor to dishes, so don’t overlook this combination.
This is far from an exhaustive list, but it’s a good starting point. If you want to emulate a specific regional cuisine, you can Google what that cuisine typically calls for.
What if you want to create your own aromatic combinations? Luckily, I've got some tips for you there, too.
First, start with what you like. If your family is wild about garlic, make sure you include it. Nuts for ginger? Keep lots on hand!
Second, work with what you have. Why go to the store if you have a bunch of unused ingredients on hand? Some of my best meals have been creations based on being stuck with what was in the fridge. If you don’t like the results, try substituting one or more ingredients next time.
This is all very obvious, and you probably didn’t need to be told. But it’s a good reminder to stick with simple ideas when you aren’t sure what to do. But now that we’ve gotten the basics out of the way, let’s move on to the more advanced tips.
Because there is, after all, an art to it. No, you probably won’t “ruin” your soup if you don’t find the exact right ingredient to add to your aromatic bundle. But it may not be the hit you expected it to be either.
There are a few schools of thought when it comes to combining aromatics. They aren’t right or wrong, and they don’t compete with each other to see which is best; they’re just different ways of looking at the same thing.
One way of classifying aromatics is by dividing them into four categories: savory, sweet, delicate, and pungent. The theory is that savory and sweet should balance each other, while the pungent ingredients enhance both, with the delicate flavors adding nuance.
You can find an interesting discussion here, but I’m not sure I would follow the advice to the letter. For one
thing, I can’t be bothered measuring ingredients. Second, it’s not a
complete list of aromatics. Lastly, I’m not sure if I agree with the
categorization of all the ingredients. For instance, why would garlic be
considered pungent, while onion is classified as “delicate” of all
things?
Regardless, the guide is helpful in the sense that it provides some easy guidelines to follow: don’t let one group overpower the others. For instance, if you already have leeks in your mix, there's no sense in adding onions, shallots, or scallions, as they won't add much in the way of new flavors.
A more basic and universal flavor grouping strategy is the universal “five flavor types”: sweet, savory (aka “salty”), sour, bitter, and spicy, with umami (“meatiness”) sometimes being included in the mix. With herbs and spices these terms are relative, of course; carrots aren’t sweet compared to honey, but they are definitely more sweet than savory.
Chinese culinary philosophy says that all five flavor types should be present in your dishes, and while I’m not strict about following this, I've found it to be a good rule of thumb. Aromatics are the perfect place to start. You don’t need to hit all five (or six) flavor types with your aromatic base, but you can easily include two or three, if not more. The “main” ingredients of your soup can take care of the rest.
Once you’ve settled on some favorite combinations, my next piece of advice is to develop a system where you never run out. I like to prep about three meals’ worth of my aromatics ahead of time and store them in plastic containers (deli cups are my favorite). That way I can get dinner started quickly.
And that’s what aromatic combinations are all about: getting the most flavor with the least effort.