The hero of a dysphagia kitchen…

9 June

Sauce. Yes, you read that right. Sauce. The perfect accompaniment to any meal. Not only do they help to soften foods, but they also help bind flavours to make them sing. A secret in every dysphagia kitchen is to have a range of sauces prepared in the fridge at any one time.

Once you find your rhythm with modified meals, you’ll agree that they’re the most effective and labour-saving method to give a flavour boost to any dish. Stock up on some delicious olive oil and raw nuts, and make sure you have a great high-speed blender, as these will become your best friends when building many of your yummy sauces.

And where better to start, than a miso walnut sauce! A perfect balance of salty and creamy, this sauce pairs so beautifully with tofu, sweet potato, or mushrooms. Enjoy…

Miso Walnut Sauce

Makes about 2 cups

1 1⁄2 cups walnuts
1⁄4 cup white miso paste
1⁄4 cup apple juice
1⁄4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic
Pinch salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Place the walnuts onto a lined baking tray and roast them in the oven for 10 minutes.

Once the walnuts are fragrant and golden, place them into a conventional blender along with the remaining ingredients.

Blitz until a smooth sauce has formed. Enjoy!

Simply Modify

Easy-to-chew: Suitable.

Soft & bite-sized: Make sure, when using sauce with other texture foods, that it’s mixed into each mouthful cohesively.

Minced & moist: The sauce is a wonderful addition to several minced and moist meals to help add moisture and flavour. As this is a sauce, it’s too runny to be considered minced moist on its own, and a thickener will need to be added. Always add sauce to meals in increments so that the meal doesn’t become too thin. Refer to the test guide as needed.

Pureed: The sauce is a wonderful addition to several pureed meals to help add moisture and flavour. As this is a sauce, it’s too runny to be considered puree on its own, and a thickener will need to be added. Always add sauce to meals in increments so that it doesn’t make the puree too thin. Make sure, when blending, that there are no lumps. Refer to the test guide as needed.

Written by Brie Simons
Speech Pathologist