This corn fried rice is a force of flavor, thanks to salt, sugar and MSG

I always joke that salt, sugar, MSG is the Chinese trinity seasoning mix, chef Calvin Eng told me recently. The trio is so integral to his style of C...

"I always joke that salt, sugar, MSG is the Chinese trinity seasoning mix,” chef Calvin Eng told me recently. The trio is so integral to his style of Cantonese American cooking that he named his cookbook, written with Phoebe Melnick, after it. "While each ingredient can stand on its own, mixed together you have a seasoning powerhouse,” Eng writes in the introduction to "Salt Sugar MSG.”

Salt, of course, helps bring out the other flavors in a dish and keeps food from tasting flat and bland. Sugar adds another layer on its own; can intensify the sweetness already present; and can also balance sour, bitter and salty notes. Lastly, MSG (monosodium glutamate) is included for its unmatched savoriness. "This is the punch of umami that makes a dish - that makes you salivate, that keeps you coming back for more,” Eng writes. "I don’t add MSG to recipes for the controversial shock factor. I truly believe the seasoning adds something you can’t achieve with just salt and sugar alone.”

Though there is long-held stigma surrounding the use of MSG, "it’s scientifically proven to not be bad for you,” Eng said. Compared with the glutamates that are naturally found in foods, "your body processes it all the same way. It can’t tell the difference between it coming from the granules that you buy, which are pure MSG, or if you’re getting it from mushrooms.” He uses it in almost everything he makes - in savory foods, naturally, but also desserts ("just to add another layer and depth of flavor,” he said) and drinks (as part of a salt rim or in cordials).

Eng relies on that trio to create balance in his dishes, adding a bit of each as he sees fit. "There’s no set ratio or set proportions that I use. I kind of just have it on my counter next to the stove all the time,” he said. "Salt, sugar, MSG doesn’t necessarily have to come strictly straight from those ingredients. The salt could be soy sauce, honey could be the sugar, and the MSG could be parmesan, for example.”