fungus

It starts with a pile of soy pulp, which is wrapped in banana leaves and sprinkled with the spores of a fungus called Neurospora intermedia.

Its prevalence in Southeast Asian cuisine inspired Hill-Maini, who once worked as a chef, to investigate the spore-bearing organisms behind the dish and figure out how the fungus that creates it could be embraced worldwide.

After analyzing everything from coffee grounds to orange peels — some 30 things in all — he and his team discovered that the strain of fungus grows on most everything they tried.

They've since discovered that combining the fungus with a wide range of ingredients provides a texture and flavor additive that can transform even the trickiest alt-protein dishes into a culinary star.

The two chefs have used N. intermedia to improve the texture of sausages made with a mixture of meat and grains or vegetables, and brought rock-hard bread "back to life" by fermenting it with the fungus and keeping it out of local landfills.