One of my absolute favourite things is to cook broth, be it a hearty meat one, or a light mushroom or vegetable broth. I love to cook it, I love to consume it. I add noodles or rice to it, topped with fermented or pickled vegetables, meat, tofu, or egg. It is the perfect, savoury, hydrating meal on any day, come rain or sunshine.
In my work to nourish new mothers, I’ve noticed broth is a popular choice as people become increasingly aware of the nutritional benefits. It’s packed with amino acids, collagen, and minerals for easy digestion and absorption in the body and it’s a pretty darn delicious hot, savoury drink, not to mention a superb hangover cure (thank me later).
I grew up in a Cantonese household, where a meal is incomplete without broth — before and after.
For a traditional Cantonese household, seasonal changes are taken into consideration when thinking about which broth to make for the day. Cantonese people are the most dexterous when it comes to broth-making. If you’ve ever visited Southern China or Hong Kong, you’ll find shops selling dried ingredients on every few blocks. Most of these ingredients have a place in a broth kitchen. Almost any Cantonese person seems to have this delicate knowledge of how, why, and when to use certain ingredients in their food, encoded with traditional medicine knowledge. The ancestors’ biggest flex was knowing how to live well.
For Food Sake
A meal is incomplete without a broth
Chicken broth is the perfect, savoury, hydrating meal on any day
Image: Protasty food/123rf.com
One of my absolute favourite things is to cook broth, be it a hearty meat one, or a light mushroom or vegetable broth. I love to cook it, I love to consume it. I add noodles or rice to it, topped with fermented or pickled vegetables, meat, tofu, or egg. It is the perfect, savoury, hydrating meal on any day, come rain or sunshine.
In my work to nourish new mothers, I’ve noticed broth is a popular choice as people become increasingly aware of the nutritional benefits. It’s packed with amino acids, collagen, and minerals for easy digestion and absorption in the body and it’s a pretty darn delicious hot, savoury drink, not to mention a superb hangover cure (thank me later).
I grew up in a Cantonese household, where a meal is incomplete without broth — before and after.
For a traditional Cantonese household, seasonal changes are taken into consideration when thinking about which broth to make for the day. Cantonese people are the most dexterous when it comes to broth-making. If you’ve ever visited Southern China or Hong Kong, you’ll find shops selling dried ingredients on every few blocks. Most of these ingredients have a place in a broth kitchen. Almost any Cantonese person seems to have this delicate knowledge of how, why, and when to use certain ingredients in their food, encoded with traditional medicine knowledge. The ancestors’ biggest flex was knowing how to live well.
Fare well with this fine fowl
I often think of broth-making as a way to acquire a language, a marvellously complex one at that. To think about the season, to become in tune with what my body needs on a particular day, to consider which ingredients are in season, and to pay attention to a particular ingredient’s function in a broth when thinking about wellness. Principles of traditional Chinese medicine are often embedded in the composition of Cantonese broth. An addition or removal of an ingredient can shift the formula and change its function. However, there are some common broth recipes that are beneficial to people of any age.
Here are some questions I get when I share my broth recipes:
The chicken broth recipe is one I make often, and it is the simplest one. It’s nutritious to drink as it is or to add to your cooking, and it is a fundamental building block for assembling a delicious noodle bowl. I make them in batches to keep in the freezer.
Note: You can add smoked pork bones to it, the umami will be ten-fold. Some butchers call them “bacon bones”. Otherwise, a piece of 200g Pancetta will do the trick.
Ingredients: (to make 2 litres)
Method:
Bonus recipe:
This one is for the vegetarians — a favourite- the mighty mushroom broth:
Ingredients:
Mushroom broth — an immune booster and good for gut health
Method:
*NOTE: I altered these recipes slightly due to the availability of ingredients at supermarkets. I will have more recipes on my blog — linked to my Instagram account @yangisungcooks
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