Tag: broth

• 

  Condensed Mushroom Broth From Scratch

  I love making this simple mushroom broth concentrate. Easily stored as cubes in the freezer it brings depth to soups, stews, pastas and the like. The ingredients are simple, 3l of water, your mushrooms of choice, an onion and several pinches of salt to get the flavours going.

  Note: Takes about 8 hours in a slow cooker and around 4 hours in an electric skillet.

  

  Steps

  1. Preparing ingredients
  2. Simmering
  3. Straining
  4. Storing and using

  Equipment

  • 1 chef’s knife
  • 1 soup pot or electric skillet
  • Small meshed sieve/strainer

  Ingredients

  • 3L water
  • 1 brown onion, halved
  • 6 – 8 large white mushrooms, rough chopped
  • Salt, a small amount to bring out the flavours

  Preparing the ingredients

  Gently rinse the mushrooms to remove any dirt, then chop them into large pieces.

  

  Peel the onion then slice in half. Add everything to your slow cooker pot or skillet and add 3l of water.

  Simmering

  Slowly reduce the liquid, at a simmer, until you have about 1.5 cups remaining. Remove the onion and the mushrooms.

  

  Straining

  You don’t have to but I strained the broth using a fine mesh.

  

  Storing and using

  If you are using a  portion in the next few days, simply pour some into a reused glass jar and pop it in the fridge.

  Otherwise, you can use an ice cube tray to make handy to use portions.

  

   

  

  Chuck them straight from the freezer into your dishes, for that flavour boost.

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are some more stock making posts and kitchen related thriftiness : 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  March 10, 2022

• 

  Pasta Cooked In Broth

  The ultimate in comfort food, this pasta in broth recipe is example of how a few ingredients can make an amazing meal.

  

  I recently made a big batch of Italian chicken stockand used 2 cups of it below.

  I brought them to the boil and then added 1 cup of pasta.

  

  

  I reduced the heat to a low boil and cooked until the pasta was ready.

  That is it!

  

  I mixed in some grated cheese (a percorino with peppercorns) and served with a raw egg yolk and some basil.

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are some more pasta recipes and Italian cuisine:

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  April 27, 2020

• 

  Stock Tip Blanching Chicken

  Blanching chicken meat before using it to make stock or broth removes fat and other impurities. This results in a clearer healthier broth!

  You aren’t cooking the chicken, just preparing/cleaning it. 

  Simply

  Add the chicken meat, frames etc into a pot of cold water. 

  

  Bring the water to a boil and then remove the scum by pouring it through a sieve. I even give the meat a quick rinse.

  

  So instead of your stock looking like the picture above when you start making it, you get this:

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are some more stock and chicken recipes: 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  April 13, 2020

• 

  What Are Soups, Stock, Broths And Stews?

  Is it just semantics or is there a real difference between soups, broths, stews and stocks? If you do a search online you will find a lot of conflicting definitions and see that the terms are used interchangeably.

  So I am going to throw in my two cents too. 🙂

  I believe it is all about the desired outcome.

  Stock

  For me, stock is an ingredient of broths, soups and stews.

  I keep my vegetable stock very simple. It is basically the holy trinity (celery, carrot and onion) in water cooked on low heat overnight. I make chicken, beef, lamb and rabbit stock by also adding their bones and scrap meat.

  Hot tips:

  • Always start with room temperature water as hot/boiling water traps the flavours in the vegetables, we want the opposite affect.
  • Make stock in large batches and freeze it for future use. For examples see my  Slow Cooker Chicken Stock or Rabbit Stock.

  Broth

  I might then take a stock and build flavours on top, generally by the use of additional vegetables, herbs and spices. If I am using a vegetable stock I might add bones too.

  I don’t cook it for long and it is for immediate use. After straining you could eat it right away.

  Soup

  I then take stock or broth and add ingredients (sometimes separately cooked) like meat, pasta, noodles, potato and then garnish with fresh vegetables. As a rule of thumb you need a bowl and a spoon.

  Stews and casseroles

  For me, a stew is something you can eat off a plate and generally has little sauce. It is as much about the method of cooking ie stewing the meat in juices, as any other characteristic.

  We generally use casserole and stew interchangeably in Australia.

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are some more cooking techniques:

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  March 6, 2018

• 

  PK’s Cheaters Pho Ga For One

  When someone mentions Vietnamese cuisine I immediately think of the famous Vietnamese noodle dish called Pho.

  Pho (pronounced ‘fur’ but without the hard r) is a modern take on more traditional dishes but the Vietnamese people rapidly took to this healthy “fast food” and then spread it around the globe.

  I imagine everyone has their own favourite style of Pho. Mine is a sweet and sour broth with some lightly poached chicken, lots of vegetables and tons of rice noodles. Simply multiply the ingredients below for each person you are serving.

  I go light on the chili factor (even none at all for my family) and then I use Sriracha hot sauce in my bowl to add some heat.

  Tip: Make the fried shallots ahead of time using my method here. They are an optional garnish but I feel they really “upgrade” this dish.

  You will be:

  1. Building the broth
  2. Poaching the chicken
  3. Serving.

  You will need:

  • Ingredients:
    • Broth for one:
      • 3 cups homemade chicken stock
      • a splash of fresh lime juice
      • 1.5 Tbsp fish sauce
      • a small chunk galangal (galanga)
      • a small chunk ginger
      • 1/2 cinnamon stick
      • 1 star anise
      • 1 tsp raw sugar
      • black peppercorns to taste, ground
      • 1 coriander root
    • Bowl for one:
      • 250g chicken tenderloins, sliced
      • 250g rice noodles, pre-softened in boiling water
      • a handful of torn coriander leaves
      • a handful of mung bean sprouts
      • a few sprigs of vietnamese coriander
      • 2 spring onions, white parts, sliced on an angle
      • jalepenos , sliced, to taste
      • 1/2 a lime (for people to adjust the fish sauce/lime juice balance)
      • fried shallots and garlic slices
  •  Equipment:
    • a long sharp knife
    • a chopping board
    • a grater
    • a large saucepan
    • a serving bowl

  Building the broth

  I use my home-made chicken stock because it starts you off with a broth that has been built up with chicken bones, vegetables and garlic.

  Making a starter broth this way allows you to subsequently build dish specific flavours on top of it and this is what we will do now.

  1. Add the 3 cups of chicken stock to the saucepan.
  2. Peel a chunk of galangal and a chunk of ginger and throw them into the pan whole.
  3. Add the:
     • splash of fresh lime juice
     • 1.5 Tbsp fish sauce
     • 1/2 cinnamon stick
     • 1 star anise
     • 1 tsp raw sugar
     • ground black peppercorns
     • 1 coriander root
  4. Let everything sit for 5 minutes, to infuse, if you have time.
  5. Put the saucepan on low heat and then gently simmer for about 10 minutes.

  Poaching the chicken

  1.  Add the 250g of sliced chicken tenderloins to the gently simmering pan of broth.
  2. Allow the chicken to cook for 5 minutes and then remove the pan from the heat (by this stage everything is cooked and you don’t want the chicken to overcook as it will go leathery).

  

  Serving

  Serve the broth over the rice noodles and vegetables. Garnish with slices of chili, fried shallots and even omelette and peanuts.

  Have in easy reach extra fish sauce, lime wedges and of course Sriracha sauce so you and your guests can adjust the taste to suit.

  

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  July 25, 2017

• 

  PK’s Easy Pho Ga

  When someone mentions Vietnamese cuisine I immediately think of the famous Vietnamese noodle dish called Pho.

  Pho (pronounced like ‘fur’ but without the hard r) is a modern take on more traditional dishes. The Vietnamese people rapidly took to this healthy “fast food” and then spread it around the globe.

  I imagine everyone has their own favourite style of Pho. Mine is a sweet and sour broth with some lightly poached chicken, lots of vegetables and tons of rice noodles. Simply multiply the ingredients below for each person you are serving.

  I go light on the chili factor (even none at all for my family) and then I use Sriracha hot sauce in my bowl to add some heat.

  Tip: Make the fried shallots ahead of time using my method here. They are an optional garnish but I feel they really “make” this dish.

  You will be:

  1. Building the broth
  2. Poaching the chicken
  3. Serving.

  You will need:

  • Ingredients:
    • Broth for one:
      • 3 cups homemade chicken stock
      • a splash of fresh lime juice
      • 1.5 Tbsp fish sauce
      • a small chunk galangal (galanga)
      • a small chunk ginger
      • 1/2 cinnamon stick
      • 1 star anise
      • 1 tsp raw sugar
      • black peppercorns to taste, ground
      • 1 coriander root
    • Bowl for one:
      • 250g chicken tenderloins, sliced
      • 250g rice noodles, pre-softened in boiling water
      • a handful of torn coriander leaves
      • a handful of mung bean sprouts
      • a few sprigs of vietnamese coriander
      • 2 spring onions, white parts, sliced on an angle
      • jalepenos , sliced, to taste
      • 1/2 a lime (for people to adjust the fish sauce/lime juice balance)
      • fried shallots and garlic slices
      • A handful of chopped mushrooms like shitake or enoki
  •  Equipment:
    • a long sharp knife
    • a chopping board
    • a grater
    • a large saucepan
    • a serving bowl

  Building the broth

  I use my home-made chicken stock because it starts you off with a broth that has been built up with chicken bones, vegetables and garlic.

  Making a starter broth this way allows you to subsequently build dish specific flavours on top of it and this is what we will do now.

  1. Add the 3 cups of chicken stock to the saucepan.
  2. Peel a chunk of galangal and a chunk of ginger and throw them into the pan whole.
  3. Add the:
     • splash of fresh lime juice
     • 1.5 Tbsp fish sauce
     • 1/2 cinnamon stick
     • 1 star anise
     • 1 tsp raw sugar
     • ground black peppercorns
     • 1 coriander root
  4. Let everything sit for 5 minutes, to infuse, if you have time.
  5. Put the saucepan on low heat and then gently simmer for about 10 minutes.

  Poaching the chicken

  1.  Add the 250g of sliced chicken tenderloins to the gently simmering pan of broth.
  2. Allow the chicken to cook for 5 minutes and then remove the pan from the heat (by this stage everything is cooked and you don’t want the chicken to overcook as it will go leathery).

  

  Serving

  Serve the broth over the rice noodles and vegetables. Garnish with slices of chili, fried shallots and even omelette and peanuts.

  Have in easy reach extra fish sauce, lime wedges and of course Sriracha sauce so you and your guests can adjust the taste to suit.

  

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

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  Written by

  PK

  ·

  July 25, 2017