When I was a kid, coming home from school to the aromas of cinnamon, star anise and ginger meant that we would have pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) for dinner. This was always a good thing. I’d come home to watch my grandfather char onions halves and ginger over the open flame of a burner until they turned black, and he’d let me add them into the pot. When I got older and moved out of the house, I took those scents along with me. Nowadays, it seems I can’t make a stock or broth without using those ingredients to flavor them. There’s always a little Vietnamese inspiration in even the most American soups I serve, like chicken noodle or split pea. For this recipe, you start with a huge pot and 6 quarts of water, but you’ll reduce it to less than half of that in order to concentrate the broth’s flavors. You may only need a smidge of salt at the end, but sometimes I find that I don’t need it at all. The broth is finished with lime to perk it up a bit.
Ingredients
1. 4
pounds chicken bones (carcasses, or necks, backs, wings, etc.)
2. 2
medium onions, cut in half
3. 1
4-inch piece of ginger
4. 2
carrots, peeled
5. 2
stalks celery
6. 3
star anise
7. 1
bay leaf
8. 2
teaspoons black peppercorns
9. 4
whole cloves
10. 2
cinnamon sticks
11. 4
garlic cloves, peeled
12. 6
quarts water
13. Salt,
to taste
14. Lime juice, to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken bones in a
roasting pan. When oven comes to temperature, roast bones for 1 hour, or until
thoroughly browned. Remove from pan and place in a 10-12 quart stock pot.
Place onion halves (peels removed) over the open flame of a
gas burner. Use tongs to turn onions when needed. When onions are blackened,
place in stock pot. Repeat method with ginger, but cut ginger into 1-inch
pieces before placing in pot. Add carrots and celery to pot.
Make a sachet of spices: Pile star anise, bay leaf,
peppercorns, cloves and garlic in a cheesecloth, and tie with kitchen string to
make a little pouch. Add pouch to pot, as well as cinnamon sticks.
Fill pot with 6 quarts of cold water, making sure to cover
all ingredients (add more if you need to). Bring pot to a boil and immediately
turn heat down to medium-low. Let the pot simmer with the lid slightly ajar for
4 hours. Refrain from stirring here, so that you'll end up with a clear broth.
Remove all bones, veggies and spices from pot. Turn heat up
to medium-high, and reduce to about half of its current amount. Taste, and add
salt if needed. When broth is full-bodied and flavorful (and this depends on
personal preference), remove from heat and cool. Add a healthy sprinkle of lime
juice, if desired.