Chinese Vegetable Stock

To make a basic Chinese Vegetable Stock, you will need:

- 1 tbs vegetable oil
- 2 medium-sized red onions, finely diced
- 15 slices ginger
- 10 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbs sea salt
- 3 medium-sized carrots, peeled and sliced
- 6 sticks of celery, sliced
- 10 spring onions (scallions), trimmed and cut into 5cm lengths
- ¾ cup finely sliced coriander roots and stems
- 6 litres cold water

*Try experimenting with different vegetable combinations by adding cobs of corn for a sweeter stock, fresh tomato wedges for a refreshing twist, or dried mushrooms/fresh mushroom stems for a more earthy flavour.

Heat oil in a large stockpot, add onions, ginger, garlic and salt, and saute over high heat for 1 minute. Add carrots, celery, spring onions and coriander, reduce heat and saute, stirring often, for a further 3 minutes or until vegetables are very lightly browned.

Add water to the pot and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, skimming the surface with a ladle to remove any impurities. Turn down heat until surface of the stock is barely moving and cook for 1 hour, skimming as required.

Remove stock from stove, strain through a muslin (or a clean Chux cloth. I used a fine sieve) and store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.

Chinese Vegetable Stock