HOW TO MAKE AN INCREDIBLE UMAMI BROTH – for your instant noodle

When you have tons of good broth in your freezer, it tells you two things:

1.   Your’re single and you live alone
2.    You eat too much instant noodle

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, here’s my recipe to ensure that I always have the best umami broth in the freezer to whip up the best designer ramen (stock up on chilled ramen from don don donkey) or the ultimate bowl of instant noodle.

Ingredients

You will need the following:

1. 6 Big pork bones
2. 4 Chicken carcasses
3. Ginger and garlic
4. White radish
5. Prawn heads or clams
6. Dry squid (optional)

• The Bones

Wash the big pork bones and chicken carcasses with coarse salt and running water.

Repeat the process several times until all the gunk is washed off and the water runs clear.

Bring the water in a large pot up to boil and boil the pork and chicken bones for a couple of minutes to remove all blood and impurities.

Remove and strain. Do not use this water now filled with impurities and discard.

Frying the bones for umami

Heat up 2 spoons of vegetable oil together with 1 spoon of sesame oil in a large wok until smoking.

Add 2-3 thick chunks of ginger and stir well.  Add 3 whole peeled garlic.

Add chicken carcasses.  Fry on all sides for several minutes.

Add salt, pepper and Chinese rice wine.  Toss well.

Add a dash of brandy.

Transfer the contents into a very large pot of boiling water.

Repeat the same process above with the pork bones.

Prawn heads or clams ?

Fry the the prawn heads with the remnants of the oil and juices once you have removed the pork bones.  No more oil is needed. Add a little more brandy.

I usually prefer to use clams rather than prawn heads.  The prawn heads do make the stock a little fishy so if there are fresh clams, skip the prawn heads and go for clams.

For the steps how to wash and prepare clams, see this link.

 

Once the prawn heads are removed, fry the dried squid with the remnants of the oil and the juices.

Allow to fry for 3-4 minutes then transfer all the contents and juices into the pot.

Cut the white radish into 3-4 large chunks and boil this in the soup with the other ingredients.

Simmer Simmer Simmer

Boil the soup and it’s contents for 3 hours over medium heat with the cover half covered.

Skim the impurities off the top occasionally.

Add water gradually when the water level goes down.

Season with salt and pepper, and Chinese rice wine to taste.

After 3 hours, switch off the heat and leave the pot to cool uncovered.

After an hour, strain the soup completely.

Skim off the top layer of oil you see above. If you want to remove all the oil completely, end off by skimming it with a few pieces of bread which absorbs the oil more efficiently.

Leave the soup to cool uncovered for another 2-3 hours before ladling into storage containers to freeze.

Minced Pork and chopped prawns

And the best thing to be on standby to put into that umami broth ?

Mix 500 g minced pork with 500 g minced chicken, 10 chopped water chestnuts , 1 kg chopped deshelled and deveined prawns, 5 minced garlic fried in sesame oil, chopped coriander and Chinese spring onion and season with 2 tablespoons of Chinese cooking wine, 1 tablespoon of salt and pepper.

Divide into small portions and store in freezer.

You are now an instant noodle demi – god.