Homemade broth is relatively easy and, when done well, is by far the best option. It has a rich chicken flavour and plenty of gelatin which adds critical body to soups.
Traditionally prepared chicken broth, however, is a time-intensive affair that requires several hours. You’re usually one of three during the festive season: gunning to be the ‘Host with the Most’, sparing only a couple of precious hours to prep or scrambling to scrape up a decent dinner at the last minute. Thankfully, we’ve got different ways you can whip up a batch, regardless of the time you’re able to spare.
What you’ll need
Typically, chicken stock is used and a variety of ingredient combinations are added for different tastes. We recommend fresh chicken wingtips and feet, basically the bony parts. They’re high in collagen, nutritious and are an affordable ingredient. You can add in ginger, spring onions and crushed garlic to your stock before boiling.
Cooking methods
You’re all about traditional and therapeutic
Method: Thermal cooker
Cooking time: ~6 hours
If you’re comfortable to cough up a few hours for a full reunion dinner prep, go forth and simmer!
A perk about the thermal cooker is that it continues the cooking process without using any electricity or gas. Food will never dry up or get burnt and there is no need to keep stirring the pot, leaving you free to prepare other dinner necessities.
The process is quite similar to making stock with a conventional pot but the cooking time on a stove is reduced considerably. Start by cooking the stock over stove in under 2 hours, before reducing the heat and skimming off debris from the surface. Place it into a thermal cooker for about 5 hours.
You’ve got time to spare
Method: Pressure cooker
Cooking time: ~2 hours
Using a pressure cooker drastically cuts down on cooking time while producing flavourful and gelatin-rich stock.
Flavour is rapidly extracted from chicken and vegetables and collagen-rich tissue is converted into gelatin.This method takes enough time for you to do a quick prep of your steamboat ingredients while waiting for your fragrant stock to be ready.
Add chicken and water into your pressure cooker and bring it to a rolling boil. Use a skimmer to scrape away foam that accumulates on the surface. After the pressure drops, whisk the stock and break up the chicken chunks into a pulp. This releases the collagen into the soup and gives it a thick luscious texture.
Your guests are knocking at your door
Method: Ready-made
Cooking time: ~15 mins
The store-bought stuff wins in the convenience department. A pack can save you several hours in exchange for $5. We carry a range of ready-made broth with flavours from all over the map. Surprise guests with your choice of broth!
Simply boil your chosen broth in a pot and prep your ingredients. Quick and easy!
Add in the classic trinity of onions, carrots, and celery to take your broth to the next level. Kick off the party with a platter of fresh seafood, thinly sliced chicken or beef, vegetables, noodles, wontons and dipping sauces!
Steamboat makes for a simple yet wholesome evening, and everyone gets to eat exactly what and how much they want, so long as it fits in the pot!
Explore related categories:
More ready-made broths
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