Recipe: Asian-Style Stock

updated Apr 30, 2019
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Credit: Joe Lingeman

A homemade vegetable stock flavored with ginger, sesame oil, and tamari.

Makes3 cups

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(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

Do you see the photo of a casserole above? Filled with lots of vegetables, tofu, and topped with flaky sage biscuits? The miso-tofu casserole with sage biscuits from The Tassajara Cookbook is yours for the making. And trust me, you’re going to want to make it.

But before you get started, you have a bit of a choice to make: Will you take the grocery store shortcut and opt for pre-made stock? Or make your own?

If you have the time, the DIY way is the way to go with this recipe. The truth is, this umami-rich stock isn’t something that you’ll get out of the pre-bought versions (I mean, just look at the ingredients below: When was the last time you saw something like that in your grocery store stock?). My recommendation is to double this recipe and save half for later so it’s worth the shopping, chopping, and simmering on the stove.

Asian-Style Stock

A homemade vegetable stock flavored with ginger, sesame oil, and tamari.

Makes 3 cups

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 1

    small onion, sliced

  • 5 or 6

    fresh ginger "coins" (1/8-inch crosswise pieces)

  • 3 cloves

    of garlic, chopped

  • 2

    carrots, chopped

  • 1 stalk

    of celery, coarsely chopped

  • 1

    chard leaf and stem, or several lettuce leaves, chopped

  • 3

    scallions, sliced

  • 4

    dry shiitake or Chinese black mushrooms or 1/2 ounce other dried mushroom

  • 1

    (6-inch) piece kombu, if available

  • 1

    (6-inch) piece gobo (burdock root), if available, sliced crosswise

  • 1

    small handful lentil sprouts or 1 large handful mung bean or soybean sprouts

  • 4 1/2 cups

    water

  • 1 teaspoon

    dark sesame oil

  • 1 tablespoon

    tamari

  • Salt

Instructions

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  1. Scrub the vegetables and cut into somewhat narrow pieces. Put all the ingredients except the salt into a pot, bring to a boil, and simmer 25 minutes. (All right, what if you can’t get any dried mushrooms? Omit them and keep on cooking. Use fresh mushrooms, which provide some flavor, even though they don’t have the intensity of the dried ones.) Remove the (dried) mushrooms and set them aside for another use. Then strain the stock and boil until it is reduced to 3 cups. Taste for salt and add if necessary.

Recipe Notes

Reprinted from The Complete Tassajara Cookbook by Edward Espe Brown © 2009 by Edward Espe Brown. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boulder, CO.