Super-Concentrated Cantonese Chicken Stock

Step 1

Rinse chicken under cold running water. Place chicken in a large pot, add water, and if the chicken is still exposed add more water to barely cover the chicken. DON’T use hot water to speed up the boiling process. Hot water straight from the tap leaves a distinctly artificial, technically “yucky,” and cloudy flavor.

Step 2

Add ginger, scallions, and rice wine. Bring to a boil over high heat, occasionally skimming off the gunky foam that rises to the top so you can rid your stock and the world of the impurities that will taint you and your stock.

Step 3

Cover (with a tiny crack) and reduce heat. Simmer for 2 hours. Remove from heat and strain finished stock through a chinois, or fine mesh strainer, into a large enough container or bowl.

Step 4

If the stock doesn’t have enough body to your liking, in a separate bowl mix unflavored gelatin with cold water, then mix with chicken stock.

Step 5

Do not season! To make sweet and deep savory love to your mouth, hold off on seasoning the stock until the time is right. It is best left for whatever wonderful recipe you’re cooking. Each dish is seasoned with different savory elements in the place of salt, but you can get creative for your own recipes as long as you think of whatever you season it with as being a “salty” element (fancy mix-and-matching with something like kelp [aka kombu] or similar).

Step 6

If storing for later, cool off stock uncovered until it is lukewarm or close to room temperature before storing in a refrigerator or freezer. If you’re trying to be smart and think the fridge will cool off the stock for you, you’re wrong and it may ruin other ingredients in your fridge because it will heat your fridge up instead and the stock will go bad because it wasn’t cooled off properly.