Winter's biting cold makes a warm bowl of rich bone broth, simmered by family, the perfect welcome home after a long day. It drives away the chill, replenishes nutrients, and instantly melts away the day's weariness.
Making bone broth at home is remarkably simple and convenient. Animal bones like pork ribs, pork spine, leg bones, trotters, or beef, lamb, chicken, and duck bones all serve as excellent ingredients. Pair them with complementary additions such as lotus root,kelp, daikon radish, soybeans, ginger, or simply simmer bones alone. Once cooked, strain the broth, remove bones, add vegetables like glass noodles, napa cabbage, or black fungus, season with salt to taste—and you have a delicious, health-boosting bowl of bone broth.
For those who prefer a richer flavor, spices (cinnamon, nutmeg,cloves, fennel seeds, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, scallions, ginger, etc.) and simmer gradually. Adding a splash of Shaoxing wine helps remove any gamey taste and enhances the aroma. After about two hours, the broth is ready. Dissolve some ground pepper in warm water, strain it through cheesecloth into the broth, add salt to taste, and simmer for another hour. Skim off any surface fat.This method yields a bone broth that is rich in nutrients, tender in texture, clear in appearance, and exceptionally flavorful. Those who enjoy spicy food may add a suitable amount of chili oil for a distinctive kick.
Traditional Chinese dietary therapy emphasizes consuming both the broth and its ingredients. A folk saying, "The original broth transforms the original food," suggests that combining the broth with the cooked ingredients maximizes nutritional value and enhances therapeutic benefits.You can enjoy the meat off the bones, use the broth to cook noodles or wontons, or prepare it as a base for other soups.Place pork ribs in a clay pot, add water to cover bones by 5-8 cm, add a small amount of vinegar, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add lotus root and return to a boil. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 1-2 hours (or 30 minutes in a pressure cooker). When ready to serve, remove and season with a small amount of salt to taste.
Pork Rib and Mushroom Soup
Ingredients: 1500g pork ribs, shiitake mushrooms, baby radishes, cilantro, scallions, ginger, salt, chicken bouillon powder, white pepper powder (to taste). Slice the baby radishes and chop the cilantro. Bring water to a boil in a clay pot, add ribs, and skim off scum once boiling.Add shiitake mushrooms, baby radishes, scallions, and ginger to the pot. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Before serving, season with salt, chicken bouillon, and white pepper powder. Garnish with cilantro.
Rich Bone Broth
500g fan bones, 1000g straight bones, 500g tail spine bones, 500g broken bones,1 small bunch scallion knots, 1 small piece ginger, 50g Shaoxing wine. Rinse the fan bones, straight bones, tail spine bones, and scrap bones. Place them in a pot of boiling water. Once boiling, reduce to low heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the bones and place them in warm water. Use a cloth to scrub each bone clean, paying special attention to removing blood residue and impurities from the crevices.Then split the straight bones lengthwise into two pieces, extract all the marrow, and place them in a pot. Strain the original broth through a fine mesh sieve, add scallions, ginger, and wine. Bring to a boil over high heat, skim off any foam again, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 2 hours until done.