There are so many different recipes, approaches, and flavor profiles that can make up a superior stock, but all have a few things in common: complexity, clarity, a silky smooth mouth-feel, and a higher gelatin content than a regular chicken broth.
These are my own notes on the ways I typically make my stock, though I often make do with what I have accumulated and what I pick up on monthly trips into Queens to my favorite Chinese supermarket that carries all the otherwise hard-to-find goodies I'm in love with. This stock does take time, but it doesn't need to cost a ton, and is an exquisite replacement for chicken broth/stock in most any recipe, Chinese or otherwise.
I think of ingredients in a superior stock as basically falling into the categories of actual meat, bones or other leftovers saved for stock, and seasoning/dried goods. What actually makes these up changes based off what I have.
Wings and Legs are a must, and I save them when breaking down a whole chicken, which also saves money on breasts/thighs. The wings in particular are favored for contributing to the gelatinous mouthfeel. Two pounds or so of chicken will do.
Pork ribs or other on-the-bone cuts are ideal. Hock can do in a pinch; don't waste fatty cuts like pork belly though, as that's better used in preparing other dishes. One pound will do.
I often keep one dried/preserved duck leg on hand since they keep indefinitely when refrigerated, and will add it here.
A dry-cured ham is so ubiquitous in stock recipes that it merits its own mention. Jinhua ham, the gold standard in Chinese cuisine, is banned from import into the United States, similar to a few other dry-cured hams from other countries. If you can't find some variety, you can use most any dry-cured option like Virginia ham, Jamón Serrano/Ibérico, or another. A scant 2-3oz is more than enough, though if you have a bit more, it's always welcome. In a pinch, I have substituted chinese dry-cured sausage, but they aren't actually interchangable.
If sliced, I throw it in as-is. If whole, I cut it up into small cubes.
I usually wind up improvising this, but I aim for 2-3lb of some mixture of chicken backs, duck necks and/or heads, pork bones, trotters, or other cheap cuts ideal for stock. I try to always include 1-2 trotters in particular, because of their massive contribution to the gelatin content.
The three most common additions to simmered dishes are no surprise here:
- a 2 inch or so piece of ginger, whole and unpeeled, smacked by the broad side of a cleaver
- about 3 scallion whites, smacked as above
- a healthy splash (2-3tbsp) of a quality Shaoxing wine (I use a three-year aged one you'd find in a brown ceramic jar)
In addition, I usually add the following dried ingredients as available; if you are going to look to buy any of these, I highly recommend the dried scallops, as they keep indefinitely, are a noticable and common component of superior stock recipes, and will last you many stockpots of stock.
- 1-2 tbsp dried scallops
- 1 tbsp dried shrimp
- 2-3 tbsp dried longan flesh
- 3 tbsp foxnuts
- 5 or so dried shiitake or gold coin mushrooms
First, add all of the meat and