In winter, when the cold is biting, you might as well simmer a bowl of rich bone broth at home. It not only dispels the cold and boosts nutrition but also alleviates the fatigue of the day.
Making bone broth at home is very simple and convenient. Animal bones such as pork ribs, pork backbones, leg bones, pig's trotters, or beef, mutton, and chicken bones can all be used as ingredients. Simmer them with appropriate seasonings like lotus root, kelp, white radish, soybeans, and ginger; or simply simmer the bones alone. After the broth is ready, strain it slightly, remove the bones, add vegetables such as vermicelli, napa cabbage, and black fungus, and season with a little salt for a delicious and healthy bone broth.
For those who prefer a richer flavor, you can also add spices (cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, fennel, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, scallions, ginger, etc.) and simmer slowly. Add some yellow wine to remove the gamey smell and enhance the aroma. After about two hours, the broth is ready. Soak some white pepper in warm water, strain it through a cheesecloth, and pour it into the broth. Add a moderate amount of salt to taste, simmer for another hour, and skim off the floating oil. The bone broth made this way is rich in flavor, tender in meat, nutritious, clear and transparent, and delicious. For those who like spicy food, adding an appropriate amount of chili oil will give it a unique flavor.
Chinese food therapy emphasizes eating the ingredients along with the broth. There is also a common saying, "the original broth digests the original food," which means that by consuming the broth and the ingredients used to make it together, the nutrition is more complete and its health-regulating effects are more effective. You can eat the meat from the bones, or use the bone broth to cook noodles, wontons, or make other soups.
Pork Rib and Lotus Root Soup: 1500g of pork ribs with backbone, 1000g of lotus root, and an appropriate amount of salt and vinegar. Chop the pork ribs into small pieces and cut the lotus root into irregular chunks. Place the pork ribs in a clay pot, add water to cover the bones by 5-8 cm, add a little vinegar, cover the pot, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the lotus root and bring to a boil again, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1-2 hours (30 minutes in a pressure cooker). When ready, serve a portion and season with a little fine salt.
Beef Bone and Mushroom Soup: 1500g of beef marrow bones, shiitake mushrooms, small radishes, cilantro, scallions, ginger, and an appropriate amount of salt, chicken powder, and white pepper. Slice the small radishes, chop the cilantro. Heat a clay pot, add water, and place the beef bones in. Bring to a boil and skim off the foam. Add the shiitake mushrooms, small radishes, scallions, and ginger, and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Season with salt, chicken powder, and white pepper before serving, and sprinkle with cilantro.
Rich and Savory Bone Broth
500g of blade bones, 1000g of marrow bones, 500g of tail bones, 500g of chopped bones, 1 small bunch of scallions, 1 small piece of ginger, and 50g of yellow wine. Wash the blade bones, marrow bones, tail bones, and chopped bones. Then place them in a pot of boiling water, bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the bones, place them in warm water, and wipe each bone clean with a cloth, especially removing any blood foam and impurities from the bone crevices. Then, split the marrow bones in half to release the marrow. Place them in the pot, strain the original broth through a fine sieve, add scallions, ginger, and wine, bring to a boil over high heat, skim off any remaining foam, and then simmer over low heat for 2 hours.