We are working on a base broth. What is the difference between stock and broth? With knowledge comes confusion. For us, we were looking to create a universal building block that was a full-flavored foundation that could easily be utilized and built upon. Half of my brain felt we were looking for stock, the other half an idealized version of chicken noodle soup base.
I wanted to be able to make semi-large quantities of the broth without a massive pot sitting on the stove. My initial notes had me exploring a variety of paths, from a traditional flavor profile to one with more aromatics and leanings towards Asia. I have recently enjoyed cooking and spiking dishes with variations of kimchi. As I pondered our path, I wondered if we could use the elements of kimchi to make a broth. That is the direction we took.
We put sliced cabbage, onions, ginger, and a jalapeno into our hotel pans. We added white wine for acidity and soy sauce for seasoning. We used chicken legs for meatiness. We covered the ingredients with water and put them into a 350°F oven. We cooked the broth for 6 hours. At the 6-hour mark, the meat and vegetables were still firm and full-flavored. We were looking to get a full extraction of flavor. We topped each pan with water and turned the oven down to 200°F. We cooked the broth for another 12 hours.
In the morning, we opened the oven and were treated to an aromatic, slightly caramelized, near crystal-clear broth. We let the broth cool on the counter in the pans, removed the aromatics, and strained the finished liquid. The broth is a delicious, easily repeatable foundation. Now we need to build upon it.
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