Vegetable stock is an excellent substitute for chicken stock, and is a must for all types of vegetarian cooking.
Basic vegetable stock can help you with a lot of recipes – from soups to gravies. It has a neutral flavour and desirable consistency that make it very versatile. You can collect vegetable stock while cooking veggies for other items like subzis, pulaos, etc. , and use it on the same day, or store it in the fridge for using later. However, to ensure freshness and flavour, do not stock for more than a day.
Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 1 hour Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes Servings 10 cups (approx)
Ingredients
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped • 2 medium carrots, chopped into 1-inch bits • 2 sticks of celery, chopped into 1-inch bits • 6 button mushrooms, optional, halved or quartered if very large • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled or unpeeled, cut into half if large • 1- inch know of ginger, cut into strips • 1 bay leaf • 5 allspice corns, crushed slightly • 1 tsp peppercorns • 1 tsp olive oil • 1 tsp salt • 10-12 cups of water • 2 sprigs rosemary. Other savory herbs are fine too, like thyme or sage. Use 1 tsp if using dried rosemary. Herbs like mint, coriander and parsley are not great in stocks.
Instructions
1. Heat the oil in a stock pot. Add the onions and salt and saute over medium-high until the onions start to turn golden-brown at the edges. 2. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for another minute. Add the rosemary, bay leaf, all-spice, peppercorns, carrots, celery and mushrooms and saute, stirring frequently, about 3-4 minutes. 3. Add the water– the less water you add, the more flavor your stock will have. I prefer adding about 12 cups, but you could add less. 4. Bring the stock to a boil. Cover with a lid, lower the heat to a simmer, and let the stock cook, undisturbed, for an hour. 5. Turn off the heat. Let the stock stand until cool and then strain through a fine-meshed sieve or a sieve covered with cheesecloth. Press down on the vegetables to release any liquid in them. 6. Voila! Your stock is ready. Refrigerate and use as needed.