Stock – the real secret of Chinese cooking
Nothing tells me more about a Chinese restaurant than its use of stock.
Stock is central to Chinese cuisine. It’s not only used in soups – just a tablespoon will give stir-fries a real lift.
Chinese stock should be clear and golden in colour. Chefs will use chicken bones and occasionally a few pork bones or muslin-wrapped prawn shells.
The alternative to stock isn’t as pretty, or tasty. A hurried mix of water, monosodium glutamate and dried chicken powder is never a valid replacement – and a good sign that the restaurant you’re eating in isn’t worth a second visit.
Many mainstream recipes for Chinese stock advise you to boil chicken bones with spring onion, ginger and other ingredients. Unless you’re going to use (or freeze) the stock immediately, just stick to boiling bones and water. The fresher the bones, the clearer and better, your stock will be.
