Recipe: Long Life 'Supreme' Broth

As seen on Lucky Chow Season 3, host Danielle Chang discovers that what's old is new again when it comes to Asia's culinary cultural revival. Find this recipe, and more information, at luckyrice.com. 

Long Life "Supreme" Broth

Makes 4 quartz, Serves 8

Cantonese bone broths like this one can be used as a master stock for countless other soups, but they are also amazing on their own and renowned for their restorative properties. Also known as “long life soup,” these tonics are brewed with ancient Chinese “secret” ingredients—namely ginger, goji berries, and red dates—that are not-so-secret anymore. I’ve had home-style versions that are made with artichoke leaves, carrot tops, mushroom stems, and otherwise discarded stems from greens, and I like to add aromatics such as chopped cilantro and scallions. Bones, particularly chicken or pork or a mixture, add depth and richness.

Ingredients

• 1 3-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 pound pork rib bones
• 1 ¼-pound slice Virginia ham or slab bacon
• 1 2-inch knob fresh ginger, smashed and coarsely chopped
• 1 bunch scallions (green and white parts), halved crosswise
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 yellow onion, quartered
• 2 tablespoons goji berries
• 10 red dates
• 6 whole dried shiitake mushrooms
• Shaoxing rice wine, to taste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)
• Chopped scallions (green and white parts), for garnish (optional)

 Instructions

Place the chicken (including head and feet if you have them), pork bones, and ham in a large stockpot, and add water to cover. Bring the water to a boil and then cook just long enough to rinse the meats of scum and fat, about 10 minutes. Discard the water and rinse the meats and the pot.

Return the rinsed meats and bones to the clean pot, and add water to cover by ½ inch. Bring the water to a boil, and then add the ginger, scallions, garlic, onion, goji berries, red dates, and mushrooms. Reduce the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 2 hours, occasionally skimming any fat off the surface, to produce a finished stock. Strain the stock with a fine-mesh sieve.

Add the Shaoxing rice wine, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve the soup as part of a meal or with rice and pickles. The soup will also benefit from a garnish of chopped cilantro and scallions.

Store any remaining soup in the refrigerator for up to a week, or in the freezer for about a month.

Tip: This recipe works with just about any chicken, but see if you can get your hands on a Longgang heritage chicken, available at most Chinese groceries and renowned for its texture and sumptuous taste. It will produce a much more flavorful broth.