Chicken Stock :
1. Bones of a single chicken. If there is some flesh still attached, it is fine.
2. A medium sized carrot cut into 1/2 inch size pieces.
3. One medium sized onion cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
3. About 6-8 Coriander stems (use the coriander leaves for chutney, garnish or for better use and use the leftover stems)
4. 1 Bay Leaf.
5. Some 6-7 Black Pepper Corns freshly half crushed.
6. 1.5 liters of water.
7. you can add a celery and/or a leek and some other fancy stuff like thyme, rosemary if you got some deep pockets and live in a metro,
your truly lacks on both counts.
TIP : No salt !!!!!! Never season the stock with salt, be it chicken, vegetable or any meat stock.. Period.
And no spices with deeper fragrances like cloves, cinnamon. We don't want them to overpower our stock.
Variations variations variations :
Now there are few methods to go for making a stock and I would detail each including merits and demerits.
1. On cooking stove / range.
2. In Microwave Oven.
3. Ultra Desi Method.
1. On cooking stove/ range : Put chicken bones and other ingredients including water into a large sauce pan and put it on the stove.
Make sure that the chicken carcass is covered in water by at least inch and a half to inch and three quarters [there is a reason for that and I would come to that later], if not you can add some more water till it is covered, it would depend on the diameter of your sauce pan. If you think you have to add much more water, better find some other pan. Max you could go is 1.7 litter of water per chicken carcass, otherwise your stock would have to be reduced.
2. Light the gas, and bring it to near boil, reduce the heat only to let it SIMMER. Don't let it boil !!!!!! (if you are slightly careless nd let it boil, the turbulence in the water lets the skim recirculate in the stock and tends to make your stock opaque and you would not be able to skim it properly).
3. There would be froth and skim on the surface, you have to keep removing it for getting a clear and beautiful stock. [who said making stock was easier, huh ??]
4. As the stock cooks, the skim would become less and less, but nontheless, in some cases it would still be there and you have to keep on removing it.
5. Ideally you should simmer it for a minimum of 2 hours...[ yes that long !!!!!! ] but it could go on slightly longer. So what you can do is to plan your other cooking along with your stock making and also do full justice to your liquor stock.
6. Once done, strain the stock through a sieve or soup strainer making sure that your stock is clear. you can also place a moist muslin cloth in the soup strainer if you think the pores are large enough or your stock in not very clear. With muslin cloth in, you have the luxury of pressing the cooked ingredients to the side of the strainer with the back of your spoon / spatula / laddle whatever you are using to squeeze in more liquid.
7. Let the stock cool and come to room temperature. Cover the container of the stock and put it in the fridge for some hours and watch if some more fat forms on the surface. Remove it, before you finally shift yoru stock to the freezer compartment in some suitable container or spill proof bag.
Now get hold of your gaswala and tell him that you need another gas cylinder soon [ bricks would follow, i know ] coz you would be making your next stock soon, once you devour your stock turned into some divine soup [ well, another time] , or your biryani / rice pilav cooked in this stock. The difference in this stock and the normal common garden variety stock cubes is immense.
2. Microwave Method :
A Quicky for those who love Quickies, or have microwave or don't have any liason with the gaswala.
Pour all the ingredients including water into a microwave safe and preferable transparent glasss cookware which should be deep enough so that the chicken carcass easily gets immersed in it. For still quicker results you can boil the water in a pan on the cooking stove before you put it in the cookware in microwave. Now wrap the top of the cookware with cling film and make sure that you pierce the cling film with some fork to make some holes, or you can roll back the cling film at some place from the top of the cookware leaving some space for the steam to get out. Switch on the microwave for some 25-30 minutes and you should be done. you can try to mix and match the microwave power depending on your machine to let the water simmer rather than boil but mostly it would and if your cookware is not deep, it would make a mess while boiling.
Though it is quicker, you don't get to remove the skim and your stock tends to be more opaque. Once done, you can repeat the straining process like you did for cooking stove method, and there you are.. Your stock is ready. Follow the next instruction as above.
The prolonged cooking / microwaving ensures that you get all the gelatine and goodies of the bonemarrow into your stock.
3. Ultra Desi Method :
Ok. you don't know gaswala, you don't have microwave, you don't have pyrex cookware, you don't have patience or desi is your ishtyle.
Throw in every thing in a pressure cooker with about 200 ml more water ie 1.7 Lt. and pressure cook it for 30-40 minutes. Hey I can't go below this time, after all you have to get all the gelatine and juices out of the bonemarrow... no ?
Did I say that " Cooker ki Siti Bajegi" ?
Rest is repetition.
Some More Gyan :
Stock is not a dish in its own right and should preferably not be consumed per se and also lacks salt since we did not add any. It is just a building block for your soups or is to be used instead of plain water for your rice, yakhni etc etc. etc. phew.. .. variations, variations, variations. I know Vishwanath Anand would love me.
Stocks can very well be stored in freezer for about 3 months if Bijli Dewta remains meharban.
There is lot of more Gyan, but we are making stock only...no ? so more of it when do we the soups.
1. Bones of a single chicken. If there is some flesh still attached, it is fine.
2. A medium sized carrot cut into 1/2 inch size pieces.
3. One medium sized onion cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
3. About 6-8 Coriander stems (use the coriander leaves for chutney, garnish or for better use and use the leftover stems)
4. 1 Bay Leaf.
5. Some 6-7 Black Pepper Corns freshly half crushed.
6. 1.5 liters of water.
7. you can add a celery and/or a leek and some other fancy stuff like thyme, rosemary if you got some deep pockets and live in a metro,
your truly lacks on both counts.
TIP : No salt !!!!!! Never season the stock with salt, be it chicken, vegetable or any meat stock.. Period.
And no spices with deeper fragrances like cloves, cinnamon. We don't want them to overpower our stock.
Variations variations variations :
Now there are few methods to go for making a stock and I would detail each including merits and demerits.
1. On cooking stove / range.
2. In Microwave Oven.
3. Ultra Desi Method.
1. On cooking stove/ range : Put chicken bones and other ingredients including water into a large sauce pan and put it on the stove.
Make sure that the chicken carcass is covered in water by at least inch and a half to inch and three quarters [there is a reason for that and I would come to that later], if not you can add some more water till it is covered, it would depend on the diameter of your sauce pan. If you think you have to add much more water, better find some other pan. Max you could go is 1.7 litter of water per chicken carcass, otherwise your stock would have to be reduced.
2. Light the gas, and bring it to near boil, reduce the heat only to let it SIMMER. Don't let it boil !!!!!! (if you are slightly careless nd let it boil, the turbulence in the water lets the skim recirculate in the stock and tends to make your stock opaque and you would not be able to skim it properly).
3. There would be froth and skim on the surface, you have to keep removing it for getting a clear and beautiful stock. [who said making stock was easier, huh ??]
4. As the stock cooks, the skim would become less and less, but nontheless, in some cases it would still be there and you have to keep on removing it.
5. Ideally you should simmer it for a minimum of 2 hours...[ yes that long !!!!!! ] but it could go on slightly longer. So what you can do is to plan your other cooking along with your stock making and also do full justice to your liquor stock.
6. Once done, strain the stock through a sieve or soup strainer making sure that your stock is clear. you can also place a moist muslin cloth in the soup strainer if you think the pores are large enough or your stock in not very clear. With muslin cloth in, you have the luxury of pressing the cooked ingredients to the side of the strainer with the back of your spoon / spatula / laddle whatever you are using to squeeze in more liquid.
7. Let the stock cool and come to room temperature. Cover the container of the stock and put it in the fridge for some hours and watch if some more fat forms on the surface. Remove it, before you finally shift yoru stock to the freezer compartment in some suitable container or spill proof bag.
Now get hold of your gaswala and tell him that you need another gas cylinder soon [ bricks would follow, i know ] coz you would be making your next stock soon, once you devour your stock turned into some divine soup [ well, another time] , or your biryani / rice pilav cooked in this stock. The difference in this stock and the normal common garden variety stock cubes is immense.
2. Microwave Method :
A Quicky for those who love Quickies, or have microwave or don't have any liason with the gaswala.
Pour all the ingredients including water into a microwave safe and preferable transparent glasss cookware which should be deep enough so that the chicken carcass easily gets immersed in it. For still quicker results you can boil the water in a pan on the cooking stove before you put it in the cookware in microwave. Now wrap the top of the cookware with cling film and make sure that you pierce the cling film with some fork to make some holes, or you can roll back the cling film at some place from the top of the cookware leaving some space for the steam to get out. Switch on the microwave for some 25-30 minutes and you should be done. you can try to mix and match the microwave power depending on your machine to let the water simmer rather than boil but mostly it would and if your cookware is not deep, it would make a mess while boiling.
Though it is quicker, you don't get to remove the skim and your stock tends to be more opaque. Once done, you can repeat the straining process like you did for cooking stove method, and there you are.. Your stock is ready. Follow the next instruction as above.
The prolonged cooking / microwaving ensures that you get all the gelatine and goodies of the bonemarrow into your stock.
3. Ultra Desi Method :
Ok. you don't know gaswala, you don't have microwave, you don't have pyrex cookware, you don't have patience or desi is your ishtyle.
Throw in every thing in a pressure cooker with about 200 ml more water ie 1.7 Lt. and pressure cook it for 30-40 minutes. Hey I can't go below this time, after all you have to get all the gelatine and juices out of the bonemarrow... no ?
Did I say that " Cooker ki Siti Bajegi" ?
Rest is repetition.
Some More Gyan :
Stock is not a dish in its own right and should preferably not be consumed per se and also lacks salt since we did not add any. It is just a building block for your soups or is to be used instead of plain water for your rice, yakhni etc etc. etc. phew.. .. variations, variations, variations. I know Vishwanath Anand would love me.
Stocks can very well be stored in freezer for about 3 months if Bijli Dewta remains meharban.
There is lot of more Gyan, but we are making stock only...no ? so more of it when do we the soups.
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