I am a lazy cook. If a recipe is a little outside of my comfort zone, or if it has a lot of ingredients I can’t easily find, I will choose to make something else or use a shortcut. One of those shortcuts is readymade broth.
Until I moved to Amsterdam, I would usually buy a quart of vegetable broth from the supermarket if I planned to make soup. Unfortunately for me, the supermarkets in Amsterdam do not carry this pantry staple as readily as I’d like. I’ve tried bouillon cubes and stock concentrates, but nothing I’ve tasted has been quite up to par so far. So, I finally decided to experiment with making my own broth. And, I finally made one that I love.
This vegetable broth tastes naturally sweet and is perfect to use in any brothy soups. The ingredient list may sound like a strange combination with ginger, celeriac root, parsley, and sake. But trust me: I think you’ll like it.
Easy Vegetable Broth
Ingredients
- 8 thin rounds of ginger
- 4 garlic cloves with skin
- 1 leek
- 2 small to medium carrots
- 2 medium celery ribs
- inch round of celeriac root
- Handful of parsley
- Olive oil for cooking
- 2 Tbsp sake
- 1 Tbsp coarse salt
- 5 cups water
Instructions
- Smash garlic cloves. Cut leek, carrots, celery, and celeriac root into 1-inch pieces.
- Heat a 2-quart saucepan on medium heat. Drizzle enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is shiny, about 1-2 minutes, add vegetables and sauté until soft, about 6 minutes.
- Add parsley and water. Bring to boil then lower to medium-low heat. Simmer for 1½ hours or until the broth has reduced by a fifth.
- Stir in salt and sake. Bring back to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Strain broth, pressing the vegetables in the sieve with the back of the spoon to get all the last bits of broth out. Use immediately or cool before storing in the fridge or freezer.