Almost all chinese cooking involves some sort of stock/broth added to their dishes...if you do this, it'll bring out more flavorful meals rather than just adding pure water.

Substitue this stock anytime in chinese cooking water is requested. it will enhance it a bit...unless you are a true vegan..

EASY TO MAKE, HARD TO RESIST.

Ingredients:

*STEW CHICKEN (the older/fatter the better)
*SPRING ONION (green onion stalks)
*WHITE ONION/YELLOW is fine too
*GINGER ROOT
*WATER
*4 hours or more time

Takes a while to brew..but the best...

1) DO NOT USE YOUNG CHICKEN OR WHATEVER. This is best with STEW CHICKEN (get them at your produce store...not safeway..but QFC will have them. I get them asian store style..$0.59/lb)...get about 1.4 lbs if you can. It usually costs me no more than $1.40 to make a HUGE ASS POT.

2) Skin the chicken of FAT and skin and the ASS. REmove it well...leaving only a small bit of fat (due to the fact you can remove it by hand that easily)

3) Prepare some SPRING ONION STALKS (wash them) and cut up 1/4 of a LARGE ONION..and about 1-1.2 inch cube of GINGER ROOT.

4) TAKE skinned chicken and STUFF HIS INSIDE WITH 3 STALKS (cut up stalks not minced), 1/4 onion and ginger root. It will be very tight fitting so make sure you stuff it well so it won't burst out later on.

5) TAKE A huge pot...enough to cover the chicken from head to toe...and dump about 1-2 inches MORE water than what is covering the chicken (vertically from head to toe). Put chicken in (the water should be almost spilling out..about 1/2 inch more it will spill out..don't sweat it...reason: WHENEVER YOU MAKE SOUP (asian style), YOU ADD MORE WATER THAN NEEDED..BECAUSE AS THE BROTH SIMMERS, IT WILL DRY UP..AND YOU NEVER EVER ADD MORE WATER TO THE BROTH TO 'GET MORE' BROTH..SO INSTEAD MAKE IT WITH MORE WATER THAN USUAL...it will evaporate and you will have just the right amount of broth when it brews for about 4 hours +

6) That's it...when the water is ready, put the chicken head in first (grab the feet) and simmer (boiling with cover) for about 4+ hours...DO NOT ADD SALT YET. Occassionally, remember to take a strainer (flat) and strain out some residue...it's the blood from teh chicken..I usually don't boil/rinse the chicken before hand for this broth recipe. cover it and simmer (soft boil) and when 4 hours is up (you'll know cause the chicken meat will be very very soft and flake off almost if pryed). Season with salt...usually about 1/2 cup or less...remeber to add a bit at a time!!

This recipe is used to make so many different other chinese items...it's insane...

You can have it this way: plaing and simple PURE CHICKEN SOUP:
(added broth, chopped green onion(spring onion), and some homemade fried shallots:



You can add rice vermicelli, vietnamese BANH CANH (rice vermicelli), MACRONI, or even egg noodle to this. In restaurants, they don't make it this good either..they use can stock diluted with water...nasty...when you order WONTON SOUP, get real, it ain't that good compared to this. You can add a bit of this stock/soup to cooking...subbing for water requests...shit, the list is endless.

I will show you guys how to make some authentic CANTON style wonton..not that shitty stuff you get in china town...pure LEAN PORK MEAT with HAND BATTERED SHRIMP!

Enjoy for now...

 

Dude...I tried your recipe. I wasn't able to get the chicken with the head and feet...but I did manage to get an old cheap stewing chicken. Lancaster has lots of chicken farms...so the birds are cheap around here.

The one thing I changed from your recipe...which I always do with chicken stock...is to roast the chicken and bones before I make stock. It gives the broth a really rich, roasted chicken flavor, with a deep brown color. Not as dark as Veal Stock...but darker than the usual yellow chicken broth. I love the flavor of the roasted bird in soup.