Star anise broth

Name: Star anise broth
Yield: Makes 1.5 litres
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 80 ml mirin; 250 ml Sweet-and-sour Dressing; 40 ml Sugar Syrup; few drops of sesame oil; 70 ml light soy sauce; 1 teaspoon finely grated tangerine or orange zest; 50 ml Chinese Shaoxing rice wine; 50 ml ponzu sauce; 1 star anise; 1 teaspoon dried bonito flakes; 1 litre White Chicken Stock; 1 piece cassia bark; 3 dried black Chinese mushrooms; 3 green onions, sliced; 5 slices ginger

Preparation info

Makes
1.5 litres

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Spice

By Christine Manfield

Published 1999

About

A light but intensely flavoured broth that is fabulous with tea-smoked fish, oily fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel, or steamed pork. It has a lingering palate that many have described as the most ethereal taste sensation. Test that theory for yourself.

Ingredients

1 litre White Chicken Stock
1 star anise
1 teaspoon

Method

Make stock as instructed, reserving 1 tablespoon chicken fat when skimming cooled stock. Crack star anise in a mortar and pestle. Put all ingredients except chicken fat into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over low-to-moderate heat. Cook gently for 1 hour — do not boil. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve and discard solids. Stir in reserved chicken fat to give added gloss and flavour.