Vegetable Stock

Vegetarian cooking, however, can present a problem when it comes to stock. In the absence of poultry, fish or meat, it is difficult to prepare a rich stock, the foundation of any cuisine. Vegetable stocks tend to be comparatively weak and lack robustness. Even in China, the custom has been to add the additive monosodium glutamate to vegetable stock. Another popular vegetable stock employs the peppery bite of white radish to impart body to it. With my colleague Gordon Wing, I have experimented and found that cooking the vegetables in oil before simmering helps to impart flavour to the stock. Gordon suggests using dried Chinese mushrooms to add richness and depth.