Bone broth
Why does a holistic food blog need a 'Bone Broth' recipe?
It is a myth that you ought to be a vegan or a vegetarian, at least, when you choose holistic path to wellness. Ayurveda itself mentions mamsa (meat) and mamsarasa (meat juice) to cure certain ailments and diseases. There are some restrictions on the amount of meat you consume though. Apparently, it should be less that 10% of your diet. So if you choose to have eat meat, it MUST be accompanied with grains, lentils, vegetables, ghee and.. and .. ALWAYS SLOW COOKED.
There are studies that have proven charred or bbqd meats produce cancer-causing heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic hydrocarbons (PCHs). Therefore, slow braised meat, curries or stews are your best options. Besides, bone broths are known to heal broken joints, joint pains and rekindle asthi dhatu agni.
On a personal note, after dealing with 'Leaky Gut Syndrome' for almost two months, having bone broth once every two weeks did help. (What did I eat for rest of the week? Subscribe and stay updated) .
The recipe below is how I like it personally. A lot spices and herbs, almost like a Pho Broth (not exactly though) but definitely around the same lines. You may or may not use all the spices and herbs listed below. Just use mire poix (celery, onions and carrots) and keep it simple.
Ingredients:
500 gm bones (either Chicken, Goat, Beef, or Pork or a combination of two or more)
1 large Spanish onion, large dice
5 stalks of Celery, large dice
1 cup Carrot, large dice
2 Garlic cloves
1/4 cup Ginger, large dice
4 lt distilled water
4 Star anise (toasted)
2 tbsp Fennel seeds (toasted)
1 tbsp Coriander seeds (toasted)
1 tbsp Peppercorn (toasted)
1 inch Cinnamon (toasted)
Method:
- Roast the bones at 400 DegC to get a good colour on them. Add onions and ginger and roast it along with the bones until brown.
- You may skip the above step and rinse the bones really well. In a pot, heat some oil and saute onion and ginger. Get some colour on it.
- Add carrots, celery and garlic. Add bones and water. Bring it to a boil and turn it down to a simmer.
- Toast all the spices mentioned above and add it to the pot.
- Let it simmer for 2 hours. Skim off scum if any.
- You may add cilantro stalks to enhance the flavours.
- Season the broth before serving - Salt, Pepper, Sugar.
You may serve it with pieces of meat in it, or with some rice noodles, thai basil, cilantro, lime, bean sprouts, chilies, hoi sin sauce, carrots. Or use it to make a chili or chicken noodle soup. Options are endless. And so is your creativity! Go wild ;)
