Homemade creamy pork stock recipe frequently used for fast dishes, holidays and noodles.
In Chinese kitchen, pork stock is one of the most popular soup base addition to chicken stock. Usually we prepare pork stock or chicken stock on weekend or before holidays.Yummy and quick noodle soups and stews can be prepared just in several minutes with a big flavor when you have homemade stock.
Cantonese people serve soup every meal and love to prepare various types of stock at home. In Chinese Pork stock is often named as “大骨高汤”, which means leg bone stock. You will find restaurant selling pork stock hot pot (mild version and I love it very much). The key ingredient is the leg bone, which contains marrow, giving extra flavor and enough fat. Fat is quite essential for our final creamy white color.
About the ratio of the bones and water needed.
During the process, lot of water will be evaporated; so adding enough water at the beginning is really important. Here are some tips to share.
- If you want the pork stock to be creamy white, the ratio between bone and water should be around 1:5.
- If you want clear and transparent pork stock, the ratio between bone and water should be around 1:3.
You may wonder why?
There is an old saying in Chines kitchen concerning about stock or soup base—high fire gives you creamy soup while low fire presents clear soup. Usually for clear pork stork, fire is slowed earlier than creamy white stock. Consequently less water will be evaporated for clear stock.
It is best to avoid adding any water during the process. However if there’s no other option (when the water level is too slow to cover the bones), add hot water instead of cold water. Otherwise the taste might be spoiled.
Besides, personally I love to add red onion and carrot in pork stock. The carrot can absorb extra oil. This is optional.That’s a personal experience. Additionally, for those who do not hate celery (I know there is a large group), add several section of celery can make the stock fresher.
The key step of a clear and perfect stock is to remove the foams or we call floats. Continue boil the pork bones over high fire and remove the float until the soup is totally clear.
Besides, if you want the stock to be creamy white too, keep your soup rolling over by heating on medium fire or even high fire during the first 30 minutes. If you love this creamy soup, check Chinese fish soup too.
- 1000 g pork leg bones
- 5 L water
- 3 slices of ginger
- 1 tablespoon cooking wine
- 1/4 of a middle size red onion
- 1/2 of a middle size carrot
- 6 whole white peppercorn seeds
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Wash the pork bones and cut red onion and carrots into small pieces.
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In a large pot, add all the ingredients except whole white peppercorn.
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Pour in water, bring to a boil and remove the foam from the surface until the soup becomes clear. Stir the bones and continue removing the foams. This process might take several minutes.
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Add white peppercorns and slow down your fire to the lowest and simmer for at least 5 hours.
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Add white peppercorns and continue cooking with medium (keep the stock rolling over continuously, use high fire is necessary)fire until the soup becomes white and then to continue simmer for around 3 hours.
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How to store: use a filter to remove all the solid substance and get perfect stock. In air tighter container or jar and keep in refrigerator.
For a even better taste, you can add some chicken bones along with the pork bones.
Try it, it is really simple an without any chemical substances.
I have a cookbook that describes how to make creamy pork stock…but it uses parts of the animal I have never heard of (much less able to ask for it in Chinese;). I was delighted to see you add this recipe to your collection as I have quite a few soup recipes I’d like to make using it! Happy Chinese New Year!
I am glad to hear that you like this Christine as it is one of my favorite stock for noodles and many other soups. And thanks for your sweet blessing. Happy Chinese New Year too.
How long can this broth be kept fresh in the refrigerator, and does this broth freeze well. Love you site and recipes. Thanks for being on the web for us Chinese food lovers.
Hi Dee,
That’s a good question, as we usually make a large pot and keeping method is really important. Firstly you need to strain the soup to get pure soup. And then keep in refrigerator with airtight and clean container up to 3-5 days. For a longer keeping time, freeze them firstly until solid state and then keep in airtight bag up to two weeks.
Hi! Thank you so much for this simple recipe. Since I have never made Chinese pork stock, would you please give me a rough estimate of of the final volume of prepared stock (the thick creamy kind) starting from 5 lits of water? This would give me an idea of what I am looking for in the final product. Thank you so much!
Hi Smita,
If you use 5 liter of water, usually you might end with up 2.5 to 3 liters of the stock shown in my pictrues.
Elaine, thank you so much for your wonderful blog! This is the best Chinese cooking site I’ve ever seen and I’m loving all the recipes. My question is, do I need to reconstitute the stock when I make soup? Or can I use it at the reduced volume strength?
Melissa,
Yes, you can further thick the soup by simmering and then re-load with water in next usage.