Asian Sea Food Stock

This is my absolute confidence booster, as I know that I can cook full Asian meal with this. When my daughter’s are at home during holidays, I keep my fridge and freezer well stocked. Keeping the health factor in mind, I make a variety of stocks namely vegetable stock, chicken stock, mutton stock, seafood stock, stock with lovely warm spices during winter. Give me a pressure cooker and I will make stock with anything in the kitchen. I personally believe this enhances the flavour of the dish, and I know that without them knowing, I have managed to feed all the nutrients required. There is no hard and fast rule to choose your ingredients but to give Asian flavour to the soup, few ingredients like fresh lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves (any fresh lime leaves would do) , fresh lime rind, coriander stems, red pepper are essential.I am making a large batch with 2 litres of water.

Procedure

1. Roughly chop 2 large onions, 1 full garlic(unpeeled and uncut), 1 inch of fresh ginger, 1 inch of fresh turmeric, 6 lime leaves, roughly chopped lemon grass with the green part as well.
2. Take 2 large carrots, 1/2 of bottle gourd (dudhi, lauki or lau), 4 juicy tomatoes, 2 red peppers, coriander stems, mushrooms. Roughly chop the vegetables.
3. Add olive oil to the pressure cooker and add 1 big Cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 10 black peppercorns, 1 star anise and four bay leaves. Let the spices release their aroma.
4. Then, add all the ingredients mentioned in point number 1.
5. Saute for a minute and then add heads of large prawns and bones of fish or whatever you like to. (I used only prawn heads)
6. Saute for a while and then add all the ingredients mentioned in number 2.
7. Now, add 1 tsp of cumin seeds and 1 tsp of coriander seeds.

Saute and add two litres of water.Do not add too much salt. 1 tsp would be okay because we will use this stock to cook multiple dishes.

8.Close the lid and put the gas on low. After 2 whistles turn off the gas.

9.If you are cooking in an open vessel then let the stock come to boil, lower the heat and cook it for half an hour.

10.After which, turn off the gas and let it rest and cook further in its own heat.

11.Once it is cold, strain through a large strainer and store it in boxes in the freezer.

12. Use as and when required.

13. I use this stock as a base to make soups, curries, fried rice, instant noodles.The aroma that fills your kitchen is unbelievable.