Homemade Chicken Broth

When I was pregnant with my son, I tried to avoid taking medicine as much as possible and started researching natural remedies. Chicken soup has a reputation for curing colds, but in my experience  chicken soup was not a very effective remedy - apart from being a comfort food and warming meal. I realized the reason it was ineffective was because the chicken soup I was eating was either canned chicken noodle or made from bouillon cubes. 

"According to The Best Recipe cookbook, the FDA and Department of Agriculture set no standards of definition for chicken broth or stock. The authors were wondering why commercially available broth was so flavorless, lacking in body and generally inferior to the homemade version. Their conclusions were that the ratio of water to chicken must be high, giving a dilute result, and that the high, long heating involved in canning destroys the flavor compounds. Canned broth that tasted good to them had high sodium and MSG." I have also read that because there are no standards for chicken broth, many store bought broths do not even contain chicken! Chicken bouillon powder or 鸡精 is essentially chicken flavored MSG. Here are the ingredients in a chicken bouillon cube: Iodized Salt, Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Wheat Flour, Flavor Enhancers (Monosodium Glutamate, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate), Chicken Fat, Sugar, Yeast Extract, Onion, Spices (Turmeric, White Pepper, Coriander), Parsley, Caramel, Chicken Meat. 

I have no doubt that MSG is bad for you, although I am not sure it is as bad as people make it out to be. After all, the Japanese use MSG a lot and have for years and they have the longest life expectancy in the world. That said, my family already consumes more MSG than I would like when we eat out, so I avoid it as much as I can at home. 

One reason homemade broth or stock is so healthy is because it is rich in minerals and gelatin. Minerals are as important as vitamins in a balanced diet and are especially easily absorbed in the form of broth/soup. Gelatin has wonderful healing properties. In Chinese medicine, gelatin is used to strengthen the body's resistance to disease and aid digestion. 

Homemade bone broth is by far my favorite home remedy! Since I started making it, it has really reduced the severity and duration of my colds. 

When I first started making broth I bought frozen whole chickens, however whole chicken is relatively expensive. A few weeks ago, a Chinese friend recommended I  make soup from the chicken frame instead. The frame is the cheapest cut of chicken at my local market for just 4.5 rmb/lb. I tried it and my broth turned out to be just as good, for a fraction of the cost!

Ingredients:

2 chicken frames*/ 鸡架 jījià

2-3 T vinegar

Filtered water - just enough to cover the bones

* You can use any cut of chicken. Chicken feet have the most gelatin, so if you are making this as a remedy you can add  feet too. I don't always add them because they are an expensive cut of meat in China. ( You might be able to get them for free in the West :-) 

Optional Add-ins:

Carrot peels

 Onion

 Leek

5-8 Peppercorns

Garlic - if you are making this as a remedy use a lot! 

Celery stalk & leaves - celery is on the dirty dozen for pesticides so wash it well!

2 Bay leaves

Goji berries - a superfood high in vitamin A.

Spinach stems

Parsley

Method:

1. Put the chicken in a pot and cover it with water (I use tap water), bring it to a boil. When the chicken turns white, take the chicken out and dump out the water. Return the chicken to the pot and cover with filtered water. I do this to wash the chicken and also instead of skimming of any impurities.

This is a chicken frame/ 鸡架 I bought two for 9 RMB. 

2. Add the vinegar and add-ins to the pot, cover and simmer for 3- 12 hours. The vinegar is very important as the acid helps to draw the minerals from the bones, this step causes the broth to have a higher mineral content. 

3. After the chicken is cooked, take the chicken out and remove any meat from the bones and refrigerate for later use. Return the carcass to the pot. I usually get about 2 cups white meat from 2 chicken frames.

4. Line a colander with cheesecloth and strain the broth. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze. A good broth should gel when refrigerated. If your broth does not gel, use less water and more bones next time. 

"Good broth will resurrect the dead." - South African Proverb

Sunny Baby Cloth Diaper Review

This video is about my favorite Sunny Baby diapers.

How to Clean your Camelbak Water bottle

I love my camelbak water bottle. It changed my life! That may sound dramatic, but it really did because it helps me drink more water. I've heard the average person drinks 25% more water when drinking from a Camelbak compared to a regular water bottle.  When I drink more water, I have more energy and feel better all around. As simple as it is, I think drinking water is one of the best, cheapest and easiest ways to improve your health.  

The only problem with the Camelbak is the mouthpiece can get kinda nasty, which is why I want to share my method for cleaning the mouthpiece. And no, it doesn't require a $13 cleaning kit!

You'll need a lighter, Q-tip, and cheap toothbrush. I used a free one from a hotel. 

 Use the lighter to heat the plastic for a few seconds. When the plastic is hot, push the blue end down on a hard surface in order to bend the toothbrush. This enables you to use the bristles to clean the top of the mouthpiece.

Squirt a little dish soap on your toothbrush and scrub the inside of the mouthpiece. Then use the Q-tip to swab out the inside of the water bottle lid that the mouthpiece sits on. 

Many people say to drink 8 glasses of water a day, but how much is 8 glasses? Here is a better formula:

body weight in pounds/2 = fl oz you should drink a day

Tuna Salad Sandwich

In my neck of the woods, lunch-meat is not readily available. I ate way too many PB&J's growing up and got really burnt out on them -I'd be happy never to eat one again. My favorite sandwich is actually a Reuben. I love Rye bread, corned beef, swiss cheese, and sauerkraut, but I can't get ANY of those ingredients here, so I settle for tuna. If you like tuna, then you've got to try this recipe.

Tuna Salad for 4

Combine the following:
1 can tuna (drained)
3 T mayo
1 T Parmesan cheese
3 T pickle relish (OR minced cucumber with 1T white vinegar OR just 1T vinegar)
1/8 t onion powder
1/4 t curry powder
1 T dried parsley
1 t dried dill
1 pinch garlic powder

I like to serve this with lettuce and tomato on my whole wheat bread machine bread, but any bread will do.  The Tuna salad keeps in the fridge for 1- 2 days.

China Tip:
At my local grocery store a can of Century brand tuna costs 14.5 kuai! I noticed last time I was at City Life (万国小厨) they had Bumblebee tuna imported from the US for 11 kuai. It is also sold on Taobao for 9.9 a can. I feel more comfortable with Bumblebee over a local brand...anyone else?

Stocking up on the Fall Bounty

In order to save money and time this winter, I am trying to plan ahead and stock my freezer with some of the yummy fruits and veggies that are in season now. I started with bell peppers and onions because they freeze beautifully and will increase in price dramatically during the winter months. Bell peppers and onions do not need to be blanched and can be frozen just as they are, which makes this a perfect project for a beginner.

To save even more money, I bought peppers that were slightly dinged up and had a few bad spots on them.

1. Wash the peppers/onions and dice them as you like, removing any soft spots or damaged areas.
2. Spread them out on a tray and freeze.
3. Once they are completely frozen transfer into a plastic bag and use a straw to suck out as much air as possible. Air is your enemy when freezing. Air causes freezer burn.

I bought the peppers for 1.5 kuai per pound, so all those peppers cost me just 11 kuai. Last Chinese New Year, I paid over 11 kuai a pound for bell peppers! Ouch.

Bell peppers are one of the worst vegetables for pesticides, so be sure to wash them very well. 

A candle may help reduce the irritation to your eyes when dicing 5lbs of onions, but as you can see my eyes were still pretty irritated. 

Find a friend and host a "bell pepper workshop" it took us less than an hour to dice  8lbs of peppers and  5lbs of onions. 

Be sure to spread the peppers out, because if you put them directly in the bag they will  freeze into one solid clump.

I'm planning on throwing these in omelets for quick breakfast or putting them in chili, stews, pasta sauce or on pizza. The possibilities are almost endless, except they won't taste good raw like in a salad.