GINGER & GOJI CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Bone Broth: The Beauty, The Brains and The Brawn

Boiling the bones of animals is one of the oldest culinary traditions that exists across cultures all over the world- from Jewish chicken soup, Russian Borscht, Vietnamese Beef Pho, Japanese Pork Ramen, Chinese Egg Drop Soup to Malaysian Laksa... Bone broth is at the heart of the Bain-Marie food philosophy, as it is a clear example of how gastronomy and health are inextricably linked. I am SO passionate about showing the world that taste and health are not mutually exclusive, but in fact two sides of the same coin. Just like eating full-fat grass-fed butter, it tastes better than any vegetable oil spreads and it is so much better for your health.

I often compare bone broth to green juice in that it extracts the goodness from the animal kingdom into a more digestible form making nutrients more readily available in your body, just like green juice does for the plant kingdom. What I love most about bone broths is how sustainable they are, as it truly uses the whole animal and true to form, I do love a bit of nose to tail eating (I am half-Chinese and half-French after all probably the two culinary traditions with the greatest penchant for truly eating the whole animal). Like with everything, your bone broth will only be as good as the quality of your ingredients, so always make sure you get your bones from an ethical source ideally a local farmer's market. And guess what, you can often get beautiful organic bones for FREE if you ask your butcher nicely with a big lovely smile! Yes free totally free, now who doesn't love free food?

Bone broth is not only a sustainable, cheap food tradition and a remedy for all sorts of ailments, but also a vital ingredient in any Michelin-starred kitchen. In Europe and Asia alike, broths are the delicious foundation of cooking and are used not only for making soups and stews, but also for preparing reductions, sauces and for braising vegetables and meats. The best part is that bone broth is simple to make, soothing and makes everything taste better!

Bone broths are a wonderfully rich source of protein, minerals and gelatin, which supports skin health (and tackles that pesky cellulite better than any cream) which is why it is often referred to as a wonderful BEAUTY food. Gelatin also supports digestive health which is why bone broth plays a critical role in the GAPS diet and maintaining a healthy gut.

I get a lot of people asking me whether bone broth is just a fashionable trend of the moment, encapsulated in questions like "isn't bone broth just a fancy word for stock?" So, you ask, what is the true difference between stock and broth? Before this modern age of "food convenience", broth and stock were indeed the same thing. However, nowadays stock can refer to stock cubes or bouillon powder which are products of "advancements" in food technology, manufactured for taste only and are often made from artificial ingredients like hydrolysed protein, emulsifiers and thickeners. Secondly, stock can refer to vegetable stock whereas bone broth is always animal-based. Another point of difference is the length of cooking time, where a stock would be simmering for about 3 hours, bone broth has been simmering for 6-48 hours to extract all the goodness from the bones! Here's my quick guide to bone broth cooking times:

• • Beef broth: 24-48 hours
• Chicken or poultry broth: 12-24 hours
• • Seafood broth: 6-8 hours

On that note, here is one my favourite and simple bone broth recipes: Ginger & Goji Chicken Noodle Soup! And for my lovely New York-based followers, do I have amazing news for you!?

Last year, my dearest friend from school, Taylor Chen, has (as the universe would have it) started New York's first broth house, Bone Deep & Harmony, offering freshly-made quarts of homemade bone broth made from the bones of locally sourced grass-fed cows and pastured-raised chickens; it is slow-simmered and prepared using traditional techniques, which maximise the extraction of beneficial minerals. So if you’re a busy New Yorker with a tiny kitchen, Bone Deep & Harmony has you covered! Above all, I can assure you that Bone Deep & Harmony broth is made with love and attention to quality and with pickup locations across NYC and Westchester, what more could you want? Email info@bonedeepandharmony.com for more information.

Bisous and bone broth,

Marie

Chinese Chicken Noodle Soup

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken thigh bones or any leftover chicken bones
• 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
• 2 inches of fresh ginger, finely sliced into matchsticks
• 3 garlic cloves
• handful of goji berries
• 2 litres of fresh filtered water
• sea salt to taste
• 2 bay leaves
• handful of fresh greens (I used chard here but any will do, if you use spinach add it at the end as it will disintegrate if boiled for too long)
• few nests of mung bean noodles (buckwheat noodles work well too)

Instructions:

1. Place chicken bones in a pot and cover with 2 litres of fresh filtered water.

2. Bring to the boil for a few minutes and then lower to simmer.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients at this stage except the noodles and allow to cook on the lowest possible heat for at least 3 hours.

4. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. When you are happy with your broth, soak the noodles in some boiling water until they are cooked (usually about 10 minutes).

5. Place cooked noodles in bowls and cover with chicken broth.

6. Enjoy!