Stocks and Flavoring Sauses
First or prime stock
First or prime stock is made by simmering chicken, Chinese ham with bone, salt, and water for several hours.
Secondary stock
Secondary stock is made by simmering the meats from the prime stock a second time with salt and water.
Seasoned sauce
Seasoned sauce is prime stock with sugar, salt, sesame oil, and pepper added.
Clear stock
Clear stock is made by boiling chicken and duck carcasses with salt and water.
High stock
High stock is clear stock with pork
hocks and ham shanks added. Two recipes
for flavor-potting sauces are:
Superior Flavor-Potting Sauce
4 tsp vegetable oil 4 tsp sliced ginger
4 cups (1 litre) soy sauce
2 cups (500 ml) rice wine
3 tbsp scallions, chopped
14 oz (400 g) rock sugar 21 cups (5,000
ml) water
a cheesecloth bag containing 1 oz
(25 g) each of star anise, cassia
bark (Chinese cinnamon, or substitute
regular stick cinnamon), licorice
root, ground dried ginger, caoguo,
cloves, and dried tangerine peel.
Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan, add spices, simmer for 15 minutes. Add soy sauce, rice wine, sugar and oil stew for one hour.
Flavor-Potting Sauce
2 cups (500 ml) soy sauce 4 cups (1 liter) water 7 tsp rice wine 3 tbsp sliced ginger 1 tsp (5 g) each of star anise, cassia bark or cinnamon, and whole Sichuan peppercorns,
Stew the soy sauce, rice wine, ginger and seasonings with the water.