Indian Inspired Vegetable Broth

The idea for this broth came to me as I was just about to fall asleep, but I managed to mostly write it out as a note for myself. I've mentioned before that I keep a baggie int he freezer to save my vegetable scraps for vegetable stock making, and at this point my bag was 100% onion scraps. I thought it would work perfectly with Indian spices to make a great base for a future soup. I also had a couple tomatoes I had diced up and thrown in the freezer, but a small can of diced tomatoes (or half a large 28oz can) would work just fine.

In hindsight, there were probably too many onion skins in this broth for my liking. I would probably limit the recipe to 3 cups of onion scraps in the future, and add a whole onion to the mix to help offset some of the bitterness I found in the final product. If nothing else, the broth smells amazing while it simmers, which is probably why I was so surprised at the bitter taste. Luckily the bitterness did not make it into the soup I ended up using the broth for, but there is always room for improvement.

Indian Inspired Vegetable Broth
Author: Amanda
Yield: approximately 1.5L broth
Difficulty: easy

Ingredients

• 6 cups onion scraps and skins
• 3 diced tomatoes, or half a large can of diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 inches fresh ginger
• 2 whole cloves garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 6 cups water
• salt to taste

Directions
Heat butter in a medium sized pot on medium heat until foamy. Add onion scraps and saute until softened. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, strain broth into mason jars or other heat-proof containers, and allow to cool. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or keep in the freezer for up to 6 months until ready to use.

Step-by-Step Photos

Heat butter in a medium sized pot until foamy.

Add onion scraps to the butter, and saute until softened (and in my case, thawed).

Throw everything else in the pot and bring it up to a simmer.

Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, then turn off the heat. I didn't take pictures of me straining out the vegetables. Mostly because it was pitiful and terribly messy. Forgive me. Sometimes I wonder how I am an adult.

Transfer broth to alternative containers until ready to use. I didn't salt the broth until this stage, and I found it took less than I thought - maybe 3/4 teaspoon altogether.