How to Make the Best Ayurvedic Bone Broth at Home
Mithalee Rawat, co-founder of Vancouver’s hugely popular Shorba Broth Bar, shares a recipe (with her secret tips!) to making the best quality Ayurvedic bone broth.
“Always start with the best quality bones you can find. Since you will be simmering the bones for a long period of time, you are leaching out both the good and the possibly bad stuff in the bones. Pasture-raised meat bones are the safest bet. Then you want to try and get as many joint bones as possible because they contain the highest concentration of collagen and that is what the gold is! Don't be afraid of chicken feet - my chicken broth contains nearly double the average amount of collagen protein than competing brands, and I think it is due to the fact that 50% of the bones I use are chicken feet. When doing it at home you will obviously be producing smaller quantities - in this case you can customise the broth with whatever would currently benefit you. Say you have poor blood circulation, you could add cinnamon and black pepper in larger quantities. If your immune system is weak, you could benefit from simmering garlic and turmeric in it.
Broth freezes very well and can be thawed fairly quickly too, I used to freeze them in ice-cube trays at home, and pop them out as needed. When reheating, you can add quick garnishes such as honey, chillies, miso paste, chopped herbs etc. My favourite go-to add-in when I feel a cold coming on is turmeric, ghee, honey and lots of black pepper.”
Mithalee’s sister, Natalee, pouring samples of the broth, made from collagen-rich and savoury marrow bones. Photo credit: Erin Flegg
Homemade Bone Broth Recipe
Ingredients
1/2 kg bones of pasture-raised meat (include joint bones for high concentration of collagen)
1 litre water
Vinegar, to taste
Optional add-ins, quantities variable based on personal preferences
Cinnamon
Black pepper
Garlic
Turmeric
Honey
Chilli
Miso paste
Fresh herbs, chopped
Ghee
Method
In a heavy-bottomed pan, add in the bones, vinegar and water.
On a low flame, simmer with spices of choice - cinnamon, pepper, garlic, turmeric, or any others you like, such as ginger, nutmeg, aniseed and cumin.
The longer you simmer, the more flavour the bones release. While 48 hours may be difficult for most, 6 hours will yield a good result.
Strain and use immediately, or freeze in ice-cube trays to be used when needed.
When re-heating, add garnishes like honey, chilli, miso paste or fresh herbs like coriander or chives. Ghee, honey, and black pepper also work well.
Banner image: A custom brew featuring grass-fed beef bone broth, ginger juice, chaga tea, aka miso, turmeric, black pepper, quinoa and zoodles.
Photo credit: Mithalee Rawat.
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