Chinese Master Stock 滷水汁 is a savory and fragrant stock full of pungent Chinese spices. It’s a common ingredient used in Cantonese & Fujian cooking to poach or braise meat. The weirdest, or actually the best thing about it is they’re reusable for years!
Chinese Master Stock is used to making some of my favorite comfort food from home. So, it’s definitely a MUST on our Pressure Cooker To-Make List.
Many Chinese restaurants treasure their Master Stock like GOLD because it’s loaded with layers of thick flavors after cooking with the same broth for years.
After each use, the poached meat and other ingredients will extract their own flavors into the stock. So, the flavors will continue to accumulate and create a richer, more complex stock. THIS is their secret sauce!!
Did you know that some restaurants use the same stock for over 100 years after being passed down from generation to generation? Now I know what wedding gift I should give to my future kids! 😀
How to Make Chinese Master Stock 滷水汁
Ingredients for Chinese Master Stock
Master Stock Base
- Water
- Shaoxing wine
- Regular soy sauce
- Dark soy sauce
- Chinese Brown sugar in pieces 冰片糖 (or sugar)
- Sesame oil
Spices for Master Stock
- Bay leaves
- Garlic cloves
- Ginger
- Whole cloves
- Dried Chinese red chili or Sichuan peppercorn 花椒
- Cinnamon stick
- Ground cumin
- Fennel seed, ground
- Optional: Dried black cardamom pod
- Optional: Chenpi 陳皮 (dried mandarin peel)
Release the Aroma
First, crack the dried black cardamom pods with your knife.
Then, place all the spices into the pressure cooker and heat them up (Instant Pot: press Sauté button).
The spices will slowly release their aroma.
Vaporize the Alcohol
Once the pressure cooker is hot, pour in the Shaoxing wine and boil off the alcohol.
Pressure Cook Master Stock
Pour the remaining ingredients into the pressure cooker.
With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position.
- Pressure Cooking Method: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 10 minutes, then 10 minutes Natural Release
After 10 minutes, release the remaining pressure by turning Venting Knob to Venting Position.
When Floating Valve drops, open the lid carefully.
Taste and add salt to your stock.
Now you can start cooking with the master stock!
Storage & Usage Tips for Chinese Master Stock
Don’t throw away the stock after the first use!! They’re called Master Stock for a reason. 😀
Flavors: When the stock is first created, it won’t taste like the normal Master Stock you get from restaurants. However, after using it to cook meat, the true flavors will be extracted. The more you use it to cook, the more depths of flavors it’ll developed. So, if you like, you can add 6 – 8 chicken drumsticks to the ingredients to make the stock.
Freeze: After every use, strain and set the stock aside to cool, then chill overnight in the fridge. When the fat rises to the top and form a layer of gel, skim it off, then freeze the stock for next use. A more convenient method is to use a fat separator to remove the fat, then freeze the stock.
Storage Duration: You can store the stock in the fridge for 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months.Reuse: When you take the stock out of the freezer, make sure to bring it to a full boil before using it to cook. We usually cook the stock at High Pressure for 10 minutes, then Quick Release before using it to cook.
Revamp the Flavors: If your stock is going low in volume, add more water, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce and other spices to keep it from diluting.
Time for making Chinese Master Stock!
Chinese Master Stock (Chinese: 滷水汁)
Ingredients
Master Stock
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup Shaoxing wine
- 3 tablespoons regular soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- Half stick Brown sugar in pieces (Chinese: 冰片糖) (substitute with 1 tablespoon sugar)
- A few drops sesame oil
Spices for Master Stock
- 4 star anise (Chinese: 八角)
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon ginger
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 dried red chili or ½ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn (Chinese: 花椒)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon fennel seed , ground
- 2 dried black cardamom pod , cracked (Optional)
- 1 piece chenpi (Chinese: 陳皮) (Optional)
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Instructions
- Release Aroma: First crack the dried black cardamom pods with your knife. Then, place all the spices into the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker and heat them up (Instant Pot: press Sauté button). The spices will slowly release their aroma.
- Vaporize Alcohol: Once the pressure cooker is hot, pour in the Shaoxing wine and boil off the alcohol.
- Pressure Cook Master Stock: Pour the remaining ingredients into the pressure cooker. Close lid and cook at High Pressure for 10 minutes, then 10 minutes Natural Release. Taste and add salt to your master stock. Now you can start cooking with the master stock!
Notes
Nutrition
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