Nourishing broths are an ancient remedy to enhance heath and their therapeutic use in healing goes back centuries.
The recipe below is packed with nourishing ingredients including medicinal mushrooms and immune boosting herbs. This broth is an easy way to fortify your system with vitamins, minerals, nutrients and adaptogens to support the body all year round but particularly over winter months. You can source the immune boosting mushrooms and herbs online or to make it easy, checkout our immunity infuser broth booster packs containing perfectly portioned quantities of everything you need to take your broth to the next level.
Aside from the health benefits, a home-made broth adds incredible flavour to cooking, that is unattainable with commercially produced versions. Additionally, if you look at the ingredient list of some store-bought broths and stocks you may find ingredients listed such as ‘yeast extract’ (which usually means MSG), sugar, salt and natural flavours. You also do not know the quality of the water used. There are some clean versions available to purchase but they come with a big price tag.
You don’t have to follow this recipe to a tee – use whatever veggies you have on hand and turn this into a bone broth if you prefer.
INGREDIENTS
The basics
1 onion – unpeeled and quartered
3-6 carrots – washed, peel on, roughly chopped
3-6 celery sticks – washed, roughly chopped
2 potatoes and/or 1 medium sweet potato – clean but peel on, roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic – unpeeled, crush whole cloves with back of knife and roughly chopped
5cm piece of ginger root (fresh or dried) – skin on, coarsely chopped
5cm piece of turmeric root coarsely chopped or 1 tsp dried turmeric powder
1 Tbsp black peppercorns
Salt to taste
2 Tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
3L filtered water
Immune boosters
15g dried shitake mushrooms
10g dried reishi mushroom
10g dried burdock root
3g nettle leaf
10g astragalus
10g calendula flowers
Optional extras
Half a lemon, sliced
Large bunch of herbs – oregano, thyme, rosemary and/or parsley work well.
1-2 bay leaves
Miso paste
15cm strip of kombu or other seaweed
METHOD
- Add all ingredients to a large pot
- Simmer for 1.5-2 hours, then turn off heat and let the broth steep for another 1-2 hours
- If you are making a bone broth and cooking it for much longer timeframes, add the immunity boosting herbs (shitake, reishi, burdock, nettle, astragalus) in the last hour or two of cooking.
- Strain
USE
- Drink as a warm broth daily
- Add to cooking – soups, stews, spaghetti sauce – anything! You can dilute with more water as required to achieve the flavour and consistency you want.
STORAGE
- We like to keep some in a large jar in the fridge (lasts 3-4 days) to drink and use in cooking that week and freeze the rest.
- Glass jars are a great option for this. Just be sure not to fill them to the top to allow for expansion in the freezer. You can also freeze in very large ice cube trays (for example ‘souper cubes’), then store in a large container in the freezer.
Calendula – traditionally used as a liver and skin tonic, calendula is anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-viral and rich in antioxidants.
Astragalus – a warming herb that gives a sweet flavour. It has a long history of use on Traditional Chinese Medicine to support and strengthen immune health. It is anti-viral, , anti-inflammatory and an adaptogen.
Reishi – known as the ‘King of Mushrooms’ or the the elixir of immortality, reishi supports many body systems and is an immune and gut tonic as well as being anti-inflammatory and a powerful adaptogen. Reishi can have a slightly bitter flavour so reduce the quantity to adjust to your liking.
Shitake – is a nutritional powerhouse helping to boost energy, protect cells and support the immune system. It is full of essential minerals, B vitamins and vitamin D.
Burdock Root – used to cleanse the liver and blood, aid digestion and decrease inflammation.
Nettle leaf – one of the most nutrient-dense adaptogenic greens on earth and is hugely underrated. Nettle is rich in protein, calcium, magnesium, iron, B vitamins and Vitamin A, C, D and K. It also contains cobalt, chlorophyll, trace minerals, potassium, zinc, copper, sulphur as well as all the essential amino acids, making it a near perfect food source!
Ginger – soothes the digestive tract and is a powerful ally against bacteria and viruses. Ginger can amplify the actions of other herbs, so they work more effectively.
Garlic – a strong immune tonic, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial.
Lemon - adds vitamin C and some acidity to the broth.
Salt – choose a mineral rich salt, avoid anything iodised.
Peppercorns – add flavour and activate the curcumin in the turmeric.
Oil – if you are making a vegetable broth, this is critical to help absorb the fat-soluble vitamins but is not required if you make a bone broth.
Kombu – a type of edible seaweed that is rich in vitamins and minerals and gives an umami flavour. It contains iodine (caution if you have any kind of thyroid condition).
Turmeric – anti-inflammatory.
Miso – gives an umami flavour.