Homemade Stock Cubes: Tastes & Flavors of West Africa

December 29, 2021 Odiraa

Homemade Stock Cubes: Tastes & Flavours of West Africa

Homemade Bouillon Cubes (Stock Cubes): Tastes & Flavours of West Africa

The focus of today’s gist is on making stock cubes also called bouillon cubes at home. This gist is not the kind that will pass through one ear and out the other ozugbo ozugbo (fast fast);

Thus, get your pen and jotter ready because I’d like to share something with you that I think you’ll find valuable.

What are Stock Cubes?

Stock cubes are cubes that we use to enhance the flavor of our meals. Maggi, Knorr, Royco, and other well-known brands are among the most popular.

Stock cubes made at home are beneficial for MSG intolerant people, children’s recipes, and those careful about what goes into their food.

Imagine making your stock cubes yourself? Can you Fancy that?

It’s easy to make your own stock. You can easily prepare chicken, beef, fish, or vegetable stock cubes and store them until you need them.

The advantage is that you’ll know exactly what’s in the stock and can alter the amount of salt you use accordingly.

More significantly, if you or a member of your family is allergic to MSG (monosodium glutamate), then you need to avoid it at all costs.

Stock is a “can’t do without” component for many chefs and amateur cooks since it enriches the taste and flavor of the finished dish without a doubt.

An Overview of Homemade Stock Cubes

Because there are so many concerns about salt and MSG intake, the bulk of commercially produced liquid stock, bouillon, and stock cubes cannot be trusted. You can have your own handmade bouillon cubes ready in an hour or two…or maybe three…with just a little effort!

Check out the recipes below for different types of stock you may prepare. The quantities of the individual ingredients can be changed. However, chicken, beef, or fish should account for around 2/3 of the total ingredients.

Moreover, feel free to add any of your favorite herbs, spices, or condiments that aren’t on the list.

Here’s How to Make it:

A chicken stock cubes recipe
Fish seasoned homemade stockcubes
Beef spiced homemade bouillon cubes
Vegetable homemade stock cubes

Homemade Bouillon Cube

Ingredients for Homemade Stock Cubes – For the chicken homemade stock cubes, you will need:

Chicken Stock:

A whole chicken or about 800g of chicken pieces. Cut into small pieces
A large onion, chopped
1 small bunch of partminger leaves or 1 sprig of fresh thyme
2-3 sprigs of spring onions
2 cloves garlic
Fresh ginger of 10 grams (or 2 teaspoons of ground ginger),
2 bay-leaves
2-3 broad scent leaves
1 teaspoon curry powder or cumin
A tablespoon groundnut paste or kuli kuli powder (optional)
Salt
2 liters of water

Beef Stock

Beef fragments of 800g, bits of ribs or bones chop into small pieces
1 large onion, chopped
A small bunch of partminger leaves or 1 sprig of fresh thyme
2-3 sprigs of spring onions
2 cloves garlic
Fresh ginger, 10g (or 2 teaspoons of ground ginger),
2 bay-leaves
2-3 broad scent leaves
A teaspoon of curry powder
1 tablespoon yaji (optional)
Salt
2 liters of water
A small lump of Kaun (this is optional but will act as a tenderizer and emulsifier if used)

Fish Stock

800g of fish head and/or trimmings
1 large onion, chopped
A clove of garlic
2-3 cloves of shallot
1 sprig of fresh thyme
2-3 sprigs of spring onions
2-3 broad scent leaves
A teaspoon of curry powder
1 tablespoon yaji (optional)
Salt
2 liters of water

Vegetable stock

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
Two cloves of garlic, chopped
A tablespoon of ground iyere or the black peppercorns
200g of mushrooms
3 tomatoes, diced
1 small bunch of sweet basil
Salt
2 spoons curry powder
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2-3 springs of spring onions
1 tablespoon of groundnut or beniseed paste
2 liters of water

Method: What to do (applies to all the stock cube variance):

Firstly, cook all of the ingredients until they are fully soft and tender.
Then, prep all the ingredients and place them in a large stockpot (according to the sort of stock you want to make – see ingredients list above).
After that, cook on low to moderate heat until all of the ingredients are completely cooked and disintegrated. Depending on whether you’re making chicken, beef, fish, or vegetable stock, this could take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours.
It’s actually advantageous to guarantee that the meat, fish, or vegetable pieces get very soft during the cooking process in order to extract all of the goodness.
Allow cooling for at least 30 minutes after cooking. This period will also allow all of the stock’s surplus fat to float to the top. Stream off the excess with care.
Then, remove carefully any bones or scraps from the stock and strain it through a sieve. Stir through the sediments with a wooden spoon to ensure that as much of the stock’s “goodness” passes through the sieve as possible.
Stir the stock thoroughly before pouring tiny amounts into ice cube trays, containers, or food bags.
Lastly, keep frozen until needed. Can be frozen for up to three months.