Making Vegan Stock

Homemade vegetable stock is one of the most cost-effective flavour investments in vegan cooking. Built from vegetable scraps - onion skins, leek tops, carrot peels, celery leaves, mushroom stems, herb stalks - it produces a deeply flavoured liquid that transforms soups, risottos, braises and sauces. The process requires no special skill, just time and the discipline to save scraps.

Step-by-Step: Making Vegan Stock

1. Collect vegetable scraps over 1 - 2 weeks in a sealed bag in the freezer: onion skins, carrot peels, celery tops, leek greens, mushroom stems, herb stalks, parsley roots.
2. Add the scraps to a large stockpot with 2 - 3 litres of cold water, 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, a bay leaf and a small bunch of parsley stalks.
3. Bring slowly to a gentle simmer (not a rolling boil - this clouds the stock) and cook uncovered for 45 - 60 minutes.
4. Strain through a fine sieve or muslin cloth, pressing on the vegetables to extract all liquid. Discard the solids.
5. Taste and season lightly - a pinch of salt and a splash of soy sauce enhances depth.
6. Cool completely before refrigerating (up to 5 days) or freezing in 500ml portions.

Chef's Tips

• Avoid cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower) in your scrap bag - they make stock bitter.
• A handful of dried mushrooms or a tablespoon of mushroom powder added during simmering dramatically increases umami depth.
• Roasting the scraps at 200°C for 20 minutes before adding water produces a darker, richer, more complex stock.

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