Superior stock is as it's name implies. By utilising a combination of complementing ingredients, the concentration of Umami makes it a very potent concoction.
For this story, Chef Tim Lam of 江南春 (Jiang Nan Chun) explains the arduous process which gives Superior stock it's complex flavours. Just listing the ingredients used:
White peppercorns, dried longan, rock sugar, jinhua ham, chicken, lean pork & pork rib bones.
Ingredients used vary from chef to chef. The above ingredients are of Chef Tim Lam's personal recipe. The ingredients used are focused at bringing out maximum flavour from the proteins by first lightly roasting it (left below) to remove excess amounts of oil which makes the broth too heavy. It is then double-boiled to extract all the goodness within the proteins. Chef Tim Lam also adds chicken legs for collagen which makes the broth silkier, peppercorns to remove the gaminess, dried longan and rock sugar for a sweetness that balances the soup.
As much as it is delicious, Superior stock is not a magic potion that can work miracles. The rule of thumb to producing top quality Superior stock is in the proportion of one part proteins, one part water. This also means that superior stock is a very expensive ingredient for chefs to use. Therefore in a very contrasting approach, Superior stock is only used when it is taking up centre stage of the dish. And thus from our opening image, where Superior stock is paired with baby spinach, wok fried for that superior goodness.
