Homemade Slow Cooker Umami Broth

There is a reason and a season for everything. After the holiday season, many people feel weighed down and bloated after a season of festive eating. Most people have intentions of detoxing or "kick-starting" their health in the New Year. 

During the winter season, it is difficult to do detoxes that are summer-based through juice and raw-food detoxes. Most people live in colder climates, and the body naturally craves warmer and heartier foods. 

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Homemade broth is healing for the gut and your health. 

One way to honor winter harvest, and our body's requests is through the making of homemade soups. Homemade broth extracts the flavor and nutrients from the vegetables into the water. Broth is healing for the gut and for overall health and wellbeing. 

Homemade broth also fills the body with so many nutrients that it can act as a natural detoxifying agent. 

This broth can be sipped as is, or used for various soups. I used the broth as a soup-base for a vegetable ramen noodle dish and it flavored everything wonderfully! 

Detoxifying the body during any season is possible. And homemade broth makes it possible during the winter and cold months. 

This recipe has been adapted from Bon Appetit, please see the link below in the recipe box. 

Homemade Slow Cooker Umami Broth
Cook Time: 6-7 Hours
Makes: Approximately 7-8 cups

Recipe Adapted from Bon Appetit 

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons white miso
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
6-7 dried shiitake mushrooms
4 pieces kombu approximately 6x4 inches
2 medium onions, unpeeled, halved through root, very thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, unpeeled, very thinly sliced
2 celery stalk, thinly sliced 
1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
8 sprigs parsley
​1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300º. Whisk miso, oil, and 3 Tbsp. water in a small bowl. Crush mushrooms and kombu with your hands over a rimmed baking sheet. Slice/chop the onions, carrot and celery, and cut the garlic in half. Keep the skins for the onion and garlic. 

Add onions, carrot, celery, garlic, and parsley and toss to combine. Drizzle miso mixture over vegetable mixture and toss to coat, (or do this in a bowl).  Bake, tossing halfway through, until vegetables are slightly shriveled and mixture is fragrant, 60–75 minutes.

Once complete, add mixture to a crockpot with 9 cups of water. If your crockpot is bigger and can handle more water, add additional water. The original recipe uses 16 cups of water and after simmering reduces to 8 cups. 

​Add the one teaspoon of black peppercorns and place on the high setting for 4-6 hours. The broth was flavorful at 4 hours but deepened in flavor around 6. Drain broth through a sieve and eat immediately or store in an air tight container in the fridge. Compost the solids.

Sprinkle the broth with some salt to bring out the flavor. Enjoy!

Let's Connect! Enjoy my other soup based recipes! 

Coconut Vegetable Noodle Soup

Roman White Beans + Wilted Greens

Vegan Lentil Farro + Kale Soup

Yum

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