Phase: Any phase. This is a seasoning base, so it works for strict-phase broths and stable-phase cooking alike. You set the salt.
Shop bouillon is a trap for us. Read the label and you find salt near the top, sometimes added fat, sometimes things you cannot pronounce. So I started making my own from dried vegetables, and it is one of the most useful things in my kitchen. It costs almost nothing, it lasts months in a jar, and it turns hot water into a real broth that the strict-phase recipes lean on constantly.
Makes: about 1 small jar · about 7 kcal a teaspoon, no fat to speak of
Prep 10 min · Total 10 min
Ingredients
All dried. See the drying tip on the blog.
- Dried carrot, 3 tbsp
- Dried celery (stalk and leaf), 2 tbsp
- Dried leek or onion, 2 tbsp
- Dried tomato, 2 tbsp
- Dried parsley, 1 tbsp
- Dried garlic, 1 tsp (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
- Salt, 1 to 2 tsp, your call, this is where you control it
- Optional: a pinch of dried thyme or ground bay
Method
- Make sure every vegetable is fully dry and brittle. Any moisture left in will spoil the jar.
- Put everything in a spice grinder or a good blender. Blitz to a fine-ish powder. A little texture is fine.
- Tip into a clean, dry jar with a tight lid. Label it with the date.
- To use: 1 to 2 teaspoons per cup of hot water for a quick broth, or stir straight into soups, rice and stews.
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Fat note: Zero fat by design, and you set the salt yourself, which is the whole point. Shop versions decide the salt for you.
Safety note: Everything must be fully brittle before it is jarred, or the batch can grow mould. Store in a dry, airtight jar out of the light and discard the lot if you ever see or smell anything off. If your team has you on a sodium limit, lean toward the lower end or leave salt out and add it at the plate.
Stepan’s Rule: Make the salt the last ingredient you add, and add it slowly. You can always salt the soup at the table. You cannot take it back out of the jar.
Patient experience, not medical advice.
Low-fat flavour tricks like this one are what the PancreasZen book is built on, alongside 75 tested recipes.