Foundational Technique
Making Stock
Extracting gelatin, fat, and flavour from bones into a deeply rich liquid that becomes the backbone of sauces, braises, and rice.
Stock is what separates a dish that tastes good from one that tastes like something. It's the difference between rice cooked in water and rice cooked in the liquid that a short rib braised in for an hour. The key components you're extracting are gelatin (from collagen in connective tissue and bones), fat (from marrow and intramuscular fat), and flavour compounds dissolved from the meat, vegetables, and aromatics.
Marrow bones are particularly valuable. The marrow itself is almost pure fat — extremely rich, with a mild but deep beefy flavour. When you cook marrow bones in liquid, the marrow melts out and emulsifies into the stock, giving it body and richness that pure muscle meat cannot. This is why a good beef stock made with knuckles and marrow bones has that glossy, almost silky quality.
Pressure cooking dramatically accelerates stock extraction. What takes 4–6 hours on the stovetop happens in 45–60 minutes under pressure. The higher temperature (around 120°C/250°F at 15 PSI) breaks down collagen into gelatin much faster and extracts flavour more efficiently. The trade-off is clarity — pressure-cooked stocks tend to be cloudier than stovetop stocks. For a dish like kabsa where the stock cooks into the rice, clarity doesn't matter at all.
Fat management matters at the end. Braising liquid from short ribs will have a significant fat layer — short ribs are one of the fattiest cuts on the animal, which is exactly why they're so good. Skim generously. A properly skimmed braising liquid should still be rich and full-bodied, not greasy. The easiest way is to strain the liquid into a tall container, wait a few minutes for the fat to rise, then skim with a ladle. For even cleaner results, refrigerate overnight and lift the solidified fat cap off.
The ratio of liquid to rice is where the work pays off. Because braising liquid is so concentrated in flavour, you need less of it than plain water, and every drop absorbed by the rice carries that depth with it. Around 1.4 cups of broth per cup of basmati rice gives you perfectly cooked rice without leaving excess liquid. Adjust slightly based on your rice brand and how much fat remains in the liquid after skimming.