Clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth or brush to remove any dirt. Roughly slice the mushrooms.
Heat a bit of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onions and minced garlic, and sauté until softened and fragrant.
Add the sliced mushrooms to the pot and cook until they release their moisture and start to brown.
Tie together the thyme and bay leaves with kitchen twine to make a bouquet garni. Add the bouquet garni, black peppercorns, and sea salt to the pot. Stir well
Pour in the water or stock and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 1-2 hours to extract flavours. Stir occasionally.
Puree the mixture to very small with a stick blender halfway through before it gets too thick. After simmering, remove the pot from heat and let it cool slightly. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into another pot or large bowl, pressing the solids to extract all the liquid.
Return the liquid to the heat and simmer to reduce it to a concentrated essence. This can take another 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on your desired intensity of flavour.
Taste the essence and adjust the seasoning if needed. You can add more salt or soy sauce for depth.
Once you're satisfied with the flavour and concentration, let the essence cool completely. transfer it to sterilised glass jars or bottles and store in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
Directions
Clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth or brush to remove any dirt. Roughly slice the mushrooms.
Heat a bit of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onions and minced garlic, and sauté until softened and fragrant.
Add the sliced mushrooms to the pot and cook until they release their moisture and start to brown.
Tie together the thyme and bay leaves with kitchen twine to make a bouquet garni. Add the bouquet garni, black peppercorns, and sea salt to the pot. Stir well
Pour in the water or stock and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 1-2 hours to extract flavours. Stir occasionally.
Puree the mixture to very small with a stick blender halfway through before it gets too thick. After simmering, remove the pot from heat and let it cool slightly. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into another pot or large bowl, pressing the solids to extract all the liquid.
Return the liquid to the heat and simmer to reduce it to a concentrated essence. This can take another 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on your desired intensity of flavour.
Taste the essence and adjust the seasoning if needed. You can add more salt or soy sauce for depth.
Once you're satisfied with the flavour and concentration, let the essence cool completely. transfer it to sterilised glass jars or bottles and store in the refrigerator.