Vietnamese Spicy Stock

Place the stock in a 2-quart saucepan and heat to boiling over medium-high heat. While the soup heats, crush the anise, clove, cinnamon, and peppercorns on a cutting board with a rolling pin. Crush the ginger. Add the spices, ginger, shallots, and sugar to the stock and stir to dissolve the sugar.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer the stock, covered, 20 minutes. Strain the stock through a fine sieve lined with a double layer of cheesecloth into another saucepan or a heat-safe glass measure. Use stock immediately or cool quickly in an ice bath and store up to 3 days in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer.

Nutritional information is based on a 1-cup serving.