Instructions: First, roast your soup bones for 45 minutes at 325 degrees. Remove from oven and put into 6 quarts water along with the rest of the stock ingredients. Boil gently for about 45 minutes, skimming off the scum that rises to the top.

While the stock is boiling, soak the dried shiitakes in warm water for 30 minutes, then drain and coarsely chop. Also chop 3 cloves of elephant garlic fine, heat three-quarters of a cup of peanut oil to 375 degrees, and fry the chopped garlic until golden brown. Remove and set aside; chop one small yellow onion fine, add half to the hot oil, and fry this until it too is golden brown. Set aside.

When the stock is done strain it, return the liquid to the pot, and add your cracked chipotle peppers, shiitake mushrooms, 10 dried tomatoes, black pepper, black bean sauce, oyster sauce, nuoc mam, worcestershire sauce, and four cups of warm water. Add the chopped yellow onion you did not fry, press one head (about 10-15 cloves) of regular garlic in, and bring to a gentle boil for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally.

About 10 minutes before serving reduce to a simmer, add the fried elephant garlic and fried yellow onion, and cover.

NOTES : Nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce), Oyster Sauce, Black Bean Sauce, and Galangal (a kind of mustard-flavored ginger relative) are generally

available at Asian markets.

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