First, cut a white onion into quarters and loosely chop about 1/4 cup of fresh ginger root. Add these to your oven’s broiler until the outside layers are nearly charred. You could just throw these raw ingredients into the broth, but taking this extra step develops much deeper and more complex flavors in the final broth. Trust me, it’s worth it.

Then, throw all the following ingredients into a large stockpot and allow to simmer for 60-90 minutes: 4 cups of vegetable broth, 3 cups of water, the charred onion, the charred ginger, 3 whole star anise, 1 whole cinnamon stick, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, and 1 sheet of nori or another type of seaweed (these last two ingredients help emulate the flavors of fish sauce, which we’re obviously not adding in our vegan version).

Finally, let this simmer for an hour or more, uncovered, before giving the broth a taste. If it needs more salt or anything else, don’t be afraid to add it here. Lastly, use a kitchen strainer to pour the broth into a separate container, discarding the vegetables and spices.