Which Indian kitchen scraps and peels are best for making stock?

Use onion skins, garlic peels, tomato tops, carrot peels, coriander/cilantro stems, mint stems, ginger ends, mushroom stems, lauki (bottle gourd) and ridge gourd peels. Avoid very bitter or sulfur-heavy scraps like karela (bitter gourd) peels, large amounts of cabbage/cauliflower cores, lots of citrus peel, and okra ends (can get slimy).

How do I stop scrap stock from tasting bitter or slimy?

Wash well, keep brassicas (cabbage, cauliflower) to a small amount, and simmer gently for 30–45 minutes—don’t boil hard or cook too long. Add a carrot, tomato core, bay leaf, and a few peppercorns for balance; skip citrus peels or fenugreek stems. If using okra scraps, add a splash of acid (tomato or tamarind) and strain well.

Can I use onion skins and garlic peels safely in stock?

Yes—remove dusty outer layers, wash, and use clean inner skins. They add deep color, aroma, and antioxidants like quercetin. Avoid any moldy, sprouting, or green potato peels (solanine risk).

Is a pressure cooker or Instant Pot good for scrap stock?

Yes. Pressure cook vegetable scraps with water for 10–15 minutes (high pressure), then natural release and strain. Keep the stock unsalted so it stays versatile for dals, curries, pulao, and soups.

How should I clean, store, and use scrap stock in an Indian kitchen?

Scrub scraps and soak 10–15 minutes in baking soda solution (1 tsp per liter), then rinse. Chill stock fast, refrigerate up to 4 days, or freeze 3–6 months (ice cubes for quick use). Use as a base for rasam, sambar, dal tadka, curry gravies, pulao/khichdi, and to knead roti or paratha dough for extra flavor.

Zero Waste Indian Kitchen: Stocks from Scraps & Peels

Name: Zero Waste Indian Kitchen: Stocks from Scraps & Peels
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: Makes about 6–7 cups stock
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 6 cups mixed clean vegetable peels & trimmings (carrot, onion skins, tomato ends, potato peels, cauliflower cores, herb stems); 1 cup cilantro stems, chopped; 2 tbsp ginger peels, well scrubbed; 1 tbsp garlic skins (from 6–8 cloves), rinsed; 1 small tomato end or 1 small tomato, roughly chopped (optional); 1 tsp turmeric powder; 1 tbsp coriander seeds; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tsp black peppercorns; 2 Indian bay leaves (tej patta); 1 dried red chili, broken (optional); 1.5 tsp salt, or to taste; 10 cups water; 1 tsp oil or ghee (for toasting spices); 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or 2 tsp lemon juice (optional)

Zero Waste Indian Kitchen: Stocks from Scraps & Peels (yes, your dal will taste better)#

So, uh, here’s a tiny confession: I’m that person who hoards carrot peels in the freezer. Ginger peels. Cilantro stems. The woody bits of mushroom you usually toss. My nani used to side-eye me but also—low key proud—because honestly, making stock from scraps is like discovering an extra cupboard in your kitchen that you didn’t even know you owned. It’s thrifty, it’s tasty, it’s very desi, and it kinda scratches that climate anxiety itch without being performative. Win win.¶

I grew up watching my mom pressure-cook “rasam water” out of tomato ends and coriander stems whenever there was a crowd at home. She never called it stock, because we didn’t buy boxed stock back then. We just… did it. A handful of curry leaves stems, black pepper, cumin, garlic skins (yes, skins), the last onion half that’s going soft. Sizzle of tadka later, and boom, a pot that smells like Sunday lunches and cricket on TV. I swear I can hear the cooker hiss if I close my eyes.¶

Why scrap stocks slap (and make your sabzi sing)#

You’re literally squeezing flavor out of stuff you paid for already. Free-ish umami.
Indian peels + stems have range: onion skins add color, coriander stems add perfume, corn cobs add gentle sweetness.
It’s very 2024/2025 kitchen culture—upcycling, no-waste menus, smart swaps instead of shiny gadgets.
Health-ish: onion skins are rich in quercetin (that’s the amber tea color). Ginger peel has the same zing as the flesh.

Quick safety note (pls don’t skip): scrub your veg well if peels are going in; go easy on bitter brassicas (big heaps of cabbage cores, cauliflower leaves) because they can make the broth sulky. Avoid green potato peels (solanine… no thanks). Beet peels will dye everything red, which is fun or a horror show depending on your vibe. And never use moldy or slimy scraps. If it smells sus, it is.¶

How I stash scraps without turning the fridge into a science experiment#

Keep a 2-liter zip bag or steel dabba in the freezer labeled “stock box.” Everything goes in raw.
Rinse and dry peels; you don’t want muddy broth. I pat with an old cotton towel.
Save: carrot peels, onion skins, garlic skins, tomato cores, mushroom stems, cilantro & mint stems, corn cobs, bell pepper ribs, lauki/turai/ash gourd peels, curry leaf stems, spring onion ends, ginger peels.
Skip or limit: big broccoli/cauliflower scraps, lots of methi stems (can go sharp), chili seeds if you don’t want heat.
Freeze till the bag’s full. If something’s wet (like tomato bits), spread on a plate to freeze first, then bag.

When it’s stock o’clock: dump about 6 packed cups of frozen scraps into a pot with 10–12 cups water. Add 6–8 peppercorns, 1 tsp cumin, 1 small piece bay leaf or a few curry leaf stems. Optional: toast the scraps 5 min in a slick of oil first; the roasty notes are wow. Simmer gently 45–60 min, don’t let it angrily boil or it goes cloudy and flat. In a pressure cooker: 3–4 whistles or 15 min on low after first whistle. In an electric multicooker: Manual/Pressure for 15–20 min. Salt at the end only, if at all.¶

My go-to desi scrap combo (aka the “everything tastes better” broth)#

I love onion skins + tomato cores + coriander stems as the base. If I’ve got corn cobs (desi sweet corn, not the sugary imported stuff), they go in whole. A knob of ginger peel, carrot ends, and the outer layer of lauki peel (washed really well). Aromatics: cumin, pepper, 1 clove, and a few curry leaves stems—those woody pieces you snap off. Simmer. Strain. I keep some cloudy bits in, I’m not running a Michelin brigade at home. It lands somewhere between a light rasam water and a French-style veg stock, but with attitude.¶

Bonus hack: paneer whey. When I make paneer, I save that gold-green whey and use it as up to half the liquid for stock. It adds tang and minerals, and somehow makes sambar taste brighter. Just don’t boil whey to death or it goes chalky. Also, use within 3 days or freeze in ice trays. My rotis kneaded with whey-water? Softtt.¶

Peel-to-plate is having a moment (and I’m here for it)#

Every time I open Insta lately, I see Indian cooks doing watermelon rind sabzi, banana peel cutlets (Bengali-style khosha bata is basically canon), and citrus peel pachadi. Chefs have been playing this game too—The Bombay Canteen in Mumbai has been championing seasonal, local produce forever, and you’ll spot clever uses of trims and stems across their menus. Masque’s ethos around nose-to-tail and root-to-shoot sparked a lot of us to rethink “waste” years ago, and places like Café Lota (Delhi) and Go Native (Bengaluru) keep spotlighting regional, often underused ingredients. Hotel restaurants like AnnaMaya at Andaz Delhi talk openly about responsible sourcing and reducing waste. Not saying every plate is zero waste, but the direction of travel is pretty clear. And in 2025, it’s honestly more mainstream—home cooks are flexing peels in Reels, restaurants are making oleo-saccharum for bar programs out of citrus offcuts, and even small bakeries are testing spent-grain crackers. Didn’t think I’d see aunties debating corn-cob broth in WhatsApp groups, but here we are.¶

“If you’re throwing onion skins, you’re literally tossing color and perfume down the drain.” — my internal monologue every time I cook biryani rice now

Things people get wrong about scrap stock (I did too tbh)#

Myth: you should salt early. Nah. Salt later so you don’t concentrate it into a salty soup you can’t fix.
Myth: more scraps = better. Not always. Overstuffing = muddy flavors. Aim for a loose simmering pot, not a jammed suitcase.
Myth: turmeric peels are great in stock. Eh. Tiny pinch is fine but they’ll stain and can go earthy-bitter. Better in tadka later.
Myth: any peel is safe. Avoid green potato peels, moldy anything, and don’t go heavy on super-bitter melon peels unless you’re intentionally making bitter broth.
Myth: you must strain crystal-clear. Not in an Indian kitchen. A little body is lovely in dals and gravies.

Okay but what do you actually do with this broth?#

Use as the liquid for dal instead of plain water. Toor dal + scrap stock + ghee tadka = unfair advantage.
Pressure-cook pulao with it. Onion-skin tint makes the rice look like it came from a restaurant tandoor (it didn’t, but let them guess).
Rasam! Pepper-cumin-ginger heavy rasam over tomato cores stock is joy in a bowl. Add a little jaggery if your scraps skew bitter.
Stretch curries. If a gravy gets too thick, splash of stock adds flavor not just wateriness.
Soup-soup: carrot-ginger soup with ginger peel stock tastes punchy without extra ginger.
Knead atta with warm stock for parathas that smell faintly herby. I swear it works, me and him tried blind-tasting and picked it 9/10 times.

Last month I did a quick-ish veg biryani at home and used a corn-cob + onion-skin broth. My friend sniffed his plate like a wine snob and went, “Why does it smell… like sweet smoke?” It’s just the skins, dude. We ate too much, watched highlights of the India–Pak ODI again, and took naps on the floor under the fan. Perfect Saturday, no notes.¶

After the stock: compost or cook again?#

Strained scraps are mostly done but not useless. If you’ve got a balcony plant gang, toss the mush into your compost or a bokashi bin. My curry leaf plant has never looked happier. If you don’t compost, squeeze the pulp dry and at least give it to a community composter. Some people blend the soft veg with besan and make cheela batter—works if the scraps were mostly carrot/tomato/onion and not bitter stuff. I do it occasionally, not every time (texture can be wierd).¶

Time, cost, energy—does it even make sense?#

Yup. A big batch takes an hour of low simmer or 15–20 min pressure time. The cooker is energy-efficient and honestly, the Indian kitchen MVP. You’re replacing tetra-pack stock (pricey and often salty) or bouillon cubes (I use them sometimes, no shame, but they’re one-note). And in a country that banned many single-use plastics already, it feels good to avoid another box + foil cap + plastic lid situation. Add the post-International Year of Millets momentum—chefs and home cooks leaning into resilient grains, local veg, and frugal techniques—and you’ve got a kitchen that tastes like now.¶

A tiny, slightly bossy recipe to get you started tonight#

In a pot: 2 cups onion skins and ends, 1 cup tomato cores, 1 cup coriander stems, 1 corn cob (kernels eaten already), carrot peels, ginger peel, lauki peel, 8 peppercorns, 1 tsp cumin, 1 clove, a few curry leaf stems. Cover with 10 cups water. Simmer 50 min, or pressure 3–4 whistles. Strain. Taste, salt if needed. Freeze in ice trays for future pulao or use now for a peppery rasam. If it’s a tad bitter? Tiny pinch jaggery + squeeze of lime. Don’t @ me, it slaps.¶

Look, I’m not saying you gotta become a scrap hoarder like me. But the first time your everyday dal or quick noodles or sneaky weeknight pulao tastes mysteriously deeper, you’ll get it. And—this is the part that gets me in the feels—you’ll taste your own kitchen, your own week of cooking, in that pot. Kinda romantic, kinda nerdy. Very delicious.¶

If you try this, tag me or just yell at me in DMs about what worked. And if you want more random food rambles, recipes-that-aren’t-recipes, and snackable stories, I drop links I love over on AllBlogs.in now and then. Come say hi, bring your peels.¶