The simple, warming broth is the star of this wholesome dumpling soup.

Words: Extracted from Eat Your Way Slim & Healthy by Bridget Davis

Wholesome and warming, this broth is a wonderful elixir. The dumplings are tender and packed full of flavour and the broth is so simple to prepare — lunch will be done in no time.

INGREDIENTS

400 ml (14 fl oz) kombu water (recipe below)
100 g (31/2 oz) chicken dumplings, raw or cooked (recipe below)
½ teaspoon crushed ginger
2 tablespoons tamari
Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper
250 g (9 oz) small bok choy (pak choy), washed under cold running water
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
1 tablespoon finely
chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves

METHOD

Heat the kombu water and ginger in a pot over medium–high heat until it comes gently to a simmer. Add the tamari and taste for flavour. The broth should be light and refreshing. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Drop the chicken dumplings into the pot and allow them to cook through for 5 minutes from raw or if already steamed, heat for a couple of minutes.

When just about ready to serve, add the bok choy and allow to cook for 1 minute so that the vegetables are just cooked through and still a bright green colour.

Serve the dish by adding the bok choy to a bowl along with the dumplings and pour the soup over the top. Sprinkle with the chives and coriander and serve.

TIPS

The chicken dumplings are taken straight from my healthy breakfast yum cha recipe (see below) and can be gently boiled in this soup from raw, or added last minute to heat through if you have already steamed a whole heap for your breakfast!

Bok choy – these wonderful Asian greens only need a few seconds in the hot broth to warm and cook through. Choose small bright green bok choy and discard the hard-outer leaves before adding to the soup.

Kombu Water

This liquid is my go-to stock for all my broths, soups and sauces. I ALWAYS have a couple of jars in my fridge, ready to make a quick, tasty lunch or dinner. This
water is easy to make and so wonderful to include in your culinary repertoire. Kombu is a type of kelp. Wakame can be used in its place.

2 pieces of kombu, 20 cm x 20 cm (7.8 in x 7.8 in) each
5 litres (169 litres/20 cups) cold water

Place the kombu into a large pot and pour over the cold water. Bring the pot to a simmer, then reduce the heat to very low. Allow the liquid to gently steep for 5 hours over a low temperature, then cool. Pour the liquid into glass jars and add the kombu. Store the water in the fridge for up to 1 month.

Chicken Dumplings

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) skinless chicken breast, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons roughly chopped coriander (cilantro), including stalks
2 tablespoons roughly chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
2 teaspoons crushed ginger
2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1½ teaspoons Himalayan salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon low-sodium tamari

Prepare the pot for steaming, or your steamer equipment as per manufacturer’s instructions. If using a pot, add 15 cm (6 in) of warm water to the bottom of a large pot and place the steamer basket on top of the pot. Add a well-fitted lid and set the pot on medium heat and allow the steam to build up in the basket.

Make the dumplings by adding all the ingredients, except the tamari sauce, to a food processor and process for 10–15 seconds or until the chicken is in small pieces and the ingredients are well blended. Don’t let the meat get too fine, or your dumplings will come out hard. Using a set of scales, measure the dumpling mixture into 25 g (1 oz) balls and let them sit on a piece of non-stick baking paper. You can simplify this task by having a small bowl of cold water next to where you are working. Dip your fingers into the water each time you portion and roll a dumpling.

Once the steam has built up in your steamer, carefully place the dumplings into the basket and steam with the lid on for 4 minutes. Remove the dumplings from the basket and serve with a small dish of the tamari and lime sauce for dipping.

TIP

I like to mince my own chicken as I make sure that the meatis as lean as possible by only using the breast. I also find that processed minced (ground) chicken is too fine and the dumplings come out tough. Thicker mince is ideal for this recipe! You can swap turkey for chicken in this recipe as well.

---

Eat Your Way Slim & Healthy by Bridget Davis, published by Murdoch Books, distributed by Allen & Unwin, RRP $39.99