Rainy Day Dumpling Soup

Today I was supposed to do things, make moves, go places… Mostly I was supposed to go to yoga and pick up some new gloves for a snowboarding trip this weekend, but it was important! Then I got rained out. I am no wuss, I will brave the rain with the right layering of hoodies and waterproof shell jackets, but the rain today defeated me. By the time I arrived at the bus stop, I was soaked through and absolutely miserable. Knowing that I would have a 10 minute steep, downhill – likely washed out – dirt path ahead of me killed my spirit. Instead I turned around and went home to make soup.

Allllll the dumplings

This is a favorite recipe of mine that I save for days where I want to cook, but I want it to be easy.

Ingredients:
– garlic (about 4 cloves)
– ginger (1/2 tbsp)
– green onion (2 sprigs)
– dumplings (approx. 12)
– baby bok choy (4)
– shiitake mushrooms (4-6)
– chicken broth (1 box)
– sesame oil (1/2 tbsp)
– soy sauce (1 tbsp)
– jalapeno (1)

 

I started by chopping up all the veggies into bite sized morsels. *Disclaimer: Jalapeños are dangerous little peppers. One of the first times I made this recipe I used a jalapeño without cutting the seeds out and lost about 1olbs sweating out the spice.* Make sure to cut out most of the seeds from the jalapeño. Next I diced up the garlic, ginger and green onion and then I sautéd them in sesame oil for about a minute. Add the chicken broth and soy sauce and bring it to a boil. Now you can add all the veggies, putting the dumplings aside. After that it’s just a matter of letting the soup stew. You can let this simmer for 10 minutes to an hour, I tend to let it go for a longer to let the flavours expand. The dumplings are best if they are added just before you eat, otherwise they get soggy and break up. You can throw them in the boiling soup to cook, or fry them in some sesame oil before adding them. I boiled mine. Toss some beansprouts on top to garnish and serve with a slice of lime.

Comfort in a bowl

Difficulty: 2/5
Mess: 2/5
Cost: 1/5
Time: 2/5
Healthy: 4/5