Chicken Dumpling Soup

The season of warm soups and comfy coffees are just a matter of time. The season of festivals has already started with the Durga Puja...and it will end after the Saraswati Puja in Februrary. Till then...enjoy the foods that come with them.

Although soups are purely meant for fall and winter...I make them all around the year. And since momos / dumplings happen to be just my favourite...chicken dumpling soup is just the right recipe to fill me up.

Chicken Dumpling Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients:

For the dumplings:

12-15 wonton wrappers – use the medium thick ones

2 chicken breasts

200gm prawns

1 tsp ground black peppercorns

Salt

½ tsp fish sauce

½ tsp soy sauce

2 garlic cloves – minced

2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

½ inch ginger root – minced

½ of a medium onion

Some coriander roots

1 large egg

For the soup:

Some chicken bones

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

2 tsp ground black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

5-6 whole garlic cloves

1 inch ginger root – whole

1 onion – peeled and cut into half

Salt

1 tsp dark soy sauce

½ tsp sesame oil

1 tsp fish sauce

2 tbsp butter

10-12 whole black peppercorns

Some rice noodles

A few Chinese button mushrooms

A few spring onions – chopped

Method:

Make the broth for the soup:

In a pressure cooker place the chicken bones.

Fill the cooker with 3 cups of water.

Add the halved onion, whole garlics, whole ginger root, butter, salt, whole black peppercorns, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and bay leaves.

Give them a good stir to mix and close the cooker with the lid.

Cook on pressure, until the cooker blows 6-8 whistles.

Switch off the flame and leave the cooker aside until the pressure settles down.

Then open the lid and run this broth through a fine mesh.

Collect this flavourful chicken broth in a pot. Cover with a lid and keep aside.

Make the filling:

Mince the chicken using a grinder or by just chopping very finey with a sharp knife.

Follow the same process to mince the prawns.

In a bowl take the minced chicken and prawns.

In a mortal pestle place the ginger, garlic and some coriander roots. Pound them until you get a fine paste.

Add this paste to the minced chicken and prawns.

Add the ground black peppercorns, egg, chopped onions and chopped coriander leaves.

Add salt and mix them with your hand to incorporate perfectly.

Keep this filling aside.

Make the soup:

Soak the button mushrooms in hot water for 10-12 minutes. After that, take the mushrooms out of the water and thinly slice them. Keep aside.

Pour the broth in a saucepan and let it come to a boil.

Then add the soy sauce, fish sauce and sesame oil.

Add the ground black peppercorns.

Taste and adjust the salt.

If it tastes okay...then switch off the flame and pour the soup in the serving bowls.

Add some cooked rice noodles if you prefer and some soaked Chinese button mushrooms.

Make the dumplings:

Take a wonton sheet and place 1 tsp of the filling in it.

You can give any shape you like. You can just seal the edges with a little water or fold the edges to give a nice shape. Prepare the dumplings and keep aside.

Take a saucepan and fill it with water. Place the saucepan on the stove top and let it come to a boil.

Drop 2-3 dumplings at a time and simmer on medium flame for 2-3 minutes or until the dumpling starts to float on the surface.

Fish out the dumplings from the water and place them in the soup bowls.

Sprinkle some ground black pepper and chopped spring onion on top and serve immediately.