It’s getting colder and that means it’s time to swap out the heart healthy salads for something warmer.
Colorado has had yet another dump of snow and when it comes to meals, soup is a big one on our menu at home. It’s not quite cold enough for bigger heartier meals as my husband says, but soup…it’s good for any time.
We both love a good broth soup anytime, so I am sharing with you this fun and easy soup to make. These dumplings are simple to make and can be made to suit your fancy.
With only a few ingredients in this soup, there is a whole bunch of favor.
Getting started.
Gathering all your ingredients in one area to make assembly easier.
The more prepared you are the quicker this all goes together.
I like to get the slicing and dicing of everything before getting started.
Supporting local companies as much as possible.
Red Bird Chicken is just one of those companies local to Colorado.
Let's get started!
First thing’s first, soak the dried mushrooms, we used oyster as that’s what we had on hand, but you can use shiitakes as well. You’ll let them stand for 15 minutes in cold water. Strain the liquid from the mushrooms into another bowl and save it for later. Then, chop the mushrooms coarsely and set aside for later use.
Making the dumplings...
Heat your oil in a medium sized frying pan over medium heat. Add to the heated pan and oil the onions, ginger, and chile, stirring, until onion softens.
Next, add in the ground chicken to cook, stirring, until the chicken has browned. Stir in the soy sauce; cool mixture for stuffing.
Filling the dumplings...
When the chicken mixture has cooled, lay out a few of the wonton wrappers on a board for filling.
Place a rounded teaspoon of your mixture in the middle of each wrapper; brush the edges with a little water to help them stick.
Gather edges around the filling, pinching together to seal your dumpling
Making the soup
Now to create the flavorful broth for this soup!
First, add some oil in a large sauce pan and heat over medium heat; next you want to add in the garlic and ginger, stirring, for 2 minutes until the fragrance comes out.
Stir in the water, broth, soy sauce and reserved soaking liquid from the mushrooms. Bring it all to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer it uncovered for 15 minutes.
Putting it all together.
Once that time has elapsed, add in the chopped mushrooms, dumplings and corn.
Bring your soup back to a boil; reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked through.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve in bowls sprinkled with scallions and bean sprouts (optional).
Cantonese Chicken and Dumpling Soup
Ingredients
Ingredients for soup:
- 10 dried Hazel Dell shiitake mushrooms
- 2 tsp peanut oil (or oil of your choice)*
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 piece ( 3/4 inch) fresh ginger, grated
- 4 cups water
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 6½ ounces baby corn, cut in half lengthwise
- 4½ ounces bean sprouts (optional)
- 3 green onions, sliced thickly on a bias
Ingredients for dumplings:
- 1 tbsp peanut oil (or oil of your choice)*
- 1 green onion, sliced thinly
- 1 piece (3/4 piece) fresh ginger, grated
- 1 fresh long red chile pepper, chopped finely
- 6½ ounces Red Bird ground chicken
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 20 wonton wrappers
Instructions
- Cover mushrooms with 1/2 cup cold water in a small bowl. Let it stand for 15 minutes. Drain over a small bowl; reserving the liquid for later use. Slice mushrooms thinly and set aside.
- Meanwhile, make the Chicken Dumplings.
- Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat; cook ginger and garlic, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the water, broth, soy sauce and reserved soaking liquid; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
- Add mushrooms, dumplings and corn to soup; bring back to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer,about 10 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through. Season to taste.
- Serve bowls of soup sprinkled with green onions and bean sprouts (optional)