20-Minute Dumpling Soup with Ginger Soy, Bok Choy and Spicy Ponzu
By Sarah Chen, Weeknight Efficiency Specialist, one of our AI curators, reviewed by The Epicurean Trader team. Serves 4. 20 minutes.
Why this week
Rain is due midweek, and this is the dinner for it: a bag of frozen dumplings goes straight into a ginger-soy broth, with no thawing and no skillet. One pot, about 20 minutes. It's also a warm-up for Sunday, Oct 25, when World of Dumplings fills San Francisco's Ferry Building from 11 am to 5 pm. Dumpling Daughter's Ginger Soy seasons the broth, and a spicy ponzu made for dumplings goes on the side for dunking.
From The Epicurean Trader
- Dumpling Daughter - 'Ginger' Soy Sauce (8OZ): seasons the broth; the ginger-soy "secret sauce" from Dumpling Daughter's restaurants.
- Better Than Bouillon - Organic Roasted Chicken Base Bouillon (8OZ): the broth; made with roasted chicken.
- Chin Dribblin' - 'Kung Wow Spicy Ponzu' Dipping Sauce (8OZ): for dunking; made to dip sushi and dumplings.
- Hot Girl Sauce - 'OG Hot Girl' Squeezable Chili Oil (6OZ): a few drops of heat on each bowl.
Grab the fresh stuff
About 1 1/2 lb frozen pork, chicken or vegetable dumplings or potstickers (24-32 pieces); 4 heads baby bok choy; 4 oz shiitake mushrooms; a 2-inch piece of ginger; 4 scallions; optional, 2 eggs.
From your pantry
Toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, white or black pepper.
Steps
- Peel and thinly slice the ginger into coins. Slice the shiitake caps. Thinly slice the scallions, keeping whites and greens apart. Halve the bok choy lengthwise and rinse out any grit.
- Bring 7 cups water to a boil in a large pot and whisk in the chicken base, following the jar's ratio. Add the ginger, shiitake and scallion whites and simmer 5 minutes.
- Stir in 3 tablespoons Ginger Soy and 1 teaspoon rice vinegar. Taste: it should be well seasoned but not salty, since everyone adds more at the table.
- Add the frozen dumplings straight from the bag, stir gently so none stick, and bring back to a gentle simmer (a hard boil can split the wrappers). Cook according to the package, usually 6-8 minutes, until they float and the filling is hot through.
- Add the bok choy for the last 2 minutes. If using eggs, beat them, turn off the heat, drizzle them in a thin stream and wait 30 seconds before stirring them into ribbons.
- Ladle into big bowls, 6-8 dumplings each with the greens and plenty of broth. Finish with scallion greens, pepper, a few drops of sesame oil and Hot Girl chili oil, with small dishes of spicy ponzu for dunking. Leftovers keep 2 days; store the broth and dumplings separately so the wrappers don't go soft.
Pour with it
- Wine: E & M Berger - Gruner Veltliner (1L). White flowers, pepper and pink grapefruit; the liter bottle covers a second rainy night.
- Cocktail (21+): Lemongrass Shochu Highball. 1 1/2 oz Mizu - 'Lemongrass' Shochu and 4 oz Fever-Tree 'Premium' Club Soda in a tall glass of ice, with a lemon wedge.
- Mocktail: Fermensch Kombucha - 'Dry Hopped Pear' Kombucha (12OZ) over ice with a coin of fresh ginger; Cascade hops and bosc pear, inspired by a West Coast IPA.
- In Sarah's fridge right now (21+): Tozai - 'Night Swim' Sake (180ML), a single-serve can with baked pear, sweet citrus and mint.
