Dumpling soup
A bag of frozen dumplings becomes a real dinner in 20 minutes, bobbing in gingery broth with tender bok choy.
- 25 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $4.53 a serving
- 440 calories
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 heads baby bok choy, halved lengthwise
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 12 frozen pork dumplings
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp chili garlic sauce (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
Each serving has about 440 calories, 19 g protein, 51 g carbs and 19 g fat, and costs about $4.53 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No green onions? Chives work.
- No chicken broth? Vegetable broth or bone broth works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the ginger, smash the garlic cloves with the flat side of your knife, the bok choy and slice the green onions.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Halve. Halving means cutting something into two equal pieces. Even halves cook at the same speed, so one doesn’t dry out while the other finishes.
How you’ll know: The two pieces look like mirror images of each other.
Lengthwise. Lengthwise means cutting along the long side, from stem to tip, which gives long pieces. Crosswise is the other way, straight across the middle, which gives short, round ones.
How you’ll know: Lengthwise halves of a zucchini look like two little canoes; crosswise pieces look like coins.
Dolly’s tip: Swish the bok choy halves in a bowl of water. Grit likes to hide at the base of the leaves.Bring the broth, ginger, garlic and soy sauce in a medium over high heat.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
to medium and for 5 minutes.
Reduce the heat. It means turning the burner down, usually to medium-low or low, so food cooks gently instead of hard. Electric burners cool slowly, so lift the pan off for a moment if it’s bubbling hard.
How you’ll know: Within a minute the bubbling calms to a gentle simmer, or the sizzle turns quiet.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Drop in the frozen dumplings, bring back to a gentle and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until they float and are hot all the way through.
Boil. Boiling means heating a liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. It’s the fastest way to cook pasta, potatoes and eggs, because it’s as hot as water gets.
How you’ll know: Bubbles are breaking across the whole surface, not just at the edges, and steam is rising.
Medium heatTimer: 7 min
Dolly’s tip: Cut one open to check: the filling should be steaming hot with no pink.Food safety: Frozen dumplings, meatballs and fish sticks are done when they’re steaming hot all the way through, 165°F. Cut one open to check the middle.
Add the bok choy and cook for 2 minutes, until the stems are just tender.
Medium heatTimer: 2 min
Turn off the heat and stir in the sesame oil and rice vinegar.
Ladle the dumplings, bok choy and broth into bowls, leaving the ginger slices behind, and top with green onions and a little chili garlic sauce.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
