Chinese Vegetable Soup with Egg Dumplings

Servings:
8

These unique dumplings are like tiny omelettes cooked in a ladle directly over a burner.

Ingredients

  • 10 cups homemade or low-sodium chicken stock, skimmed of fat

  • 2 2-inch knobs of fresh ginger, peeled

  • 4 tablespoons brown rice wine

  • 8 dried shiitake or black Chinese mushrooms

  • 8 dried tree-ear mushrooms

  • 2 ounces ground pork

  • 3 eggs, beaten with 1 teaspoon water

  • ½ teaspoon cornstarch

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • ¼ teaspoon sugar

  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped scallion

  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce

  • 2 2-ounce packages bean-thread noodles

  • 1 pound bok choy, sliced crosswise ¼ inch thick

  • ½ cup thinly sliced bamboo shoots, preferably fresh

  • 3 ounces Chinese ham, cut into 16 ¼-inch-thick slices

Directions

  1. In a large saucepan, combine stock, 1 knob of ginger cut into 3 slices, and rice wine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, strain and discard solids; set aside.

  2. Place all the mushrooms in a bowl; cover with 2 cups very hot water. Soak until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain, discard the liquid, and remove and discard the stems; set aside.

  3. Grate the other knob of ginger to obtain 1 teaspoon and combine it with the pork, 1 tablespoon of the egg mixture, cornstarch, salt, 1/4 teaspoon vegetable oil, sugar, scallion, and fish sauce and set aside.

  4. Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large soup ladle over a medium flame. Place about 1 tablespoon of the beaten egg in the ladle and swirl it, making a 3-inch circle, until the edges are set and the center is still wet. Use chopsticks to place about 1/4 teaspoon of pork filling in the center. Fold one side over, making a half circle. Use the blunt end of the chopsticks to gently press the edges together. Repeat until all the eggs and filling are used up. You should have 16 dumplings.

  5. Pour broth into a large saucepan and add the mushrooms and all of the remaining ingredients. Place dumplings on the top. Bring broth to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

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