Easy Chinese Dumplings in a Quick Asian Broth – because in my kitchen we are trying to find the easy way out.

The Easy Chinese Dumplings in a Quick Asian Broth is warm, comforting and delicious. Best part is that it does not take hours to cook.  Even better, it does not make you feel as full and uncomfortable as a thick creamy soup.

Bowls of Ramen and bowls of dumplings in broth are all the rage at the moment.  Even my teens would rather be seen with a bowl of chicken broth than a Big M burger. I think it is great and so much better and healthier for them. The problem is just that authentic Asian broths cook for days on end and let’s face it, “ain’t nobody got time for that!” I have at most 1 hour to cook dinner, I had to make another plan with my Asian broth. I took shortcuts with my dumplings (bought the dumpling skins from the Chinese Groser), the filling and the broth. It was so delicious, that I had to make it twice this weekend.

Before we start, let’s just talk about the shape of the dumplings. The dumplings I made looks like a very bad tortellini, but I have seen this shape in Asian broths, so don’t shoot me. Chinese dumplings are basically Chinese Potstickers that you cook in a broth rather than a pan. This is how you shape them.

Easy Chinese Dumplings in a Quick Asian Broth

The Broth

Ingredients

4 x 25 g Ina Paarman Chicken Stock Concentrate

6 cups water

2 sticks lemongrass – cut in chunks

1 thumb-size piece of ginger – cut in thin slices

4 cloves garlic – peeled and roughly chopped

2 chilies – roughly chopped

1 star anise

½ t five spice powder

1 – 2 T soy

1 T fish sauce

Method

Place all ingredients in a big enough pot and boil for 20 min. Strain through a clean cloth and pour back into the pot. Keep warm while you make the dumplings.

The Dumplings

Ingredients

1 x 450 g pack Dumpling Skins (There is about 30 per pack)

500 g Woolworths Pork Bangers

1 thumb-size piece ginger – finely grated

zest and juice of 1 lime

2 cloves garlic – finely grated

1 red chili – finely chopped

2 T chopped coriander

1 egg – use only the white as glue

sesame oil for serving

fresh coriander, spring onion and chili for serving

Method

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Start making the dumplings. In my classes I teach students to use egg white as a glue, simply because we still need lots of help to be as good as the Chinese. So take a wrapper in your hand, with your finger tip, wet half of the wrapper with egg white, only on the edge. Place about 1 teaspoon filling in the middle and ring the edges together to make a half circle. Now bring the far ends together to make a crescent, securing the two points with a little egg wash. Continue until all the dumplings are done. At this stage you can freeze the dumplings to use later.

Bring the broth to a slow boil. Add about 10 dumplings at a time and cook for about 5 minutes. Spoon some broth and dumplings into small bowls. serve with a few drops of sesame oil and extra chopped spring onion, coriander and chili.

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