How I had dumplings soup at home?

Vietnamese version (bản tiếng Việt): click here!

Dumplings soup is another dish that I want to share on my blog. I love the Vietnamese-Chinese style dumpling soups in Saigon that I can eat it everyday. When I was still in Vietnam, I was a “regular customer” in a local diner specialized in Vietnamese-Chinese dumpling & noodles (To Chan). I started eating there when I was a kid, and when I was in final year of college, I ate there every night. To the point that the owner remembered my face and always welcomed me with a big smile. Being in the US for more than 2 years, I’m trying but unable to find my dumpling soups of memories from both Vietnamese and Chinese restaurants here. Somehow they did not have the harmony like the Vietnamese-Chinese cuisine in Saigon. So I decided to make it myself.

The key is to my favorite bowl of dumplings in the broth (making the dumplings is easy, unless you want to make the wonton sheets from scratch). At first, I used those premix spice cubes from Vietnamese grocery stores for the broth, but the flavor was just okay, not really satisfying. However, recently, I was able to recreate my dumplings soup with some helpful tips and tricks from Natha Food (unfortunately her video is in Vietnamese). According to her video, there are 3 main factors to the a delicious bowl of dumplings soup in Vietnamese-Chinese style: peppercorn and star anise for the characteristic flavor of the broth; dried fish and dried squid for the sweetness to the broth; and a separate seasoning liquid that added to each bowl when serving. This creates consistency for each bowl. That is why when I made the vegetable stock, I added peppercorn and star anise to it. Since I didn’t have dried fish and dried squid, I used dried shrimp instead, which is available to me, and the taste was still satisfying, exactly how I remembered it. Using dried shiitake mushroom as an alternative, I had my vegan dumplings soup, which was also delicious, so stay tune!

Ingredients: (for 3-4 servings)

• Filling:
  • Ground pork: 1/2 lbs (~220 grams)
  • Baby carrot: 1 carrot (~12 grams)
  • Mung bean vermicelli: 12 grams (optional)
  • Spring onion: 1 whole spring onion
  • Shallot: 1/2 of whole shallot
  • Garlic: 3 cloves
  • Egg: 1 whole egg (optional)
  • Seasoning for the filling:
    • Oyster sauce: 1 teaspoon
    • Mushroom bouillon powder: 1.5 teaspoons
    • Sesame oil: 1 teaspoon
    • Black pepper: 1/2 teaspoons
• Wonton sheets: ~35 sheets
• Broccoli and carrots (optional, since it is a homemade version, I love to add some broccoli and carrots to have veggies in my meal)
• Broth:
  • Vegetable stock: ~1.5 L
  • Dried shrimps: 8 shrimps (or 2 dried shiitake mushrooms)
• “Seasoning liquid” for each bowl:
  • Salt: 1/4 tablespoons
  • Mushroom bouillon powder (or MSG): 1/4 tablespoons
  • Sugar: 1/2 tablespoons
  • Water: 20 mL
• Top with few slices of char siu pork (optional), fresh cilantro and spring onion; sprinkle some more black pepper.

Preparation:

• Making the filling:
  • Soak the mung bean vermicelli in cold water for 15 minutes (or hot water for 3 minutes) then drain and cut into short pieces.
  • Finely chop the baby carrot, spring onion, garlic and shallot (while the vermicelli is being soaked).
  • Separate 1 egg yolk and save the egg white for later use.
  • In a large bowl, combine the ground pork with cut vermicelli, chopped carrot, spring onion, garlic, shallot, an egg yolk and all the seasonings. Mix well and let it sit 10-15 minutes for marinating.

• Making the broth: In a large pot, add the vegetable stock, broccoli and carrots (optional), and the dried shrimps (or dried shiitake mushroom), cover with lid and put on boil (medium-high heat). When the broth is boiling, reduce the heat to low and let it boil for about 10-15 minutes (this step is to soften the dried shrimps and extract the flavor to the broth). You can make the broth all at once then freeze it for later use, and save time comparing to making the broth again every time you have a bowl of dumplings.
• Making the “seasoning liquid” for each bowl of dumplings: In a small bowl, combine the salt, sugar and mushroom bouillon powder with water, stir until fully dissolve. You can also add directly to the broth if you serve/enjoy the dumplings immediately, like what I often do. (This step can be done while boiling the broth)
• Serving:
  • Boil the dumplings in water until the wonton sheets became translucent (and the dumplings will be floating in water, take about 10 minutes since the water starts boiling). Take out the boiled dumplings and add to a dinner bowl (6 inches in diameter). (This step can be done while boiling the broth)
  • Add the “seasoning liquid” to the dumplings bowl and pour the hot broth into it. (If you already add the “seasoning liquid” to broth, just simply pour it to the dumplings bowl)
  • Top with a few slices of char six pork (optional), fresh cilantro and spring onion; sprinkle some more black pepper then… enjoy!

Total time:

• If you serve all the dumplings at the same time: 15 minutes (for marinating) + 40 minutes (for making the dumplings) + 20 minutes (for the broth) = 1 hour and 15 minutes
• If you make the broth and dumplings ahead then freeze them, when you make each bowl for yourself next time, it only takes 10 minutes to boil the dumplings and reheat the broth. That’s what I do so that I can enjoy a hot bowl of dumplings soup every time I want.

And that is how I have my dumplings soup of memory at home! Hope you would enjoy it as well! Vegan/vegetarian version: click here!