Asian Chicken ‘n Dumplings 5-Spice Chicken Noodle & Shiitake Dumplings

For soup in the winter, I tend to lean towards oriental recipes for health benefits as well as for superb flavor of ingredients that oriental soups provide.  For one, they help to fight off colds.  I feel like I’m really feeding my children when I cook this way.  I try to keep an ongoing oriental soup each week, changing out recipes so we don’t tire of the same soup– not that I could...  Not only do I want greens, and more of them, but I want soup available on a regular basis.  Oriental soups happen to be favored in my house over any standard soup even though there are so many neat ways for soups to be delicious no matter what culture they are based from.

These dumplings, with the chopped mushrooms in them, give them somewhat of a meatiness.  I could eat these without broth because they taste so good!  

Cover chicken with cold water in a large stock pot.  Add to the water 1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 8 slices ginger, and 6 scallions cut into 2-inch pieces.  Bring to a boil and simmer for only 20 minutes.  Turn off the heat and cover tightly with foil and a lid; allow to rest on the burner for 1 hour.  The heat from the water will continue to cook the chicken, allowing it to be more tender this way.  Season with salt and white pepper.  

Remove and shred chicken from the bones and then place back in strained broth.  

Cut 1 carrot and 1 zucchini length-wise, spaghetti-like, or simply sliced.  Add to the hot broth 3 minutes before serving time so vegetables don’t get mushy.  Taste the broth for need of more seasoning and/or soy sauce.

For the dumplings, whisk together 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, and 4 tablespoons oil.  In a mixing bowl, combine 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, 4 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 cup chopped parsley, 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme, 2 tablespoons sautéed sliced scallions, and 1/2 cup sautéed and minced shiitake mushrooms.  With the paddle attachment for a stand mixer, on low speed, slowly add egg mixture until dough just comes together so that it does not get over-mixed.  Let it rest, covered with plastic wrap, for 30 minutes.  With floured hands, gently roll dough into dumplings the size of golf balls.  Drop them into a pot of boiling salted water, cooking thoroughly, 6 to 8 minutes.  Strain from the dumpling water, place in serving bowls, then fill with individual portions of broth and vegetables over and around the tender dumplings.   Garnish with chopped parsley.  

 So nourishing and very good…

make dough balls