Lemongrass Chicken Dumpling Soup, a Dumplings All Day Wong tour stop

I'll be the first to admit that my dumping technique (or lack of) needs work. Fortunately, there's plenty of opportunity for learning how to fold dumplings of all sorts in the new cookbook by Lee Anne Wong, Dumplings All Day Wong. Not does she show technique, she also shares recipes for several types of dumpling dough; perfect for those who can't find dumpling wrappers in the store (raising hand). Also perfect for those who like to try making their own everything—at least once.

Wong not only shares dough recipes, how-to make dumpling tutorials, and some classic dumpling dishes, the book is packed with fun and unusual combinations and dishes throughout. Plus, I'm pretty sure this is the best name for a cookbook EVER.

The dish that I'm sharing from the book today looks simple...and it is fairly simple. If you've never made dumplings before, pleating the dough is the only semi-difficult process in the recipe, and even that isn't too bad once you've fumbled through half of them. But don't let that fool you into thinking the flavors in this dish are also simple. They're not. They're in-your-face loud! Lemongrass screams from both the bright yellow (turmeric) chicken filling of the dumpling and from the unassuming broth.

I have so many recipes (and folds) marked to try throughout the entire book. It's definitely a book that will see a lot of action, and in turn have many colorful telltale fingerprints throughout the pages. My favorite kind of cookbook.

This would be a great addition to the shelf of anyone who loves and/or wants to learn more about Asian cuisine (but isn't a stickler for straight tradition).

Lemongrass Chicken Dumpling Soup

Delicate dumplings filled with a mixture of chicken, lemongrass, chiles, turmeric, and coconut milk floating in a lemongrass-scented chicken broth.

by Lee Anne Wong from Dumplings All Day Wong, printed with permission of Page Street Publishing 

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30-40 minutes

Keywords: simmer entree soup/stew dairy-free nut-free chicken lemongrass Asian

Ingredients (30 dumplings)

dumplings:

• 3/4 pound (340 g) ground white meat chicken
• 2 tablespoons (6 g) finely minced lemongrass
• 2 tablespoons (25 g) finely minced shallot
• 2 tablespoons (20 g) finely minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon (10 g) seeded and minced jalapeño pepper
• 1 teaspoon (5 g) ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon (15 g) brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon (10 g) cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fish sauce
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) full-fat coconut milk
• zest of 1/2 lime
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 30 round dumpling wrappers

lemongrass broth:

• 8 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup (65 g) sliced yellow onion
• 1 stalk lemongrass, crushed and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2" piece of ginger, sliced
• 1 piece lime zest (1/2" x 2")
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lime juice
• salt, to taste
• sugar, to taste

to serve:

• 1 cup (50 g) thinly sliced scallions, soaked in ice water
• 1 cup (26 g) cilantro leaves and stems

Instructions

To make the dumplings, in a large bowl combine the ground chicken, lemongrass, shallow, garlic and jalapeño pepper. In a small bowl, mix together the turmeric, sugar and cornstarch, then sprinkle evenly over the filling. Add the fish sauce, coconut milk, lime zest, lime juice and salt to the bowl andmix the filling well. Refrigerate until needed.

Fill each wrapper with 1 tablespoon (12 g) of filling. Lightly wet the edges of the wrapper and form the dumpling using the classic pleat technique (in book on page 34). Keep the dumpings covered on a lightly floured tray or plate.

To make the broth, in a pot, bring the chicken stock, sliced onion, lemongrass, garlic, ginger and lime zest to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a rolling simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve and season to taste with the lime juice, salt, and sugar. Keep warm.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add half the dumplings to the pot. When the water boils again, add 1/2 cup of cold water. When the water boils again, add another 1/2 cup of cold water. When the water boils again (the dumplings should be floating), gently lift them out of the water with a slotted spoon or spatula and add to the chicken broth. Repeat process with remaining dumplings. Add the scallion and cilantro and serve the soup hot.

Dumplings All Day Wong

author: Lee Anne Wong
publisher: Page Street Publishing
photos: yes
soft cover: 256 pages

chapters: Tools and Techniques | Dough-How: Choosing the Right Dumpling Wrapper | Classic Folds: Potstickers, Gyoza, Mandu and More | Cup-Shaped Fold: Shumai | Multi-Pleat Fold: Har Gow | Round Fold/Puck-Shaped Fold | Parcel Fold: Bo Choy Gau | Wontons | Soup Dumplings: Xiaolongbao | Bao | Exotic Styles | Stocks, Dipping Sauces and Condiments | The Asian Pantry

fun features: First of all—best name for a cookbook EVER. Second, I love how each chapter is classified by the type of dumpling, and starts off with a basic description of the type of dumpling and then a how-to for making that fold. The entire cookbook features beautiful color photos, both process shots (when needed) and photos of the final dish.

(a few of the many) recipes destined for my kitchen: ALL of the different homemade dumpling doughs | Garlic Pork and Kale Dumplings | Beef and Black Pepper Dumplings | Chicken Caesar Dumpling Salad | Green Tea and Red Bean Har Gow | Tea-Smoked Chicken Har Gow | Ginger Crab Rangoon Dumplings with Sweet and Sour Sauce | Black Sesame Peanut Butter Dumplings | Ramen Dumplings | Crispy Shredded Shrimp Dumpling

about the author: Lee Anne Wong is a celebrity chef with a passion for Asian cuisine. She was one of the top four contestants on Bravo's Top Chef, a judge on Chopped and a guest on Unique Eats, The Wendy Williams Show, Iron Chef America, and Unwrapped. Most recently, Lee Anne hosted a one-hour special on the Cooking Channel called Food Crawl with Lee Anne Wong, where she searched New York for the best dumplings and noodles. She lives in Honolulu, Hawaii.

further info: twitter

recipe(s) I have already tried: Lemongrass Chicken Dumpling Soup

GIVEAWAY - CLOSED

Now it's your chance to win a copy of Dumplings All Day Wong! To enter, simply leave a comment on this post answering this question:

What is your favorite kind or type of dumpling? If you're not familiar with dumplings, what's your favorite Asian or Asian-inspired dish?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada only. Submissions will be accepted through 11:59 pm ET on Thursday, September 11, 2014. One winner will be chosen via random draw and notified via email within 48 hours of the close of this contest, and given 24 hours in which to respond. If no response is received within that time frame, a new winner will be chosen. All entries will be verified (if the mandatory comment is not received, yet the box is checked, all entries by that person will be voided).


I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for being a part of the blog tour. All opinions stated in this post are my own.