Dumplings in hot and sour broth

1 HOUR | SERVES 4 | EASY | LC

This hot and sour broth epitomises Sichuan cooking – spicy, sour and packed full of umami. All the better with delicate little dumplings soaking up the broth.

dried shiitake mushrooms 20g vegetable oil 1 tbsp garlic 2 cloves, finely chopped ginger a thumb-sized piece, finely chopped sichuan peppercorns ground to make

2 tsp chicken stock 750ml chinkiang black vinegar 5 tbsp

(see cook’s notes) soft dark brown sugar 2 tsp chiu chow chilli oil 2 tbsp (see cook’s notes) coriander a handful of leaves, to serve DUMPLINGS pork mince 300g ginger a thumb-sized piece, finely chopped garlic 2 cloves, finely chopped spring onions 2, finely chopped cornflour 1 tsp caster sugar 1 tsp fine sea salt Ω tsp square dumpling or wonton wrappers 28 toasted sesame oil 1 tbsp

• To make the dumplings, tip the mince, ginger, garlic, spring onions, cornflour, sugar and salt into a bowl and mix really well. Put a heaped teaspoon of the mixture in the middle of a dumpling wrapper, then brush the outside of the wrapper with a little water. Bring the corners together, ensuring the wrapper is tight around the filling.

• For the broth, put the dried shiitakes into a small bowl and cover with just-boiled water.

• Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan and fry the garlic, ginger and sichuan pepper until fragrant. Pour in the chicken stock along with 4 tbsp of the black vinegar, the sugar and chilli oil, as well as the mushrooms and their liquid. Simmer gently for 20 minutes.

• Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil and blanch the dumplings for 4-5 minutes or until cooked through. Drain really well and toss with 1 tbsp of sesame oil to stop them from sticking, then spoon into 4 bowls. Ladle in the broth, add a little more vinegar, and top with a few coriander leaves to serve.

PER SERVING 388 KCALS | FAT 17.3G SATURATES 4.2G | CARBS 32G | SUGARS 6.7G FIBRE 2G | PROTEIN 25.2G | SALT 2.6G