Mushroom and ginger dumpling soup for Dona Hay challenge

Mushrooms are a favorite of our family. I buy them once a week and make stir fry. Sometime if there is any leftover, I will use it in noodles or pasta.  When Simone of Junglefrog cooking announced this month Dona Hay Challenge, I thought in my mind, I am going to try it. I like her photos and she really inspires me to take good pictures. 

Usually I won’t take part in any photographic challenges; I know I take good pictures but not extraordinary. Most of the time, I am in a hurry to click the food and serve. If I am waiting for a long time, then food will go from everywhere. My little princess will imitate all the things we do. She wants to cook, clean and even do the dishes. Now she wants to do the food photo too. So she will keep all the things there and ask us to take a picture. She will be climbing in the chair just like us and using her toy and she starts clicking her photos. 

Her photo shoot.

I can’t take pictures using Tripod as she is running here and there; I will lose my camera if I keep using tripod for taking pictures. I was also a little curious to know the taste of mushroom ginger dumplings. I asked dear hubby can we take pictures, he agreed. Then I needed to find a metal sheet to replicate the photo background. First, thought of buying a metal sheet from the Home depot. They turned out be quiet expensive. So drop the idea. But I was not going to comprise on the taste of dumplings. So visited Hong Kong market and got oyster sauce, Chinese black vinegar, chili oil, dried shitake and button mushrooms. Fresh shitake comes in packet of 25 and cost about $ 6, so didn’t buy. Galangal also comes in a bunch, so I skipped buying them as I need only a small piece. Simone told us that we can substitute ginger for galangal so used ginger. I could not get hold of any micro herb, hence used coriander leaves. I also needed a red chili for background and serving. My green chilies are green in color I put them out in room temperature for two days none changed into red in spite they spoiled and I have to throw them.  I have some red bell pepper in hand chopped into fine and used it since it is shown blurred in the picture I think that worked fine.   

I end up making this twice as the first time, I was out of a good plate for photo and my soup base was light as I used vegetable stock which I had made immediately without cutting and roasting vegetables. And picture turned out to be not so good. So  I  made this soup the second time with making homemade vegetable stock from scratch and also got wonton wrappers  instead of egg roll wrappers I used the first time.  I made about 12 dumplings, for this mushroom ginger soup. Rest I want to use it for fried goodies.

One afternoon after giving my babies in hubby’s care, I started making the dumplings. I added some onions to fillings as my contribution. It didn’t hurt though. When I tasted the filling with mushroom, I loved it. Used a teaspoon of mushroom filling. I used vegetable broth, added dried shiitake mushroom, green onions , carrot ,ginger and garlic and rice wine vinegar. They turned out to perfect.

Then after making the dumplings comes the photo session, Then bowl in which I need to add red chili pieces turned out be bigger so sacrificed my ¼ cup measuring cup. Photo turned out great according to our standards, rest is according people who see it.

Soup and dumplings are very tasty, even my daughter finished her bowl. My hubby tried with red chili oil as mentioned in the recipe and told me it is really hot.

Here goes the recipe. If you are mushroom lover, and want to try a homemade Chinese soup other than corn soup or hot and sour soup try this one. 

First grab your ingredients from the pantry

To make broth you need following things.

Then make dumpling filling first by heating oil , fry ginger garlic, onion and mushroom and add soy sauce, oyster sauce Chinese black vinegar. Finally switch off and add coriander leaves. 

Then  make dumpling using wonton warppers and ginger mushroom filling. 

Then make broth in a sauce pot add  ginger garlic,shiitake mushrooms, carrot and button mushrooms,(carrot and button mushroom is my addition) and vegetable stock( I used homemade recipe follows) along with sugar and rice wine. Strain the broth and bring back to heat when  it starts boiling add dumpling and cook until dumplings become transparent or float to top.

Serve warm with coriander leaves, red chili oil and if you have red chili then that too. 

Original photo is taken by Chris Court.

Print recipe 

Mushroom Dumplings with ginger shiitake broth Recipe  adapted  from Dona Hay Magazine via Junglefrogcooking Preparation time: 15 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Serves: 3 Ingredients 2 cups vegetable stock( I used Homemade) 1 carrot 1 cups water 1 inch ginger (peeled and sliced) 2 cloves garlic (lightly crushed) 2 dried shiitake mushrooms 2 teaspoon  rice wine 1 teaspoon caster sugar 3  fresh button  mushrooms micro herbs (thinly sliced red chilli and chilli oil to serve) I have only coriander leaves  in my hand Mushroom and ginger dumplings 1 tablespoon sesame oil 2 cups chopped button mushroom 1/4  chopped red onion 1 inch ginger (peeled and finely grated) 1/4  red chili  flakes 2 cloves garlic (crushed) 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce 1 /2 tablespoon chinese black vinegar (Chinkiang) 1 tablespoons oyster sauce 1/4 cup coriander (chopped, cilantro) 12 wonton wrappers Directions To make the mushroom and ginger dumplings, heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add the  ginger and garlic and cook for 2 minutes then add onion and fry for another 3 minutes. To this add mushroom and cook for about 6 minutes  Add the soy, vinegar and oyster sauce and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir through the coriander leaves. Set aside to cool completely. Place the wonton wrappers on a clean bench top dusted with rice flour and brush the edges of the wrappers with water. Place 1 teaspoons of the mushroom mixture into the center of each wonton wrapper and bring each corner together to form a pyramid shape. Cover and set aside. Place the, ginger, garlic, carrot, button mushroom ,dried shiitake mushrooms, rice wine and sugar in a saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Strain the broth and return to the saucepan. Increase the heat to medium, add the dumplings and  button  mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes or until wontons are transparent and starts floating . Top with coriander leaves  and chili and serve with chili oil. Serves 3-4

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