Drunken Dumplings
At some point every week I completely lose track of time. This happens so commonly on a Wednesday that it should act as a reliable time stamp. There's always someone at some kind of sport practice, and usually a child in the house who belongs to another family in the neighbourhood. It's a comfortingly confusing day, Wednesday.
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS
2 tsp olive oil
2 chicken breast fillets
16 frozen dumplings (pork or your preference)
360g somen noodles
4 tbsp tom yum paste (or any curry paste you have on hand)
2 x 400ml tins coconut milk
4 heads bok choy
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp lime juice
2-4 tsp chilli paste
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Heat the oil in a large ovenproof frying pan over high heat and pan-fry the chicken breasts for 2 minutes each side. Place in the oven for a few minutes to finish cooking through.
Boil the dumplings for 1 minute, or until thawed. Add the somen noodles and cook according to the packet instructions. Drain.
Remove the pan from the oven and set the chicken aside.
Fry the tom yum paste in the same pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, then pour in the coconut milk.
Add 1 cup of water to the empty tins, swish around, then add to the pan. Bring to a simmer, stirring to combine with the paste.
Meanwhile, lightly steam the bok choy.
Slice the chicken and divide among bowls, then add the noodles, dumplings and bok choy. Pour the broth over the top. Drizzle with sesame oil, then lime juice, and top with as much chilli paste as you can handle.
HINTS
Tom yum paste is the suggestion here, but any curry paste you've got in the fridge works just as well - this is a genuinely flexible base.
Don't overcook the dumplings in the boiling water - they only need a minute to thaw through before joining the rest of the bowl.
Steaming the bok choy separately rather than dumping it straight into the broth keeps it bright green rather than dull and overdone.
NUTRITION (per recipe total, serves 4-6 - guide only):
Energy: 13800 kJ (3300 cal)
Protein: 150 g
Fat: 180 g
Saturated fat: 120 g
Carbohydrate: 245 g
Sugars: 20 g
Sodium: 4800 mg
This nutrition information is a guide only and may vary depending on brands, exact quantities, and ingredient substitutions used.