It is currently 2am and I just woke up from a terrible nightmare. One of those ones that don’t stop even after you wake up, it just keeps going in the back of your mind. In steps the internet to distract me! Hopefully by the time I finish writing this I will no longer be scared but also not ravenously hungry… it is still a little early for breakfast!

The soup I based off Vegangela’s Mushroom Soup which is actually based on another recipe which you can find on Angela’s site. I was craving gyoza so I wanted to, for lack of better wording, asian-ize the recipe. I think I got that by adding shallots, coriander and coconut milk. In the end I found the soup to be a bit too salty. If I was to make it again I would halve the amount of soy sauce.

My craving for gyoza was sated by money bags or dumplings as my local shops didn’t have any vegan gyoza wraps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the soup you will need:
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
6 shiitake mushrooms
2 cups of sliced plain white cap mushrooms
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 shallot, chopped
1 teaspoon paprika
back pepper
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
1 cup coconut milk

 

For the dumplings you will need:
dumpling wrappers
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
200g firm tofu
4 shiitake mushrooms
1 carrot
1 onion
1 garlic clove
1 knob ginger

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a large pot heat the onion and garlic until the flavours start to smell amazing. You will know when it happens. If you wait until the onion is black you have gone too far and may need your sinus’ checked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stir through the mushroom and leave to simmer until the mushrooms start to weep or just before they start to brown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the mushrooms are soft poor in the soy sauce and cook it down for 2-3 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stir in half of the flour until it forms a paste then add in 1/4 cup of stock. Stir the stock through until the paste has dissolved then add in the remaining flour. Repeat the process with the stock. This is kind of like making a bechamel at this stage.

Stir in the remaining stock and water along with the shallots, coriander, paprika and a decent crack of pepper.

Leave the soup to simmer for 10-15 minutes. In the meantime you can make the dumplings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a food processor combine all of the ingredients, without the wrappers… obviously.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Try not to eat all of the mixture while assembling the dumplings. It is hard. By the time I was finished I wasn’t even hungry for dinner any more. One teaspoon for the wrapper, one tablespoon for me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can wrap the dumplings however you like. I went with moneybags this time.

Steam or boil the dumplings. I steamed mine. You can do this by placing the dumplings in a non-stick fry pan and heating them for 1 minute before adding 1-2 cups of water and covering the pan for 8 minutes or until the wrappers become sticky and slightly translucent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While the dumplings are cooking go back to your soup. Add in the coconut milk and return the soup to the boil. Once the soup is boiling and you are happy with the consistency remove it from the heat. If you would like the soup thicker then simmer it for longer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Place the dumplings in the soup and garnish with some shallots or coriander or onion chives.

So in the end I am no longer scared but I am very hungry… not sure if it is a complete win but golly gee I will take anything over that insane fear that a virus is going to sweep the world and my teeth are falling out and giant pink bears are going to take over the city.*

*I swear the nightmares are in no way related to the soup. They both occurred on different evenings. Promise.