This month’s Food52 Cooking Club selection is Simple Thai Food by Leela Punyaratabandhu, a book I have had sitting on my shelf for quite awhile. The only recipe I have tried from the book is the Shrimp Pad Thai which was pretty darn tasty.  But thanks to Food52 I am discovering it is a gem of a book.  Each month the club features a different cookbook. A variety of old and new cookbooks, of which shockingly (lol), I own quite a few. Yes, confessions of a cookbook junkie.

Food52ers post photos and comments on recipes they try from the month’s selection.  It’s a great way to find out which recipes are winners and which may need a bit of tweaking.  It has definitely pushed me to actually try more recipes from the gazillions of cookbooks I have sitting on my shelf.  Raindrops on roses and a cookbook treasure trove, Dumplings that are meatballs for soup simmering on the stove..these are a few of my favorite things…..lalala.

Yep, singing led to this delicious soup from Simple Thai Food, Clear Soup with Silken Tofu and Chicken Dumplings

It is quick, easy and DELICIOUS with just a teeny weeny caveat…hope you like cilantro!

Break It Down

The soup comes together in a snap.  I used a commercial chicken stock to start with but you could use homemade stock.  The chicken dumplings, really meatballs, start with ground chicken to which just a few ingredients are added, cilantro, fish sauce, garlic, pepper and an egg white for texture.  Dump it in your food processor and blend until mixture is sticky and smooth.  These dumplings are light with a fine grain texture not as chunky as meatballs, think city versus country rustic.

The stock is seasoned with onions and soy sauce and brought to a gentle boil.  I used a small ice cream scoop to shape and drop my dumplings into the broth to cook.  Add cubed soft tofu once it is heated through, literally a few minutes later, you have a delicious, flavor-packed bowl of soup.  Finish with a garnish of cilantro and green onions.

This would be perfect as a light lunch or as a starter for dinner.  The following day I took some liberties and added shredded Napa Cabbage and carrots and poured it over udon noodles for a satisfying, tasty noodle soup.  Yumminess in a bowl.

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These are a Few of My Favorite Things (Soup with Tofu and Chicken Dumplings)

Ingredients

• 2 medium cloves garlic peeled
• 2 tablespoons cilantro stems or 2 cilantro roots chopped
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/2 pound ground chicken dark or a mix of dark and light chicken, should not be too lean
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce such as 3 Crabs brand
• 4 1/2 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium store bought chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon thin soy sauce
• 1 pound silken tofu packed in water drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 green onions cut into 1-inch pieces separate the white from the green parts
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves for garnish

Instructions

• 1.In a mortar or a small chopper, make a fine paste out of the garlic, cilantro stems/roots,
• 2.Place the ground chicken into a mixing bowl and add prepared paste. Add 2 teaspoons of fish sauce. Mix until homogenous; set aside. You can use 1 teaspoon soy sauce in place of 1 of fish sauce if you desire.
• 3.In a large saucepan combine broth with soy sauce, 2 teaspoons fish sauce and white parts of green onions. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a gentle boil. Scoop chicken mixture into 1-inch balls and gently drop into simmering stock. Repeat until all the chicken mixture is gone. Cook until dumplings float to the surface about 1-2 minutes.
• 4. Gently add the tofu cubes to the broth; return to a simmer, then add the remaining green onions and remove from heat immediately. Adjust the seasoning as necessary with more fish sauce or soy sauce.
• 5. Ladle soup into a serving bowl. Garnish with cilantro leaves. Some freshly-ground white pepper on top is optional, but recommended.
• 6. Is this blasphemous? I don't know, but it is delicious, add a handful shredded Napa cabbage and carrots to broth, simmer additional 2-3 minutes until vegetables are soft. Top udon or ramen noodles with broth, dumplings and vegetables. Garnish with cilantro and green onions. You can use a firmer tofu instead if serving with noodles. Hmmm...