This scrumptious, savory, brothy dumpling soup is so easy to make and perfect for weeknight meals. It's super flexible, so you can add your favorite veggies, and it's ready in under a half hour.
1large leek, cleaned and chopped (white and light green parts only)
1/3cupshaved or chopped carrots
3garlic cloves, minced
4shiitake mushroom caps, cleaned and thinly sliced
3baby bok choy, tender leaves and firm stems chopped separately
1/4cuplite soy sauce
5cupschicken or vegetable broth(= two 14 oz cans plus 1 cup of water)
2teaspoonssesame oil
2teaspoonsBetter Than Bouillon, chicken or mushroom (optional but delish)
1 1/2poundsfrozen potstickers, wontons or dumplings (minis recommended, see notes) (no need to thaw)
1/3cupthinly sliced green onions(about 2 green onions)
sesame seeds for topping(see notes for other suggestions)
Instructions
Heat the vegetable or olive oil in a 4 quart Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat until the oil shimmers.
Add the leeks, carrots, garlic, mushrooms, and the firm baby bok choy stems (reserve the leaves for later) to the pot and saute until the leeks are soft (about 5 minutes).
Add the soy sauce, broth (and water if using) and sesame oil. Increase heat and bring the soup to a light boil, stirring frequently.
If using, stir in the Better Than Bouillon paste until completely dissolved.
Carefully add the frozen potstickers to the pot, and cook according to the boil instructions on the packaging (usually just a few minutes).
Reduce heat to low and stir in the reserved baby bok choy leaves and most of the green onions (reserve about a tablespoon for the soup bowl).
Serve immediately, topping bowls of soup with more green onions and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
Notes
You can use any kind of potstickers or dumplings that you prefer, meat-filled or vegetable. They will all cook right in the soup. I recommend mini potstickers, however, simply for the size. For the photos in this post, I used Bibigo's Korean-Style Mini Wontons, Chicken & Vegetable Dumplings. They're the perfect size to fit on a soup spoon with broth. But, the big appetizer potstickers will work, too, and I've found them to be easy to cut in half with my soup spoon against the side of the bowl as I eat.Additional topping suggestions: furikake seasoning, chopped cilantro, a little kimchi, a spoonful of chili crisp or chile garlic sauce (or even sriracha).