Spinach Dumpling Soup
A comforting northern Chinese soup featuring soft, pillow-like dough bits tossed with tender spinach and light egg ribbons. Simple to make and perfect for chilly days.
Story
This rustic soup, known as 疙瘩汤 in Chinese, is a beloved comfort food from northern China. The dough bits are made by drizzling flour water into boiling water while stirring, creating chewy, cloud-like dumplings that soak up the savory broth.
Ingredients
all-purpose flour
1 cup
spinach
4 cups, stems removed
eggs
2 large
chicken or vegetable broth
6 cups
green onions
2, sliced
cooking wine
1 teaspoon
cornstarch
1 teaspoon
sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon
salt
to taste
white pepper
a pinch
Instructions
1
Prep the egg mixture
Crack eggs into a bowl and add the cooking wine, cornstarch, and 2 tablespoons water. Whisk until well combined and let rest for 5 minutes.
2
Make the dumpling dough
Bring a medium pot of water to a gentle boil. Gradually drizzle flour while continuously stirring with chopsticks or a fork—aim for small, irregular lumps. Stop adding flour when the mixture still has some dry bits remaining. Cook for 1 minute, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.
3
Blanch the spinach
Blanch spinach in boiling water for 30 seconds until just wilted. Drain and squeeze out excess water. Roughly chop if desired.
4
Build the soup
Pour broth into a clean pot and bring to a simmer. Add the dumpling bits and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the spinach and season with salt and white pepper.
5
Finish with eggs
Slowly pour the beaten eggs into the simmering soup while gently stirring in one direction to create delicate egg ribbons. Remove from heat, drizzle with sesame oil, and garnish with green onions.
