Several times a year, I decide that I must make my own gyoza (or potstickers) or I will surely die. This is a happy event in my home, and my spouse and children devour the packets of porky-cabbagey goodness. There are never left overs, which I consider success.

A few weeks ago, the lust for gyoza hit me like a ton of bricks. I abandoned my meal plan, and procured the necessary fixings to get the gyoza going. After making a batch, I discovered that I had run out of wrappers, but had a major surplus of filling. What do you do when life hands you a bowl of lean ground pork, ginger, garlic, spice and shallots? You make a soup, of course!

This soup is highly seasoned, full of fresh veggies, and has an Asian inspired twist. I like my soups brimming with meat and veggies, with very little broth. This recipe reflects this preference. Feel free to amp up the amount of stock if you like more broth in your soup.

*This recipe is not for the kosher/halal crowd, but could be made to fit dietary restrictions using ground turkey/ground chicken and still be entirely awesome.*

DECONSTRUCTED GYOZA SOUP

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

You will need:

• 1 package of lean ground pork (or lean ground chicken/lean ground turkey)
• 750 ml or 2 cans or 1 tetra brick  of low sodium chicken broth
• 250 ml or 1 cup of water
• 4 tbsp minced ginger, fresh
• 3 cloves of minced garlic, fresh
• 2 small shallots, minced
• 4 shiitake mushrooms, minced finely
• 250 ml or 1 cup shredded Napa or Savoy cabbage
• 75ml or 1/2 cup matchstick carrots
• 250 ml or 1 can of baby corn
• small can of shoe string bamboo shoots
• 1/2 bunch cilantro/coriander, washed and broken, stems discarded
• 2 c. bean sprouts
• 1 bunch green onions, diced
• 1 thumb sized knob of ginger, cut finely
• 4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• sriracha (optional)
• sweet garlic chilli sauce (optional)

Method:

1. Heat sesame oil on medium heat at the bottom of a large stock pot.
2. Add ground pork, onion, minced ginger, minced shallots, minced garlic, salt, pepper, garlic powder. Fry until no longer pink. Drain fat if desired.
3. Stir in cabbage, carrots, corn, sliced mushrooms, bamboo, cilantro. Cook until soft (about 5 minutes)
4. Add chicken stock and water. Stir until well distributed.
5. Add larger chunks of ginger, and heat to boiling (about 10 minutes) while stirring often.
6. Decrease temperature to simmer (about 5 minutes)
7. Spoon into individual bowls (soup will be very chunky, with small amount of broth) and season to taste with sriracha or sweet garlic chilli sauce
8. Top with green onions and a handful of bean sprouts

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