Asian Dumpling Bok Choy (Printable Version)

Tender dumplings and crisp bok choy in a fragrant, light broth infused with ginger and garlic.

# What You'll Need:

→ Broth

01 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
02 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 tablespoon soy sauce
05 - 1 teaspoon sesame oil
06 - 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
07 - 2 green onions, sliced

→ Vegetables

08 - 2 cups baby bok choy, halved or quartered lengthwise
09 - 1 medium carrot, julienned or thinly sliced
10 - 1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced

→ Dumplings

11 - 16-20 frozen or fresh Asian dumplings, pork, chicken, or vegetarian

→ Garnish

12 - Fresh cilantro leaves
13 - Chili oil
14 - Sesame seeds

# Cooking Steps:

01 - In a large soup pot, combine broth, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and green onions. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.
02 - Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes to infuse the broth with ginger and garlic aromatics.
03 - Add carrots and mushrooms to the broth. Simmer for 3 minutes until slightly softened.
04 - Gently add dumplings to the broth. Simmer according to package instructions, typically 5-7 minutes for frozen or 3-5 minutes for fresh, until cooked through and floating.
05 - Add bok choy and cook for 2-3 minutes until tender while maintaining its bright green color.
06 - Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with additional soy sauce or vinegar as desired.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with sliced green onions, cilantro, chili oil, and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Ready in 35 minutes, which means you can have a restaurant-quality soup on the table before hunger turns into irritability.
  • The ginger and garlic infuse the broth so thoroughly that even frozen dumplings taste like they came from somewhere special.
  • Bok choy stays tender-crisp if you time it right, giving you that satisfying textural contrast that makes eating feel intentional.
02 -
  • Never let the broth boil hard once the dumplings are in—they'll burst open and release their filling into the soup, which sounds poetic until you realize you wanted to bite into an actual dumpling.
  • Bok choy is deceptive; it looks like it needs more time but will turn mushy in seconds once the heat is right, so keep your attention on the pot during those final 2–3 minutes.
03 -
  • Don't waste good dumplings on a boil so aggressive that they fall apart; that gentle simmer is the whole reason your result will feel tender instead of tough.
  • A small squeeze of fish sauce added at the very end will deepen the umami in a way that feels less like a flavor and more like someone turned up the volume on everything good already happening in your bowl.
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