You only need 15 minutes to cook this umami-rich noodle soup, making it perfect for a weeknight dinner or speedy lunch. It uses frozen dumplings to keep things quick, meaning you can start slurping away sooner than you think!
200g (7.5 oz) bacon, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 slices ginger
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 spring onions (scallions), cut into batons
8 cups chicken stock
400g fresh Chinese egg noodles (or any other type of noodle you like)
12 frozen dumplings or wontons
100g (3.5 oz) snow peas
4 Chinese cabbage leaves, cut into bite-sized pieces
chilli paste to serve (sambal oelek or Chinese chilli garlic paste works great here)
Set a large pot of water over high heat and bring to the boil.
In the meantime, make the broth by placing a large saucepan over high heat. Add the bacon, ginger, garlic and spring onions. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the chicken stock. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Then remove the ginger and garlic.
Cook the noodles in the pot of boiling water until just tender. Use tongs to pull out the noodles and place them straight into serving bowls. Now add the dumplings to the boiling water. After a couple of minutes, add the snow peas and the cabbage leaves. Simmer until the dumplings are cooked through. Divide the dumplings and vegetables among the serving bowls. Spoon a tablespoon (or to your taste) of chilli paste into the serving bowls. Then ladle over the hot broth and serve.
