Chinese Dumpling Soup

        Ingredients

  1/2 lb ground pork

    1 tbs. green onion; minced

    2 tsp. soy sauce

    2 tsp. rice vinegar

    2 tsp. gingerroot; minced

    1 tsp. cornstarch

    1/2 tsp. salt

    1 pk 10-oz. round potsticker wrappers

    1 egg; beaten

    4 cans 14.5-oz. chicken broth

    1 small bunch bok choy; cut crosswise into 1 inch slices

    4 fresh shiitake mushrooms sliced

    1 2 1/4 inch piece gingerroot;peeled and sliced

    1/4 tsp. sesame oil

    chopped cilantro for garnish

     Combine ground pork, onion, soy sauce, rice vinegar, minced ginger,cornstarch and salt in bowl. Brush outer edge of potsticker wrapper with beaten egg. Spoon about 1 tsp pork mixture onto center of wrapper; fold wrapper in half. Press firmly to seal well; pleat edge. Repeat until all filling is used. Combine chicken broth, bok choy, mushrooms, and ginger in lg. sauce pot; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 mins. Add filled dumplings; return to boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer until dumplings are cooked through, 5 to 10 mins. Stir in sesame oil. Spoon into serving bowls and sprinkle with cilantro. Makes 6 servings with about 30 dumplings.

 Chinese Szechuan Soup

       Ingredients

       1 oz. dried mushrooms

       1 cup boiling water

       6 oz uncooked boneless lean pork

       4 oz cooked ham

       1 sm red pepper

       8 green onions

       1/2 cup  water chestnuts

       8 oz bean curd

       2 qt chicken stock

       1/2 cup  rice wine

       4 tsp soy sauce

       1/2 tsp chinese chili sauce

       2 1/2 tb cornstarch

       5 tbs water

       2 tsp vinegar

       2 tsp sesame oil

       1 egg beaten

       8 oz uncooked shrimp, shelled and deveined

       Place mushrooms in bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand 30 minutes. Drain. Remove and discard stems. Cut caps into thin slices.Cut pork and ham into "match-stick" thin strips. Remove seeds from pepper and cut pepper into thin strips. Chop onions finely. Cutwater chestnuts into slices. Cut bean curd into 1/2 inch cubes.Combine chicken stock, wine, soy sauce and chili sauce in 5-quart pan. Cook over medium heat until soup boils. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 5 minutes.Blend cornstarch and 4 tablespoons of the water. Slowly stir mixture into soup. Cook and stir until soup boils. Add mushrooms,pork, ham, pepper and water chestnuts. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes.Stir vinegar and oil into soup. Beat egg and remaining 1 tablespoon water together with for, Gradually drizzle egg into soup while stirring soup vigorously. Add onions, bean curd and shrimp.Cook until shrimp is done, 1 to 2 minutes. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

 Chinese Cucumber Soup

        Ingredients

        6 cups chicken or vegetable broth

        2 md cucumbers, peeled, seeded,diced

        8 mushrooms, washed, thinly sliced

        4 scallions, chopped

        salt and pepper, to taste

        8 tsp. sesame oil

        1 tbs. rice vinegar

        1 pinch ginger powder

     Place the broth in a soup pot and bring it to a boil. Add the cucumbers,mushrooms, scallions, salt , and pepper. Cover the soup pot and cook gently over low-medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes.Blend the soup in a blender. Add the extra seasonings-sesame oil,vinegar and ginger- and blend well. Refrigerate the soup for a few hoursand serve cold. Or reheat the soup and serve it hot as the Chinese do.

Chrysanthemum Bowl

         Ingredients

          2 qts. chicken broth

         3/4 tbs sesame oil

         2 tsp salt

         4 oz bean threads  cellophane noodles

         1 head cabbage,shredded

         1 lb spinach

         2 boneless chicken breasts

         8 oz chicken livers

         8 oz pork tenderloin

         8 oz firm white fish

         8 oz shrimp

         1 cup small oysters

         3 tbs soy sauce

         2 tbs dry sherry

         2 lg chrysanthemums

     Slice all meats and vegetables in thin strips. Bring chicken stock, oil and salt to boil in large serving pot and keep bubbling over heat.Arrange noodles and all raw ingredients attractively on large platter. Add sherry and soy sauce to bubbling broth. Provide guests with chopsticks and serving bowls. invite guests to add the raw ingredients to the broth. Let cook just until fish and shrimp are opaque. Just before guests serve themselves from the pot, sprinkle leaves from the chrysanthemums on top of bubbling soup. Ladle some of the soup into each guests bowl.Yield: 8 Servings

               6 water chestnuts

            2 scallions

            1 tbs dry sherry

            3 cups chicken stock

            6 oz diced cooked chicken

            salt and pepper

    Slice the water chestnuts and slice the scallions finely.Put these in a sauce pan with the chicken stock and the chicken.Bring to the boil and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.Add the sherry and season to taste.

 Chinese Vegetable Soup

                1 Tomato      

           6 cup Chicken stock

           3 cup Shredded celery cabbage     

           1/2 cup Julienne carrots

           1 cup Thinly slice onion     

           1 cup Julienne celery

           3 tbs. Oil     

           1 tbs. Salt

           1/4 tsp. White pepper     

           1/4 tsp. MSG (optional)

           1 tsp. Sesame oil   

    Blanch tomato for half a minute and slip off skin.Remove seeds and cut into small pieces. In boiling chicken stock add cabbage, carrot, onion and celery and bring to boil again. Reduce heat and cook until tender. Saute' tomato in 3 tablespoons oil. Add to soup with salt pepper and MSG (if used). Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes and add sesame oil .