Coconut lemongrass chicken pelmeni

The herbal, coconut-based Thai-inspired broth in this recipe pairs beautifully with the mild flavor of chicken pelmeni. Added bonus, the dumplings and the broth are all made in one pan, so this is a breeze to whip up for a weeknight dinner. We love all the sambals made by our friends at Sibeiho but feel free to sub in your favorite sambal.

PREP TIME 10 minutes (plus 20 if you are preparing fresh favas)

COOK TIME 15 minutes

SERVING SIZE 2

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT none

INGREDIENTS

1 lemongrass stalk

1 can (13.5-ounce) coconut milk

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

6 ounces oyster mushrooms, bases trimmed, torn into bite-size pieces, or shiitake caps, thinly sliced

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

10 to 12 large lime leaves

1 bag Kachka chicken pelmeni

2 ½ to 3  tablespoons fish sauce

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 to 2 teaspoons Sibeiho AF Chili Chuka Sambal, plus more for garnish

½ cup cilantro leaves

2 lime wedges, for serving

METHOD

Smack the lemongrass with the flat side of a meat mallet or the bottom of a pan to bruise it, this allows all the flavor to be extracted. Put the lemongrass in a medium saucepan and add the coconut milk, chicken broth, mushrooms, shallots, and lime leaves. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the broth with the aromatics.

 Discard the lemongrass, squeezing out as much of the soup out as possible. Add the pelmeni, fish sauce, brown sugar and sambal to the pan. Cover and continue to simmer gently until the dumplings are tender, 4 to 5 minutes.

Adjust the seasonings with fish sauce, if needed. Ladle soup into bowls, discarding the lime leaves as you go. Top the dumplings with cilantro and generous drizzles of the additional sambal. Serve with lime wedges on the side.  

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