Chinese New Year Egg Dumpling Soup ( 蛋饺 ) ( Dan Jiao )

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I prepared this soup on February 16th, the day of the Chinese new year and the beginning of the year of the dog.
I had planned to prepare and publish this post well before the 16th, in order to give my readers a chance to bring this wonderful, traditional dish to the table as part of the new year’s dinner celebration. Alas, some unforeseen events kept me from doing so. Now then, here it is, “Chinese New Year Egg Dumpling Soup, two weeks late for the New Year celebration, but NOT TOO late, since these wonderful dumplings can, of course, be enjoyed anytime during the year. 🙂
Chinese egg dumplings, also known as dan jiao, are also often served in hot pots, in other soups or just as is, with a tasty dipping sauce.
These dumplings may look a lot more complicated and difficult to prepare as they actually are, so there is no reason not to enjoy them often. 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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P.S.
These dumplings cook in a very short time when simmered in soup, so you should add them towards the very end of the cooking time !
They can also be prepared ahead and frozen, then easily reheated in simmering soup.
However, if you serve the dumplings without soup, bake them or steam them for a short time, since the original short cooking time in the omelet is not enough to cook the meat through !
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P.P.S.
This soup is believed to bring good luck and prosperity for the new year because of its long noodles (longevity),
and the color of the dumplings, which resembles the color of gold coins ( prosperity)
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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: to 2.5 qt of water add 2 lbs of cubed pork leg, 3 stalks of scallion, 1 tsp garlic paste, 1/2 tsp grated ginger, 1/2 tsp sugar, kosher salt and white pepper to taste, bring to a simmer, skim the foam from the top regulary until the meat is tender, about 2 to 2,5 hours

: meanwhile, mix 14 oz ground pork with 2 sliced scallions, 1 whole raw egg, garlic paste, grated ginger, five spice powder, salt and white pepper to taste

: mix well but do not overmix, otherwise the stuffing becomes dense

: whisk 10 whole eggs with chili paste and kosher salt to taste

: brush a moderately hot 4 inch pan lightly with peanut oil, , add 1/8th of the whisked eggs

: before the eggs have set, add 1/8th of the pork stuffing, fold-over half of the egg, remove to a flat surface

: let the dumpling rest until the egg has completely set

: egg dumplings

: when the cubed pork is almost tender, soak 8 oz of rice sticks in hot water for 30 minutes, drain

: when the pork cubes are tender, (there should be about 1,5 qt of stock left at this point, if not, add some chicken stock to make up the quantity), add the rice sticks, skim off the impurities one more time

: add 10 oz of nappa cabbage and 1 tblsp toasted sesame oil, stir, simmer for another minute or until the rice sticks have the proper texture, check/adjust seasoning

: top the soup with the egg dumplings cover and slowly simmer until the stuffing is cooked through, between 2 and 4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the eggs and the stuffing