Faux Chicken And Dumplings

My aunt made the best chicken and dumplings I've ever eaten, although I've learned to make a dish that tastes reasonably like hers. The chicken and vegetable part is easy. It's getting the dumplings to cook up into huge fluffy clouds that are dry in the center, but saucy on the outside that stumped me for a time. After a lot of experimentation, I finally figured out her secret. Read on....

Noodle-like dumplings

Through the years, I've tasted many chicken and dumpling offerings. For the most part, the broth and veggies were fine. The problem has always been the dumplings. Now I know a dumpling war rages, with some people liking those flat, thin things that look like dried pasta and taste just about as good. Others like those tiny balls that resemble gnocchi except that they are firm to the tooth and bear no semblance to anything fluffy or cloud-like.

Gnocchi-like dumplings

But I wasn't raised on those versions. I come from the other side of the dumpling tracks and for me, nothing but what I consumed as a child will do. So here's what I'm saying: Begin your soup as I suggest and then try my light as air dumplings and see if they please your taste buds. Made right, their consistency will remind you of those huge bakery muffins we all relish, albeit savory. If the other kind suit you better, you can always make this dish again and use your dumpling of choice.

Since chicken and dumplings has always been a favorite dish, I've been working on a vegan version for nearly a year and with the inspiration of a few vegan cookbooks, I finally came up with a recipe that's heart-warming, filling, and reminds me of those cold winter days in Minnesota when all a body wanted at dinner was something hot to warm you from from the inside out. This recipe does that for me. My hope is that it not only warms you up but makes you smile.

FAUX CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Soup part:

1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup pea and carrot mix (I used frozen)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 Tbs. poultry seasoning
1 tsp. dried parsley (fresh if you have it)
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. curry powder
2 Tbs. nutritional yeast (a must for flavor)
1 cup non-dairy milk
1 cup drained and rinsed garbanzo beans, often called chickpeas
dash of hot sauce
salt and pepper

Brown the vegetables in 2 Tbs. canola oil. Add the spices, milk, and beans, along with 1 1/2-2 cups of No Chicken Broth from the Health Food Market. Use Vegetable stock if the above isn't available. Set the pot on a back burner, cover, and simmer about an hour. Taste for seasoning before adding the dumplings to the broth. If the broth has gotten too low, add more stock. Dumplings need a good bath of liquid to cook right.

Once the pot is bubbling, drop the dumplings by teaspoon-full into the hot broth. Adjust the burner so the liquid simmers and leave the pot uncovered for ten minutes. Then cover and simmer another ten minutes. No cheating on the time or the dumplings will not turn out right.

NO PEEKING ALLOWED! If the built up steam escapes, the  dumplings will not be fluffy. Trust me on this. It's where I made my mistake. When the time has elapsed, uncover the pot. Put one or two of those big fat dumplings in a large bowl and ladle the soup over the top. Sprinkle with minced green onions or fresh parsley. Go back for seconds!

Serves 3-4

DUMPLING DOUGH

1 cup white flour (wheat just doesn't make a good dumpling)

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. vegan margarine, melted

1/2 cup non-dairy milk

Stir all ingredients together with a fork until the dough just comes together. It will be wet and sloppy. That is how it should be. Drop by rounded teaspoon fulls into the bubbling broth. They will look small now, but will be huge when finished as they expand a lot. Cook as directed above. Serve immediately. 

Chickpea Tikka Masala

I've fallen in love with something new. It's a spice called Tikka Masala and I buy it online at My Spice Sage. I've always had Garam Masala in my cupboard, but this one was new to me and the first time I used it, my taste buds stood up and danced. Honest.

In the beginning, I purchased the smallest amount for a small amount of money, just to see what it tasted like. Since then, I put it in just about everything that comes out of my kitchen. There is no vegan dish that's safe anymore. The depth of flavor Tikka Masala gives is perfect for my palette since it is the spices and herbs that makes eating vegan a delight rather than disgusting.

I put a pinch of Tikka Masala in my soups.

And on my veggie burgers.

And in my vegetable stews.

And in my rice.

And in my stir frys.

And in my oatmeal. Oops, got carried away. I don't do that one.

I discovered a Tikka Masala recipe in Everyday Happy Herbivore by Lindsay Nixon and I have to say that not only did I love it, but so did my company. We all went back for seconds. If you like the flavors of India, you'll adore this dish. Be warned: it is spicy. But not the kind of heat that hurts the mouth or the lips as does Mexican food. I served some vegan yogurt alongside for no other reason than to cool my mouth down every now and then.

CHICKPEA TIKKA MASALA

In a blender, mix:

6 oz. silken tofu

1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

Continue blending until the mixture looks creamy

Put into a saucepan:

1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. garam masala

1/8 tsp. turmeric

dash of cayenne pepper or hot sauce.

At the end, add 1 16 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed. Cover the pan and heat until hot. Stir in the blended tofu. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice. Garnish with cilantro and a dollop of vegan yogurt.

OR: In place of all the above spices, except for the garlic and onion powders, use 1 Tbsp. of Tikka Masala spice mixture. Saves a lot of measuring and not so many bottles sitting on the counter.

The only other exception I made to this recipe was to add 1/2 cup of diced tempeh, which I added with the chickpeas. The tempeh gave the dish a meaty mouth feel and added an extra layer of flavor that I found pleasing.