Hot Sour Soup and Beef Dumplings

To make dumplings, mix mince, tamari and garlic well, then heat sesame oil and brown mixture gently. Set aside to cool once lightly cooked through.

Take a dumpling wrapper (covering the remainder so they do not dry out). Place a teaspoonful of beef mixture in the centre of each wrapper, fold up sides and crimp at top. Cover and set aside.

To make soup, throw everything except the vegetables into a large saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Taste. If you require a little more sweetness, add a touch more sugar. For more heat, add pepper or chilli sauce.

Just before you are ready to eat, add vegetables, simmer for around 10 minutes, then add dumplings. They’ll only take a few minutes to be ready. The wrappers turn clear when dumplings are cooked.

To serve, place a few dumplings in warm bowls and then spoon broth and vegetables over the dumplings. Garnish with a few finely sliced spring onions.

^{An extract from Minced with photography by Alan Gillard. Published by Penguin Group NZ. Copyright © Sue Hamilton and Dana Alexander, 2010. RRP $35.00. Available at all good booksellers nationwide.}