007: DUMPLING SOUP

🥟 Dumpling Soup — The Cloud Lantern Scroll

Archetype: The Nurturer — gentle warmth, handmade care, comfort that breathes.

💡 Why This Works

Soft dumplings cradle in light broth — tenderness in motion. Steam and silence, flavor and comfort. A one-bowl ritual for grounding and calm.

⚡ Energy & Time

• Total: 35–45 min
• Effort: Moderate (RPE 5/10)
• Gear: Mixing bowl, pot, ladle

🎭 Flavor & Mood

Light broth, soft dough, and herbs — savory, soothing, and quietly aromatic. Feels like a hug in vapor form.

🥣 What It Is

Simple vegetable broth with handmade dumplings — customizable filling (tofu, veggies, mushrooms, or minced lentils) — simmered gently until cloud-soft.

🧾 Ingredients (serves 2–3)

• Dumpling Dough: 1 cup flour • 1/3 cup warm water • pinch salt • 1 tsp oil
• Filling (choose one): finely chopped mushrooms + cabbage + ginger + soy sauce or mashed tofu + scallions + sesame oil
• Broth: 4 cups vegetable broth • 1 tbsp soy sauce • 1 tsp sesame oil • 1 slice ginger • 1 garlic clove (smashed) • 1 scallion (cut in half)
• Finish: sliced green onions • cilantro • chili oil (optional)

✍️ Method

1. Make dough: Mix flour, salt, water, and oil until smooth. Knead 3–5 min; rest 10 min.
2. Make filling: Combine your chosen filling ingredients; taste for salt and aroma.
3. Shape: Roll dough thin; cut small rounds. Fill each with 1 tsp filling; fold and pinch to seal crescent-style.
4. Broth: Simmer broth ingredients 10 min, then strain.
5. Cook dumplings: Drop gently into simmering broth. Cook 6–8 min until they float and turn slightly translucent.
6. Serve: Ladle broth and dumplings into bowls; top with scallions, herbs, and a drizzle of chili oil or sesame if desired.

🌿 Maker’s Notes

• Vegan: Use tofu or lentil filling; vegetable broth base.
• Shortcut: Use store-bought wonton wrappers if short on time.
• Calming ritual: Fold dumplings slowly, focusing on breath and shape.

📦 Storage

• Keep broth and uncooked dumplings separate. Cooked dumplings best within 24 hrs.

📜 Lore / Origin

Dumplings float like lanterns on a quiet river — symbols of care, memory, and soft persistence through the turning of seasons.

🌺 Benefits

• Soothing: balances nerves, warms digestion
• Modular: filling and broth adapt to season
• Mindful: folding becomes meditation

🧭 Self-Score to 100

• Flavor Balance: 20/20
• Ease & Gadget Efficiency: 20/20
• Texture & Authenticity: 20/20
• Time & Cleanup: 20/20
• Mythic Resonance: 20/20

Total: 100/100 — Gentle steam, quiet soul.