Spicy Potsticker Soup

Pick up a package of frozen potstickers, wontons, or dumplings from your local grocery store and cook them in a savoury broth to make the most deliciously wonderful Spicy Potsticker Soup. Loaded with green onions, garlic, ginger, and carrots, this soup is good for you too!

Spicy Potsticker Soup just might be one of the best soups I’ve ever tasted! Not only is it filled with deliciously plump potstickers, but the broth is loaded with flavour! The carrots give the broth a slightly sweet taste, and of course, soy sauce provides saltiness and umami. But, it’s the chili crunch oil that does it for me. I love the slight spiciness of this soup. It’s just the right balance that places this soup in my top 5 soup recipes of all time!

I always have this internal battle when writing up recipes to share with you, Dear Reader. And it all stems from the title of the recipe. The word spicy can be scary for some people, which means in all probability they won’t try this recipe. But, one should not be put off by it. Spice tolerance levels vary greatly from person to person, but in most cases – certainly in the case of this Spicy Potsticker Soup! – the spice level can be increased, decreased, or omitted completely!

CHILI CRUNCH OIL

The spiciness in this soup comes from the use of chili crunch oil, which is added as a garnish and flavour enhancer at the last minute. It’s completely optional. The soup will still be very delicious without it! I should note that chili crunch oil is sometimes called chili crisp.

Until just recently, I only ever used Trader Joe’s version of this oil. It was called Chili Onion Crunch. Unfortunately, there aren’t any Trader Joe’s locations in Canada, so when covid started and the lockdowns began, I had to find an alternative, so I began to use this version that I found at an Asian market, but is readily available on Amazon too. Then a few months back, Momofuku became available in Canada, so I tried it. I won’t say that it was better than Trader Joe’s, but it’s at least an equal!

Chili crunch oil is a condiment prepared with oil and a variety of chilies. The crunch factor is applied by adding in dried minced garlic and dried minced onion. Again, depending on the brand, these ingredients can differ. The amount of actual oil in the jar is much less than the crunchy ingredients though. Because you can add a little or a lot, it’s a great option for everyone. And, it just so happens that it’s good on almost everything! Try it on eggs or rice!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Vegetable Oil
• Carrots – One large carrot, peeled and julienned is all you need.
• Garlic – You will need 4 cloves of garlic. Finely mince them all.
• Ginger – Use fresh ginger. I like to use a box grater to grate it so that it’s super fine.
• Soy Sauce – Like I always say, use low-sodium soy sauce to prevent the dish from being too salty.
• Stock – If you are using store-bought, use low sodium. Some of them can be overly salty! You can use vegetable stock or chicken stock here.
• Potstickers – Use from frozen. You can substitute with frozen wontons or gyoza.
• Green Onions
• Sesame Oil
• Sesame Seeds – For best results, use toasted sesame seeds. The flavour is so much better!
• Chili Crunch Oil – Optional.

HOW TO MAKE SPICY POTSTICKER SOUP

Add the vegetable oil along with the carrots, garlic, and ginger to a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven. Over medium heat, stir and cook the vegetables for 3-5 minutes or until the carrots are just tender. Add in the low-sodium soy sauce and low-sodium vegetable stock. Stir and allow the soup base to come to a low boil.

Once the soup starts to boil, add the frozen potstickers and stir well but gently to keep them from sticking. Cook according to package instructions. They are usually fully cooked and heated through in about 3-5 minutes.

Lastly, add in the green onions. Stir and turn off the heat. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the optional toasted sesame seeds, sesame oil, and chili crisp oil.

WHAT ARE POTSTICKERS?

Potstickers are crescent-shaped Chinese dumplings that are first pan-fried and then steamed, which results in a dumpling that is crispy on one side and soft and chewy on the other. Fillings vary but are usually a combination of minced meat and vegetables.

If you’re not familiar with a potsticker, think of it in terms of a wonton. Potstickers and wontons are types of dumplings where, unlike the fried and steamed potstickers, wontons are boiled or deep-fried. Both potstickers and wontons can be boiled in a broth or soup like Wonton Soup which can be found in almost every Chinese restaurant.

Potstickers, wontons, dumplings, etc., will all work in this Spicy Potsticker Soup. And, all of those can be easily found in the frozen section of any Asian market, at Walmart, or at any large chain grocery store. Alternatively, the Japanese version, called gyoza, can also be used here.

HOW TO JULIENNE A VEGETABLE

Please note that I julienned the carrots. To julienne is the process of slicing vegetables into what some refer to as matchsticks. It’s very thin, very sleek, sticks of vegetables – in this case, carrots.

Start by peeling the carrot and washing it. I like to pat the carrot dry with a paper towel. This helps to keep it from slipping on the cutting board. Lay the carrot with the fat end closest to you. The carrot should be on an extreme diagonal. Slice the carrot into very thin slices – about 1/8th of an inch.

Once done, pile about six or so of the carrot slices on top of each other. Next, slice down through the pile to create matchstick pieces. This is referred to as julienning. If this isn’t clear, you can watch a video here.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Personally, I would serve this soup as a main and leave it at that! Depending on how many people you are serving though, you might want to make the soup stretch a little further. Using two pounds of frozen potstickers will give you about 24 of them in total. A filling bowl of soup would consist of about six per person. If you need more sides or you want the soup to be a side, I would consider Asian-style recipes as an accompaniment.

This Radish and Cucumber Salad would make a great side. Not only does it have Asian flavours, but it is a cooling salad which would help to counter the spiciness of the soup should one find the chili crunch a bit too spicy for their tastes. Note that in many Asian cultures, radish is used as an aide to digestion! My Sesame Bean Sprouts Salad would be a great side dish as well!

If you are serving this soup as a side or an appetizer, I would consider General Tso’s Chicken as a main. It’s bold and flavourful and easily served with plain steamed white rice. It’s a delicious recipe and everyone loves it!