Spicy Szechuan Dumpling Soup

It’s that time of year again when we start dreading the cold days and dark afternoons. But we’re getting ahead of that this year with our Spicy Szechuan Dumpling Soup so you have a new delicious recipe to look forward to this fall and winter!

This savory and spicy dish finds the perfect middle ground between a Szechuan dumpling sauce and a Chinese dumpling soup, a goal my dad and I have been striving for since we had some of the best Szechuan dumplings at a restaurant that is now sadly closed. But of course, that is the whole dream Nicole and I had when we created The Candid Cooks – to make restaurant quality meals at home and allow others to share in that experience. 

Spicy, warm, salty, and a little sweet, this dumpling soup recipe is everything you want in a comforting cold night’s meal. Add in a fresh batch of our Homemade Pork Dumplings and you won’t be sad about the coming cold, dark months.

What This Recipe Entails

The majority of the time needed to make this dumpling soup comes from reducing it on the stove to help concentrate the flavors. While that takes time, it is also really easy to do, and doesn’t require being monitored constantly which frees you up to do other things.

• Prep time: 5 minutes
• Cook time: 50 minutes

We absolutely love making homemade pork dumplings, however you can easily use your favorite store bought dumplings to save yourself time.

Spicy Szechuan Soup Ingredients

This easy dumpling soup recipe consists of only three main components: 

• Broth –  We use both vegetable broth and chicken broth to provide a depth of flavor that is missed with just one or the other. However, if you want a vegetarian Chinese soup, follow the same process using only vegetable broth.
• Sauce – This is where the main flavor of the soup comes from. Our spicy Szechuan sauce consists of the following ingredients: soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili oil, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, minced garlic, powdered ginger, salt, and of course, fresh finely ground Sichuan pepper. 
• Dumplings or wontons – We highly recommend using freshly made steamed dumplings (you can find our pork dumpling recipe here). However you can also use the store bought wontons or dumplings of your choice. If making your own dumplings, just be sure they are sealed tight, otherwise they’ll fall apart in your soup. While they may taste the same, all your hard work folding dumplings will be lost!

In case you haven’t had Szechuan pepper (also known as Sichuan pepper) before there are a couple common questions you may be asking. What do Szechuan peppers taste like and how spicy is a Szechuan pepper?

Well, first off, Szechuan peppers aren’t actually peppers at all, they are actually dried berries from the Chinese prickly ash bush. This means that they aren’t actually spicy. And they certainly don’t taste like a traditional pepper! Instead, Szechuan peppers have a flavor often described as bitter, floral, and citrusy. However, what makes these little berries such an interesting ingredient to cook with, and why some may consider them spicy, is the tingling sensation they leave in your mouth!

How To Make Spicy Dumpling Soup

This delicious spicy dumpling soup recipe is super easy to put together and requires very little attention while cooking. Here are the quick and simple steps needed to prepare this soup:

1. Whisk the Szechuan sauce together. Really, that’s it. Combine the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and mix until well combined.
2. Add the broth and sauce to a saucepan. Stir to combine.
3. Bring the soup to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. The goal here is to reduce the soup by about ⅓ of its original volume. All you need to do is remember to stir occasionally. 
4. Serve over hot dumplings and enjoy! For dumpling soup, we believe it’s best to steam the dumplings so the soft shell can soak up the delicious Szechuan flavors. If you want to make this a vegetarian Szechuan soup, just be sure to use veggie dumplings!

Not only is this an easy dumpling soup recipe, it also is easily scalable. If you’re looking to cook this soup for a crowd, follow our Homemade Pork Dumpling Recipe which makes 50 dumplings, and scale the soup by three times while following the same method. You may have to simmer the soup longer to reduce by a third. Instead of steaming the dumplings, dumplings can also be boiled to help with large batches.

To boil a large batch of dumplings: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the dumplings (don’t overcrowd the pot) and cook for about 4 minutes, until cooked through.

How To Serve Spicy Dumpling Soup

One thing Nicole and I love about this spicy Szechuan soup is how many ways it can be served and enjoyed. Here are some of our favorite ideas:

• Enjoy as a dinner – Serve a cup of soup with 8 dumplings for a filling meal.
• Serve as an appetizer or side – Serve a half cup of soup with 4 dumplings to go along with a larger Chinese dinner such as our General Tso’s Chicken!
• Bring it to a potluck – Keep the soup and dumplings warm in a large crockpot for a crowd to easily enjoy!
• Feature your favorite dumplings – Serve your favorite dumplings in a little soup to act as a spicy Szechuan sauce, letting the dumplings soak up the extra spice and flavor.

Storing & Reheating Spicy Szechuan Dumpling Soup

As with all good soups, this recipe makes for plenty of leftovers. Once you have eaten your fill and it comes time to store the extra away, take care to store your dumplings properly so they’re perfect when you’re ready to eat them the next day.

Store the dumplings in a large flat container that provides enough room to keep them from touching and add enough soup to just cover the bottom of each dumpling. Keeping the dumplings moist and separated ensures they don’t stick together. If your dumplings stick together, it will be hard to separate them later causing them to potentially rip. Once your dumplings are put away, just store the remaining soup in an airtight container. 

Stored in the fridge, this Szechuan soup and dumplings will last 3 to 4 days. When you’re ready to enjoy this savory, spicy Szechuan soup all over again, simply add the dumplings and soup to a saucepan, cover, and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until warmed through.

Why Make This Recipe?

While it took awhile to perfect this recipe, the results were very much worth it. Our spicy Szechuan dumpling soup combines an array of spicy, salty, and umami flavors with just a hint of sweetness to help round out the dish. And while the spice might not punch you in the face, the quiet heat builds throughout leaving a warm glow in your mouth and belly by the end of the meal. 

So next time you’re craving a warm comforting meal, whether you’re coming in from a cold winter’s day or feeling under the weather, try our spicy Szechuan dumpling soup and curl up under a blanket by the fire to enjoy. 

Please leave a comment and review below and try some of our other amazing recipes!