Anyways...head colds. Fun. Even more fun when you have a newly reset high deductible HRA insurance plan that makes going to the doctor for routine stuff like this somewhat cost-prohibitive. So, as I can imagine my nonexistent Southern grandma saying, I just need to eat some chicken soup, dumplin'.
So how's it work? Not bad. These were ready to rip after about 10 minutes in the steamer basket on the stove top. There's also microwave instructions but I'm not that kinda guy. Anyways, the six of these puffed up fairly impressively during cooking (we have clear glass lids for our pots so I could watch) and they were positively puffing and pulsing. Yummmm. When done, on the advice of the box (and using a shred of common sense), Sandy and I waited a minute or two for them to cool down so biting into them wouldn't unleash a boiling gush of broth straight down our gizzards.
I won't say the dumplings tasted exactly like chicken soup. As kinda a duh-ism, there's a lot more noodle to it than usual. I will say the doughy parts straddled a good line between usual soup noodle and potsticker dough-type flavor. But there's also not a whole lot of broth, either. I mean, yes, it's there, but the box's claim of being "filled with a warm and savory broth" may be a slight overstatement. Also, the chicken...not sure what spices you all usually put in your chicken soup, but the stuff here, between soy sauce and ginger and garlic made the meat part taste almost chicken sausage-esque. Sandy agreed with that. Also, no typical soup veggies like carrots or celery. End result: The chicken soup dumplings tasted much more like a somewhat juicer version of the regular chicken potstickers than a large bite of chicken soup that inside-outted itself.
Which, I really like those, and I'm not a
huge fan of chicken soup, so overall, I'm happy. They're pretty filling
and decently okay for you caloric content, etc wise - get some fresh
veggies on the side for a good enough lunch on a cold day. I mean, yes,
the salt content is somewhat horrific, but name something that isn't,
and if that's the worst you can say about a frozen prepackaged meal,
it's not that bad in my book. Not that much worse than chicken
soup. I liked 'em, Sandy borderline loved 'em, so these will be a repeat
buy, I'm positive.
I always assumed it was chicken soup with dumplings instead of noodles!
ReplyDeleteAnd who doesn't know who, seriously strong bad, seriously, doesn't know who homestar is??? (Well, OK, most people... But still! )
I'm hoping they release this with pork as that's the type I'm used to ordering at dim sum restaurants.
ReplyDeleteThese are "soup dumplings," which are big dish in Asian cultures. I thought this was TJs version of that and not an attempt to cross dumplings with chicken soup.
ReplyDeleteHrmmm....good point! Somehow that didn't even cross my mind. Pretty good nonetheless!
Deleteyes, i think the distinction here is that they are soup dumplings of the chicken variety, not dumplings of the chicken soup variety. i'm excited to try them, having had traditional soup dumplings in NYC's Chinatown. Delicious!
DeleteIt definitely is -- the bamboo steamer on the box and the chinese soup spoon is a dead giveaway. I feel like this review should be rewritten, as comparing it to classic chicken soup is totally wrong! Still got a good rating though, I suppose.
DeleteI agree. I'm Asian and Chinese soup dumplings are called Xiao long bao. They are very popular and highly regarded delicacy. They are not meant to be chicken soup in dumpling form. The flavors are supposed to be Asian. You eat them with a little bit of soy sauce and very thin ginger slices. Delicious!
DeleteI reviewed this on my blog a few months ago. Actually it was pretty spot on to what you might find at a dim-sum restaurant. Not the best soup dumpling ever but passable for the real thing.
ReplyDeletehttp://mantoujoe.blogspot.com/2015/11/trader-joes-steamed-chicken-soup.html
I had these a little while back. Microwaved them. They heated up fine. Only 2 of 6 seemed to leak a tiny bit, but all of them were deficient in the amount of soup inside. Taste was OK, but not that much better than regular dumplings (I buy big bags of frozen ones in Chinatown here) to make it a repeat buy.
DeleteI've had them a couple of times now. I like them. I heated them up in a broth I made out of Trader Joe's lower sodium chicken broth concentrate packets and then infused it with some lemongrass, ginger and garlic. Then I added some julienned carrots and chives. Top with a squeeze of sriracha. Yum!
ReplyDeleteSounds delish!
DeleteI just had these for lunch with a small salad and I can say I loved them! Great taste and just needed to be thrown in more broth. I am thinking about adding them to the next batch of chicken soup I make instead of my normal noodles!
ReplyDeleteThose are TJs version of xiaolongbao- which are most frequently made with pork- but i suspect TJs sells more chicken than pork in general so they made these chicken.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiaolongbao
If you add some fresh grated ginger and lemon juice into the boxed tomato soup that's a good quick fix cold food.
Ttrockwood
I've them several times in Philadelphia's Chinatown as well as in Cherry Hill, NJ where several Chinatown locations have restaurants. These are petty spot on with the exception of chicken vs pork and lack of cilantro (which a couple places include and I'm thrilled isn't in this). If you choose not to steam them in the enclosed tray and are using a metal steamer vs a bamboo steamer it is best to use lettuce, cabbage, or napa leaves underneath to prevent them from tearing and leaking. Having moved from NJ to FL where xiao long bao doesn't exist I LOVE these!
ReplyDeleteAs Chinese I am tell you the original recipe doesn't contains cilantro. So, whatever you were having, they weren't authentic at all.
DeletePutting soup dumplings into soup kinda kills the purpose. lol Makes more sense to just get regular dumplings as a soup add-in.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I had soup dumplings was at Kung Fu Little Steamed Buns Ramen (yes, that's the name of the restaurant...quite a mouthful!) and fell in love with them. They were like little balloons of thin, transluscent dough, halfway or more filled with broth. Little balloons of heaven. I tried to find a place that made these in Northern VA, but the restaurant I read about didn't quite deliver to my expectations - the dough was thicker, and the dumplings were all deflated! It was basically a meatball in a limp thing of dough :( I was excited to see that these were now available at TJ's, but judging by the picture, I don't think they are very good. I'm still curious to try them, although I'm not holding my breath.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love these, it combines 2 of my favorite comfort foods - chicken soup and dumplings! I mlcan most definitely scarf a whole box down within minutes!
ReplyDelete