I’m a sucker for dumplings. Sweet dumplings are great, but savory dumplings especially the kind simmered in soups and stews are the kind my brother, sister, and I squabbled over and the ones I still long for today. Chickpea flour dumplings are one of my more recent obsessions, and once you try this recipe you’ll understand why. They have all of the plump and puffy goodness of wheat flour dumplings, but a richness all their own, in part because they absorb the flavors of the simmering liquid more than their grain counterparts.
Ingredients
Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1½ cups chopped onions
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- ¼ cup (30 grams) chickpea flour
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, with juices
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 4 cups water
Fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1 cup packed fresh, flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped, for serving
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Dumplings
- 1½ cups (180 grams) chickpea flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped green onions
How to Make It
- To make the soup, heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for 6 to 8 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, flour, thyme, and cayenne; cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, the broth, water, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes to blend the flavors.
- Working in batches, transfer the soup to a food processor or blender (or use an immersion blender in the pot) and purée until smooth. Return the soup to the pot; stir in the lemon zest and season with additional salt and cayenne, if needed. Bring the soup to a simmer over medium heat while preparing the dumpling dough.
- To make the dumplings, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the egg, milk, oil, and green onions, vigorously mixing until blended and smooth (mixture will be very stiff and thick).
- Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons into the simmering soup; drizzle some of the soup over the dumplings. Tightly cover the pot, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a dumpling comes out clean.
- Ladle the soup and dumplings into bowls. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
