Have you had the flu yet? I have, and it sucked! By the third day, I had a runny nose that was also stuffy, a headache, dizzy spells, and was utterly drained of energy. I didn’t know what I wanted to eat and was in no mood to cook. Then my friend reminded me of 疙瘩汤 gēdatāng, and it actually brought about a bit of comfort…
If you translate it directly it means “knot soup,” named after the pieces of dough knots in the soup. But if you put it directly into a translation app, it tends to come out with the less-than-appealing name of “pimple soup” …
A quick search on Meituan will get you multiple restaurants that make their version of gedatang, but this soup takes just minutes to make and chances are you’ve already got everything you need in your fridge.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup of all-purpose flour
- a pinch of salt
- ¼ cup water plus more if needed
- 1 large tomato
- ¾ cup of leafy greens if you’re in the mood.
Directions:
- Start by dicing your tomatoes and chopping up your leafy greens.
- Make the dough knots by mixing flour and water in a large bowl. With a whisk, mix until your dough slightly starts to take shape. You don’t need it to be hard.
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Make the soup by sautéing your tomatoes in a pan. Cook until the juices are released.
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Add in water (or vegetable stock if you’ve got it) and salt until it’s got that perfectly sweet and sour taste that you like.
- Now make the dough knots. This is easier than it sounds. With a pair of chopsticks, pick up pieces of your dough and drop them into the soup. Let it cook for a minute before stirring.
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Finally, add in your leafy greens and let them cook for just a little while. Taste and season accordingly.
- Garnish with some chopped spring onion or cilantro.
Images: Pexels, Joey Guo
