Single Vori Vori Chicken Dumpling Soup

Heat all the oil in a small heavy saucepan and soften all the onion, carrot and celery over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring. Add all the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add all the chicken broth, bring to a gentle simmer and cook covered for 10 minutes until the vegetables are nearly tender.

Mix all the very fine cornmeal and mozzarella in a small bowl. Stir in 30 ml hot broth taken from the pan, then knead carefully with a spoon and, once safe to touch, your fingers. If crumbly, add up to 10 ml more broth from the pan a little at a time. Rest for 5 minutes to hydrate. The dough must be soft and cohesive but firm enough to roll, not a wet batter. Roll all of it into small smooth balls about 2 cm across.

Keep the soup at a gentle simmer. Lower all the balls into it and simmer partly covered for 25-30 minutes, nudging gently rather than stirring vigorously. Cut one ball open: its center must be cooked through and tender, with no hard gritty cornmeal. Return both halves to the soup; floating alone is not the doneness test.

Add all the already cooked shredded chicken and simmer for 3-5 minutes until hot throughout and the chicken reaches 74 °C. Stir in all the parsley and taste before adding salt and pepper. Serve the entire soup, chicken, vegetables and all the dumplings in one bowl as one lunch portion; no bread, rice or extra cheese is included.