Thai Coconut Soup With Sugarcane Chicken Dumplings

Make the soup base. In a saucepan, combine the lobster stock, chili paste, lemon grass, Thai basil leaves and small Thai chile and bring to a boil. Reduce until only 2 cups remain. Set aside.

Make the dumplings. In a mixing bowl, combine the ground chicken, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce, potato starch and black pepper. Mix until well blended. Divide into 8 portions. Wrap each portion around the end of each sugarcane stick. Reserve.

Make the soup. To the soup base, add the coconut milk and lime leaves. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, lime juice and sugar. Add the dumplings and simmer until done, about 3 minutes.

Divide the softened glass noodles on four soup bowls. Place two dumplings crisscross on top of the noodles, leaning to the side of the bowl. Divide the soup onto the four bowls. Garnish each bowl with julienne of carrots, leeks, Thai chiles and lime leaf. Serve immediately.

This recipe yields 4 servings.