Chive Dumplings 

• 1/4 C Ricotta Whole Milk
• 1 Egg
• 1/4 Tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
• 1/4 C Yellow Cornmeal
• 1/4 C chopped fresh Chives
• Vegetable Stock to simmer

Combine ricotta in food processor and process until smooth.  Add beaten egg and season with salt and pepper.  Combine with cornmeal until completely smooth.  Transfer to a clean bowl, add chives and mix.  Let rest for 10 minutes and then form into 4 balls of 46 grams per dumpling.

Bring vegetable stock to the simmer and add dumplings just enough to not crowd the pot.  Once they float allow to simmer for 1 more minute, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Reheat for service in a poaching vegetable stock liquid.

Potato Soup

• ½ Tsp Vegetable Oil
• 2 C chopped White Onions
• 2 C diced White Potatoes
• 3 C Chicken or Vegetable Stock
• 4 sprigs of fresh Thyme, including stems
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sweat onions in vegetable oil until translucent.  Add diced potatoes and sauté for 1 minute.  Add stock and thyme and simmer until potatoes are fully cooked roughly 15 mins.

Remove thyme stems from pot and puree in a blender until smooth.  Season to taste.

Chili Padi Sauce

• 1/4 Cup Low-Sodium Soy Sauce or Tamari
• 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1 Tbsp chopped red Thai (Bird’s Eye) Chili
• 1 Tbsp chopped green Thai (Bird’s Eye) Chili

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients well, making sure sugar is fully dissolved. Set aside.

Chive Funnel Cakes

• 1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 Tbsp White Sugar
• 2 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1 Tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 Egg
• 1 Cup Milk
• 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
• 1/4 Cup finely chopped Chives
• 3 Tbsp Kewpie (Japanese-style) Mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp toasted Sesame Seeds
• Additional chopped chives for garnish, optional
• Vegetable Oil for frying

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. To the dry ingredients, add egg, milk and melted butter. Whisk until just combined and mixture is free of any lumps. Fold in chopped chives.

Open a large resealable freezer bag, and fold the edges over a large mug or liquid measuring cup. Pour the chive batter into the bag and seal the top. Prepare a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towel.

Bring a medium pot no more than one-third full of vegetable oil up to 350º F. Snip a very small corner of the freezer bag to form a piping bag and very carefully but quickly pipe small snack sized fritters into the hot oil. Aim for about 2 x 4 inches per mini funnel cake. (Tip: The batter will want to dance across the oil – to get a consistent sized shape, try piping one short line, and wait for it to rise up to the surface. Then pipe small criss-cross squiggles over that first line to form a little “raft”.) Fry until light golden brown on both sides, using a slotted spoon to flip over as needed. Use the slotted spoon to transfer each funnel cake to your prepared baking sheet. While still warm, very lightly season the funnel cakes with kosher salt.

To serve, transfer freshly fried funnel cakes to serving platter, and lightly drizzle over with a nice even squeeze of kewpie mayo. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over the mayo and garnish with additional chopped chives if desired. Serve hot with Chili Padi Sauce for dipping.