The China Press was an English-language daily published in Shanghai. .The column tells us how a cuisine travels and who gets the credit for the recipes. Chicken and dumplings traveled better than almost any southern dish, because it belonged to people who left. The readers of The China Press were homesick expatriates. A newspaper column turns a cuisine into circulation for a publisher. A cook turns it into revenue, payroll, and a career. Chicken and dumplings is a one-pot dish built for stretching an old bird, with dumplings dropped straight into the broth. The same dish filled dining rooms catering to migrant workers.
Stewed Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
1 stewing fowl
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup milk
2 tablespoons minced parsley
Directions
Clean and cut up the chicken. Place it in a kettle, partly cover with water, and add the chopped onion and salt to taste. Simmer until tender. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and minced parsley with the milk. Drop this batter by spoonfuls into the boiling broth, right on top of the chicken. Cover tightly and cook for 15 minutes without raising the lid. Place the stewed chicken on a hot platter, surround it with the dumplings, and serve immediately.
The China Press, September 11, 1936.