Welcome back, Geeky Gluttons, to another episode of Munchies & Minis!
For those just joining us, Munchies & Minis is my tabletop RPG-inspired live cooking show. Once a week, I make a snack or meal to pair with a side of dice rolls. You can catch me on Twitch (unless indicated otherwise on social media) Wednesday nights at 7 pm EST.
In our last video, we made some pork and chestnut stew from D&D‘s travel guide, Volo’s Guide to the Dalelands. This week, we continue Volo’s journey through the Sword Coast to The Hungry Halfling, a tavern with some famous Chicken Dumplings!
The Culinary Corm Orp
The Sunset Vale encompasses the lands east of Baldur’s Gate along the River Chionthar up to the Sunset Mountains. Vale cities such as Beregost and Elturel make appearances in Forgotten Realms: Descent into Avernus. However, today I want to go further east to the halfling haven of Corm Orp.
According to the bard Volo in his Guide to the Sword Coast, Corm Orp is “the fastest-growing halfling community north of the land of Luiren. Every Shieldmeet, more halflings gather in Corm Orp, like what they see, and decide to move there.” Primarily a farming town, Corm Orp acts as the region’s breadbasket with exports including sausage, mushrooms, and free-range hogs. This small-road hamlet also hosts The Hungry Halfling, a favorite inn to traders on the Dusk Road.
The name certainly fits this hub of halfling hospitality — comfortable rooms stocked with fruit liqueur and mint water, insulated boxes for room service, and a local menu of epicurean delights. Volo mentions that at The Hungry Halfling, the food “is as good and hearty as popular lore credits halflings for. (The chicken dumplings are superb.).”
Having lived in Georgia for the past 20 years (gods, now I feel old!), chicken dumplings is one of those dishes I have opinions about. Too many times have I received stomach-churning bowls of bland mush! The gravy needs to enhance the chicken, not drown it! So this is what I came up with.
Nuts are a common ingredient found in halfling beers, bread, and breakfast items throughout the book — almonds in particular. That’s why I simmered my bountiful harvest of apples, peas, onions, and carrots in almond milk. Since Corm Orp halflings pride themselves on their mushrooms and bacon, that also went into the pot.
Dumplings themselves should be light and fluffy. That’s why a lidded pot to steam the top is essential to this recipe. However, I felt halflings would want to highlight them as the dish’s star. So with that, I blended fresh thyme and parsley into the batter.
And finally, I’m not going to lie. My favorite part of the chicken is the skin— especially when spiced and crispy. That’s why I first browned it in bacon fat, then removed it to cook separately to crunchy perfection. It makes the perfect garnish for this hearty halfling feast.
Want to learn how to make The Hungry Halfling’s Chicken Dumplings for your adventuring party? Watch the video or find out how to get the recipe card below!
The Hungry Halfling’s Chicken Dumplings
Sing for your Supper!
This video will always be around to cook along with. But I also have the printable PDF recipe cards available for my Ko-Fi and Patreon supporters.
This week, my blog post and Munchies & Minis recipe cards are available in exchange for a $2 donation on my Ko-fi page.
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I hope that this episode inspired you to start a culinary campaign of your own. Next week, I’ll continue the third season of Munchies & Minis with a recipe chosen by my Patreon subscribers!
Make sure to join me live Wednesday on Twitch from 7 pm – 9 pm EST. OR you can catch the archived episode on YouTube.
