STEAMED DUMPLINGS

Dumplings are cooked balls of dough. They are based on flour, potatoes or bread, and may include meat, fish, vegetables, or sweets. They may be cooked by boiling, steaming, simmering, frying, or baking. They may have a filling, or there may be other ingredients mixed into the dough. Dumplings may be sweet or spicy. They can be eaten by themselves, in soups or stews, with gravy, or in any other way. While some dumplings resemble solid water boiled doughs, such as gnocchi, others such as wontons resemble meatballs with a thin dough covering.

Dim sum refers to a style of Chinese food prepared as small bite-sized or individual portions of food traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates. Dim sum is also well known for the unique way it is served in some restaurants, wherein fully cooked and ready-to-serve dim sum dishes are carted around the restaurant for customers to choose their orders while seated at their tables.

Recipes for steamed dumplings

Soft light pastry encases tasty fillings in these treats. We have made 5 fillings and 2 dipping sauces, and we show you how to shape the dumplings in diferent ways.

Fillings and dipping sauces can be made a day ahead, cover and refrigerate them.

The pastry is best made close to assembling, and dumplings must be cooked just before serving.
Each filling makes enough for 24 dumplings. Dumplings are not suitable to freeze; fillings are suitable
to microwave.

BASIC PASTRY
1 cup (150g) plain flour
1/4 cup (35g) cornflour
1 cup (250ml) water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil

1. Sift flours into medium bowl. Combine water and vegetable oil in small pan, bring to boil, pour over flours, stirring quickly with a wooden spoon to mix to a sticky dough.

2. Knead dough briefly on lightly floured baking paper until smooth. Divide dough into 5 portions; wrap each portion in plastic. Roll each portion between sheets of baking paper until about 1mm thick (pastry should be paper thin, almost see-through). Cut 4 x 9 cm rounds from each portion of
dough. Re-roll all scraps, cut 4 more 9cm rounds. Drop rounded teaspoons of filling into centres of rounds.

3. Crescents: Fold rounds over to enclose filling and make crescents; press edges together to seal. Using fingers, crimp edges.

4. Pouches: Gather dough around filling and twist to seal. For a variation, turn dumpling upside down so the twist becomes the base.

5. Pockets: Using both hands, pinch rounds together as shown; press edges together.

6. Line a large bamboo steamer with baking paper. Place dumplings in batches in steamer, brush lightly with sesame oil, cover, steam over wok or pan of simmering water about 10 minutes or until pastry is translucent. Serve with dipping sauces.

FILLINGS

DUCK AND BLACK BEAN
250g Chinese barbecued duck
2 teaspoons peanut oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 green shallots, finely chopped
80g mushrooms, finely chopped
2 tablespoons black bean sauce
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sugar

Discard skin and bones from duck, chop meat finely (you need 1 cup meat). Heat oil in small pan, add garlic, shallots and mushrooms, cook, stirring, until mushrooms are soft. Stir in remaining ingredients, cook, stirring, 2 minutes; cool.

PRAWN AND BOK CHOY
2 teaspoons peanut oil
2 green shallots, finely chopped
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 small (35g) carrot, finely grated
2 teaspoons chopped fresh coriander leaves
2 tablespoons canned bamboo
shoots, finely chopped
1 small (50g) bok choy, finely shredded
300g uncooked medium prawns, shelled, finely chopped

Heat oil in small pan, add shallots, ginger, carrot, coriander and bamboo shoots, cook, stirring, about 2 minutes or until carrot is tender. Add bok choy, cook, stirring, until just wilted; cool. Combine prawns with vegetable mixture; mix well.

BEAN CURD AND MUSHROOM
3 Chinese dried mushrooms
2 teaspoons peanut oil
1 green shallot, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
10 (55g) canned straw mushrooms, finely chopped
1/4 cup (40g) canned drained baby corn, finely chopped
1/4 cup (40g) canned drained water chestnuts, finely chopped
50g firm bean curd (tofu), drained, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Place mushrooms in small heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water, stand 20 minutes. Drain mushrooms, discard stems, chop caps finely. Heat oil in pan, add all ingredients, cook, stirring, about 3 minutes; cool.

PORK AND CABBAGE
2 teaspoons peanut oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons cornflour
1/4 cup (60ml) water
1 tablespoon Light soy sauce
4 (125g) Chinese cabbage leaves, finely shredded
250g minced pork

Heat oil in pan, add garlic and ginger, cook, stirring, until fragrant. Add blended cornflour and water, and sauce, stir over heat until mixture boils and thickens. Add cabbage, cook, stirring, until just wilted; cool. Combine vegetable mixture with pork; mix well.

CHICKEN AND PEANUT
2 Chinese dried mushrooms
1 tablespoon dried shrimp
1/2 stick (55g) celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 green shallot, finely chopped
1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
150g minced chicken

Place mushrooms and shrimp in separate small heatproof bowls, cover with boiling water, stand 20 minutes; drain. Discard stems from mushrooms, chop caps finely. Chop shrimp finely. Combine
mushrooms and shrimp in bowl with remaining ingredients; mix well.

DIPPING SAUCES for dumplings

HONEY CORIANDER SAUCE
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup (60mI) chicken stock
2 teaspoons chopped fresh coriander leaves
1/2 small fresh red chilli, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in small bowl; mix well.

BLACK BEAN SAUCE
1 tablespoon black bean sauce
pinch five spice powder
1/3 cup (80ml) chicken stock
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
2 green shallots, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in small bowl; mix well.

Chinese with Bill & Sheila

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