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Steamed Dumplings

CalendarIcon September 26 2010 CalendarIcon Author: allergickidmom
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steamed dumplingsDumplings are so versatile that you can basically make whatever kind of filling you want, meat, vegetables, seafood, combination of the above as long as you know the techniques.  Dumpling is definitely a comfort food that I love. Making dumplings is also a Chinese family affair.  Everybody gathers in the kitchen and talks about what happened during the day.  One person is in charge of making dumpling skins. That person usually rolls out the dumpling skins realy fast in order to supply the skins to the rest of us who wrap the dumpling filling in the skins. 

Making dumplings is also a tradition for celebrating Chinese New Year in Beijing.  On the eve of Chinese New Year, everybody including kids is supposed to stay up until after midnight. We make dumplings (often made of wheat flour, garlic chive, napa cabbage, eggs, shrimp and pork) while watching shows of Chinese New Year celebration on TV. At around midnight, men in every household go out to light up firecrackers and fireworks to drive away evil spirits.  We wake up early in the morning of the first day of another Chinese lunar year.  We boil and eat the dumplings we made the night before.  Then, we go out to visit relatives and friends.


People living in the southern part of China such as Guang Dong (Canton) province and Hong Kong eat dumplings made of rice flour.  Steamed shrimp dumplings are served in a dim sum house, a gathering place for Yum Cha (i.e., tea tasting) during the weekend.  Food served there are in small portions (like tapas) and are often wheeled around on a trolley by servers. 


When I found out my son's allergies to most of the eight common allergens, I thought of making the Cantanese style dumplings using rice flour.  I substituted soy sauce with Ji Zhi which is made of water, sugar, rice, wine, vinegar, spices and preservatives.  Although I don't like any food with preservatives, this is one product which can substitute soy sauce without sacrificing the taste in cooking Chinese food.  Most likely you can find it in a Chinese grocery store.  One cautionary note to Ji Zhi - it is not clear from the product label if the vinegar used in Ji Zhi contains wheat as some Chinese vinegar is made of wheat ingredient.  I tried to search the website but could not find the manufacturer.  It is okay not to use Ji Zhi in this recipe if you don't want to use it.  You can add more five spice powder (see ingredient below).

Ingredients

Dumpling Skin:

          
  • 2 cups Vinh Thuan Hagou Flour (If you can't find the Hagou, or shrimp dumpling flour, you can make your own Hagou flour by mixing superfine rice flour and tapioca flour - 4:1 ratio.  You can find these flour (such as the Erawan brand) in Asian grocery stores.  You can NOT substitute with the ones from regular health food stores) 
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tbsp grape seed oil
  • 1/8 cup Vinh Thuan Hagou Flour for dusting

Dumpling Filling:

          
  • 1 1/2 cup chopped garlic chive
  • 1/2 cup chopped water chestnut (about 3 water chestnut)
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh or dried shitake mushroom
  • 1/4 cup pound ground pork, or your choice of gound meat
  • 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil or other vegetable oil if you are allergic to sesame seeds
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp Ji Zhi
  • 1/8 tsp five spice powder (1/4 tsp five spice powder if you can't find Ji Zhi)

 
Directions

Dumpling Skin:

              
  1. Mix Hagou flour and water in a small pot.
  2. Cook over low heat.  Constantly stir using a wooden spatula or chopsticks until the mixture holds together and becomes almost translucent. 
  3. Roll the dough while it is warm.  Dust the remaining Hagou flour over the dough and continue kneading the dough.  Add the grape seed oil and knead the dough until it becomes very smooth.
  4. Roll the dough into a rope (about 1 inch thick).  Divide into about 30 pieces.
  5. Press down several pieces and form little circles. Cover the remaining pieces with a damp cloth or plastic wrap to avoid from chapping.
  6. Use a rolling pin to roll the pressed small circle in one direction. Then turn 90 degrees and roll out the dough to make a thin circle.  Making dumpling skins takes practice.  My mom can make a whole bunch within a few minutes.  The trick is to hold the edge of a pressed dough and turn the edge in one direction with one hand while using the other hand to roll the edge of the dough without passing the center of the dough.  As a result, the skin can hold more filling without breaking it. I recommend only making a few skins at a time.  If you can not wrap the dumplings fast enough, the dumpling skins will become chapped.

Dumpling Filling:

             
  1. Mix the gound meat with the sesame oil.  Stir really well to reach a smooth consistency.
  2. Combine chopped garlic chive, water chesnut, shitake mushroom and minced ginger.
  3. Add salt, Ji Zhi, five spice powder and stir well.

Making the Dumplings:

             
  1. Scoop a small portion of the filling (about 1tbsp) and place in the center of the dumpling skin.  Hold the filled skin with one hand and fold it lightly.  Pinch the top together using the thumb and the index finger of the other hand.
  2. Tuck the right end in and then pinch it together using the thumb and the index finger. 
  3. Make pleats until the pleats reach the center.  
  4. Tuck the left end and make pleats on the left toward the center.  
  5. Boil ample water in a pot.  Lay a damp cloth or a layer of napa cabbage in a steamer. Arrange dumplings in the steamer to allow enough space between dumplings.  Once the water is boiled, put steamer on top of the pot.  Cover and steam for 5 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Dipping Sauce: 

             
  1. Ingredients: 1 minced garlic, 1 tsp minced scallion, 1/4 tsp minced ginger, 1 tbsp minced cilantro, 3 tbsp Ji Zhi, 1/4 tsp sesame (vegetable) oil, 1/4 tsp agave nectar syrup and 10 tbsp water.
  2. Mix all ingredients together.

 

 

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