CHINESE DUMPLINGS - Easy recipe
This easy recipe will bring your dumplings dream come true! Make them at home, keeping the authentic Chinese taste intact and you will never run to restaurants to grab them!
I must say that our numerous visits to various restaurants in the China Town, in Central London, just to taste their authentic dumplings, have always been tantamount to a massive disappointment. They never lived up to our expectations and I found the outermost layer delicate and moist but the inner filling had very little or no flavours at all. Also, the filling was very little in quantity too.
So, while experimenting with dumpling-making for a while, I came out with such exciting results which surely became an instant hit with my family as well as with friends. As a matter of fact, the overall taste is completely based upon the filling, so, take all the ingredients fresh and of good quality. Minced pork is best for this recipe but if you do not prefer pork opt for chicken mince.
The best advantage of making them at home is that you could make them deliciously flavourful according to your desire and you will have plenty to gobble down.
So let’s get on with making dumplings!
Ingredients needed for the dough and for the filling :
Enough for 30 – 35 dumplings.
| For the outer cover | |
| Plain flour | 300g |
| Boiling water | 1/2 cup |
| Warm water(enough to knead the dough) | |
| For the filling | |
| Pork mince or Chicken mince | 300 g |
| Spring Onion – Class A – 120 g | 1 bunch |
| Soy sauce (dark) | 4 tbsp or more |
| Blended sesame oil | 4 tbsp |
| Brown Sugar | 3 pinches |
| Ginger – shredded | 1-inch root |
| Salt | 3 pinches |
| Corn flour | 4 tbsp |
| Rice vinegar | 1 tbsp |
| Cabbage – shredded | 1 cup (optional) |
Let’s get started:
1) Make the dumplings dough
- Place 300g of plain flour in a bowl and make a well in the middle
- Now, pour 1/2 cup of boiling water into the well
- Immediately, cover the bowl and let it rest for 5 mins
- Open the lid and run through a wooden spoon. Again cover and leave for 10 mins
- Now pour 1/2 cup of warm water gradually while kneading the flour with your hand
- Add more warm water if needed and knead until the dough becomes soft to touch and does not stick onto your fingers Cover and let it rest for 30 mins
- In the meantime, make the filling
2) Make the filling;
- In a large bowl add minced pork
- Then add chopped spring onions
- Drop sugar and chopped ginger in
- Now, add soy sauce, sesame sauce, and vinegar
- Drop cornflour in
- Bring all together using a fork or chopsticks
- The filling is ready!
3) Let’s make the dumplings and steam them
- Divide the dough into equal size balls
- Lightly flour the surface of the kitchen worktop or a wide chopping board. Place a ball of dough and roll it to a flat round disk, using a rolling pin
- Place a tablespoon of meat mixture on the middle
- Bring both sides together and pinch on the pleat making them tightly clasped
- Make enough for one round of steaming. While one batch is in the steamer, you can go ahead making the next batch and place them on a flour-dusted surface
4) Let’s make the dumplings and steam them:
- The final step is to steam the dumplings. Brush oil on the bottom of the steamer and arrange dumplings without sticking to each other. Now, steam on high flame for about 5 – 6 mins. You will see the colour of the outer cover change and start glistering when cooked enough
- Switch off the flame and take out dumplings one by one, very gently, with the help of soft edged tongs and place them on a plate
- Your delicate dumplings are ready!
Let’s make the dipping sauce
What you will need:
- 2 tbsp – dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp – warm water
- chopped coriander leaves
- a few pieces of chopped red chili for a fiery blend. (avoid chili when serving kids)
Whisk all together and serve in a separate bowl next to dumplings with chopsticks, a fork, or a spoon. In place of this sauce dipper, you can opt for Chinese chili oil or chili paste which are ideal dippers for these dumplings.
Comments
Post a Comment