margoli@watson.ibm.com (Larry Margolis) (04/08/91)
In <1991Apr07.163721.6572@mthvax.cs.miami.edu> roth@pdntg1.paradyne.com (Mike Rothman) writes: > Can someone PLEASE post a recipe for Dumplings, and possibly also the > sauce they come with as well (the black sauce) First, note that dim sum encompases a wide variety of wonderful dishes, of which dumplings is just a small part. The following is something I posted to rec.food.cooking a while ago. --------- I make these a lot, and really love them. Whenever I make them, I make plenty; after they're cooked, leftovers can be frozen and then re-steamed. I threw a party recently where I made tons of food; I made dumplings both according to the following recipe and with ground chicken instead of the pork (for the non-red meat eaters). Both were good, but I prefer the pork. Shao-mai (Steamed Pork Dumplings, Cantonese Style) 1/2 pound ready-made shao mai 1 tbl Chinese rice wine, or pale wrappers (available in dry sherry Chinatown or many oriental 1 tbl soy sauce groceries) 2 tsp salt 2 stalks celery cabbage 1 tsp sugar 1 pound boneless pork shoulder, 1/4 cup finely chopped canned bamboo finely ground shoots 1 tbl corn starch Prepare ahead: 1. With a cleaver or heavy, sharp knife, cut off the flat ends and trim away any wilted green tops from the cabbage stalks. Wash the stalks under cold running water, then drain them thoroughly and chop into a very fine dice. Place the chopped cabbage into a kitchen towel or double layer of cheesecloth and squeeze it firmly to extract as much of its moisture as possible. 2. In a bowl, combine the pork, wine, soy sauce, salt, sugar and corn starch, and, with a large spoon, mix them thoroughly together. Stir in the cabbage and bamboo shoots. 3. To fill each dumpling, place a shao mai wrapper on the palm of your hand and cup it loosely. Place one tablespoonful of the filling in the cup. Then, with your other hand, gather the sides of the wrapper around the filling, letting the wrapper pleat naturally. Squeeze the middle gently to make sure that the wrapper fits firmly against the filling, and to give the cylinder a faintly wasp-waisted look. Tap the dumpling to flatten its bottom so it can stand upright. When all the dumplings are made, place them on a greased heatproof plate 1/2 inch smaller in diameter than the pot in which you plan to steam them. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to cook them - but no longer than 2 to 3 hours. To cook: Pour enough boiling water into the lower part of a steamer to come within an inch of the cooking rack. Place the plate of dumplings on the rack. Over high heat, bring the water in the steamer to a rolling boil. Cover the pan tightly and steam for 30 minutes. If the dumplings must be made in 2 or more batches, keep the finished dumplings warm as you proceed with the rest by covering them with a saucepan lid. Or they may be reheated in the steamer for a minute or so before serving. In any case, during the steaming process, it is wise to keep a kettle of boiling water at hand if the water in the steamer boils away and needs replenishing. Serve the dumplings on the steamer plate set directly on a platter or, with chopsticks, tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the finished dumplings to a heated platter. ------ (The above is from the Time-Life Foods Of the World series, Chinese Cooking edition.) For a dipping sauce, I pour about 4 parts soy sauce in a small bowl with one part vinegar, a splash of sesame oil, and a little finely sliced scallion for garnish. ------ Since this has to last you the whole summer, and I'm too lazy to type in my recipe for making the wrappers in case you can't purchase them ready-made, I'm going to repost an article that has a recipe for wrappers and another recipe for the dumplings. Enjoy! ------ From: hammonds@riacs.edu (Steve Hammond) Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking Subject: pot stickers/gyoza/dumplings (long) Date: 14 Nov 89 02:30:25 GMT Reply-To: hammonds@hydra.riacs.edu.UUCP (Steve Hammond) The Chinese New Year arrives in Taipei with much fanfare and ritual. Several weeks before the holiday, telltale signs of its advent are clearly visible; clotheslines usually festooned with laundered pantaloons and tunics become burdened with the weight of fragrant coils of freshly made sausage. The marketplace, filled to the brim with the usual bounty of shellfish, meat, and fish, offers such usual New Year's delicacies as glutinous rice cake (nian gao), red and white glutinous rice balls, and mountainous stacks of dried shark's fin, bird's nests, and silver ears -- prime ingredients fro the New Year's banquet. The frequent boom of firecrackers exploding in the streets -- set off to ward away evil spirits -- becomes more pronounced as the holiday approaches, and the air fairly tingles with electricity of expectation and excitement -- for this is the most important holiday of the Chinese lunar calendar. In Chinese homes, preparations begin at least a month in advance. Houses are cleaned from top to bottom, new clothes for the entire family are made or purchased, and the kitchen teems with activity from early morning to late at night as many dishes are made ready for the feasting. Much of the cooking for the holiday is made in advance. In northern China a custom that has been observed for centuries still exists today; women friends and relatives gather before the holiday to prepare several hundred jiao zi, meat dumplings or Peking ravioli. The finished dumplings are arranged on trays and left to freeze in the chill winter air. During the holiday, a cauldron of water is boiled, the desired number of dumplings are cooked, and a hot filling meal is ready in minutes. Often a silver coin is placed inside one of the dumplings, signifying good luck in the coming year for the recipient. Some families prefer to pan-fry the dumplings (in this case they are called guo tie), creating a golden crust that gives ravioli the appearnce of golden coins. The Cantonese are fond of a New Year's dumpling made of glutinous rice and a filling of powdered sesame seeds and sugar. This pastry is believed to symbolize completeness and is served to celebrate the family unit and ensure a healthy harvest and bountiful year. In some parts of eastern China, these dumplings are eaten two weeks after the New Year, whereas in Fukina, an eastern-province north of Canton, they are consumed during the Mid-Autumn Festival and are often dusted with a mixture of sesame seeds, ground peanuts, and sugar. Dumplings have a prominent place in Chinese cuisine; they are prepared in numerous variations for holidays and festivals and they are consumed on a daily basis in several parts of China. In the north, where wheat provides the area with its wealth of noodles and steamed breads, dumplings frequently act as a staple substitute for rice, in addition to being served as a meal themselves. The same is true in western China. In the east and the south, dumplings are considered to be a type of dim sum (dian xin) and are commonly served as a snack with tea or wine. The origin of dumplings is undocumented, but it is believed that these pastries, along with other wheat products, were introduced to China from the west -- most likely Persia or central Asia. They quickly were adapted to Chinese ingredients and were incorporated into the daily diet. As these snacks were adopted by various cuisines, their ingredients were altered slightly, depending on the products of the area. In the north, dumplings were filled with lamb, pork, and chives. In Sichuan province, the filling included a mixture of pork, cabbage, and dried shrimp. In the eastern and southern regions, more delicate variations of the dumplings evolved (such as hun dun and shao mai), with stuffings of shrimp, bamboo shoots, and black mushrooms. The methods of cooking dumplings have regional characteristics as well; in the north they are boiled, whereas in the east they are steamed on beds of pine needles that have been anointed with sesame oil. Dumpling Skins jiao zi pi The texture of these fresh pasta products is positively silky in comparison to the commercially prepared kind. Making them by hand is a very time-consuming process, but the result is certainly worth the effort. Commercial dumpling skins (gyoza) will work just fine. Fifty skins: 2.5 cups all-purpose flour 1.25 cups boiling water 1. Place the flour in a mixing bowl and add the boiling water. With a wooden spoon, mix the ingredients to a rough ball. If the dough is too hot to handle, let it cool a bit; then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and need for about 5 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic. If the dough is too sticky, need a few tablespoons of flour into it. Cover the dough and let it rest for 25 minutes. 2. Cut the dough in two and form each half into a long snakelike roll about 1 inch in diameter. Cut each half into 25 pieces. with a cut edge down, press each into a circle. Using a small rolling pin or a tortilla press that has been lightly floured, roll out each piece into a 3-inch circle. Cover the circles with a cloth or towel to prevent drying. Fifty Dumplings Jiao Zi Meat dumplings typify the hearty, wholesome qualities of northern home-style cooking. Traditionally, they are filled with pork, cabbage, and flavored with a generous amount of Chinese garlic chives. For a nice variation is to substitute lamb for pork 1.5 cups finely minced Chinese cabbage (Napa) 1 tsp salt 75 pounds ground pork 1 cup finely minced Chinese garlic chives, leeks, or scallion greens Dumpling Seasoning 2 Tbs soy sauce 1 Tbs rice wine (shaohsing) 2 Tbs sesame oil 1.5 tsp minced ginger 1.5 tsp minced garlic 1. Place the minced cabbage in a large mixing bowl, add the salt, toss lightly to mix evenly, and let sit for 30 min. (this is done to remove the water from the cabbage, so the filling will not soak through the dumpling skin.) Take a handful of minced cabbage and squeeze out as much water as possible. Place the cabbage in a mixing bowl. Squeeze out all the cabbage and discard water. Add the pork, minced chives, and "dumpling seasoning". Stir vigorously in to combine the ingredients evenly. (If the mixture seems loose, add 2 Tbs cornstarch to bind it together.) 2. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of each dumpling skin, and fold the skin over to make a half-moon shape. Spread a little water along the edge of the skin. Use the thumb and index finger of one hand to form small pleats along the outside edge of the skin; with the other hand, press the two opposite edges of the skin together to seal. The inside edge of the dumpling should curve in a semi-circular fashion to conform to the shape of the pleated edge. Place the sealed edge dumplings on a baking sheet that has been lightly dusted with cornstarch or flour. 3. In a large wok or pot, bring about 3qts of water to a boil. Add half the dumplings, stirring immediately to prevent them from sticking together, and heat until the water begins to boil. Add 1/2 cup cold water and continue to cook over high heat until the water boils. Add another 1/2 cup cold water and cook until the water boils again. Remove and drain. Cook the remaining dumplings in the same manner. (this is the traditional method of cooking dumplings; for a simpler method, boil for about 8 minutes, uncovered, on high heat. Serve the cooked dumplings with one (or both) of the following dipping sauces: Dipping Sauce I 1/2 cup soy sauce 3 Tbs Chinese Black vinegar or Worcestershire sauce Dipping Sauce II 1/2 cup soy sauce 2 Tbs Chinese Black vinegar or Worcestershire sauce 1 Tbs chili oil or chili paste with garlic Variation add 1 Tbs shredded gingerroot or minced garlic to either of the sauces. Pan Fried Dumplings Guo Tie Literally translated, guo tie means "pot stickers," and anyone who has not used a well-seasoned pan to cook these dumplings will understand the appropriateness of this title; the dumplings often refuse to dislodge themselves from the pan. 25 dumplings 3.5 Tbs peanut oil 5 meat dumpling from above 1 cup boiling water Heat a large wok or well-seasoned skillet until very hot. Add three tablespoons of oil and and heat until hot. Place the dumplings in the pan, pleated side up. Fry the dumplings over medium heat until their bottoms are a deep golden brown. Add the boiling water to the pan and cover. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes. Uncover, and pour out the water. Lightly rinse the dumplings for 5 seconds under hot running water to remove excess starch*. Drain. Place the pan containing the dumplings over medium-high heat. Drizzle 1/2 Tbs of oil around the dumplings and fry until the bottoms are again crisp (about 2 minutes). Loosen any dumplings that seem to be stuck to the bottom. * I have only had to rinse when I have made the skins myself. Most of this came from the book Nina Simonds, "Classic Chinese Cuisine", Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1982. It is an excellent Chinese cookbook. The recipes are straight forward and typically pretty easy. It contains nice (often wordy and sometimes slightly dated) descriptions and historical notes.