Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Boiled Chinese Dumplings

Prep /Total Time : 5 hours       Makes  32 dumplings

DIPPING SAUCE:
              1/3                cup sake
1/4                cup soy sauce
1/4                cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1                   tablespoon sugar
3                   thin slices of garlic
1                   tablespoon minced scallion
1/2                tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1                   tablespoon hot-chile sesame oil
DUMPLINGS : 1/2               head napa cabbage (1 pound)—root cut off, cabbage halved lengthwise
3/4                pound ground pork
1/4                bunch Chinese chives or 2 scallions, minced
1                   tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
1                   tablespoon dark or regular soy sauce
1/2                tablespoon finely grated garlic
1                   teaspoon toasted sesame oil
3/4                teaspoon kosher salt
2                   tablespoons vegetable oil
2-3/4             cups all-purpose flour
**Cornstarch, for dusting **

MAKE THE DIPPING SAUCE:
1.     In a small bowl, stir together all of the ingredients.
MAKE THE DUMPLINGS Set a steamer basket in a pot of boiling water. Steam the cabbage until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a colander to cool, then squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible. Finely chop the cabbage.
2.      In a large bowl, combine the cabbage with the pork, chives, ginger, soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, salt and 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Gently stir, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
3.       Put the flour in a large bowl. Slowly add 1 cup of cold water and the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the dough starts to come together. Using your hands, knead the dough until it forms a ball, then knead the dough on a work surface until smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and for up to 3 hours.
4.          Dust a baking sheet with cornstarch. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces, then roll each piece into 1-inch-thick logs, 8 inches long. Using a sharp knife, cut the logs into eight 1-inch pieces. Using a rolling pin, roll the pieces into 3 1/2-inch rounds, keeping the dough covered with plastic wrap as you work to prevent the dough from drying out. Dust the rolling pin occasionally with cornstarch to prevent sticking.
5.         Place about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of each round, then fold over one side to form a half circle, pressing to adhere, or pleating decoratively along the edge to seal. Place filled dumplings on the prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap while you prepare the rest.
6.          Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook dumplings in batches of about 8 until they are cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the dumplings to a serving platter. Serve warm with the dipping sauce.
Make ahead the assembled dumplings can be frozen for up to 2 weeks.

16 comments:

  1. Hi Nee, I can never say no to good dumplings, yours look delicious!

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  2. hello nee, i love these chinese dumplings in regardless boiled or fried ones. You know , i tried making them once but they turned out so ugly! I'm so proud of you, they look wonderful!

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  3. These look delish! Although I must admit I usually cheat when I make these and use the dumpling wrappers that I buy at the store! Love a good boiled dumpling, and of course pot stickers are wonderful too (and actually what I make more often).

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  4. Hi Jasline ,They are delicious , thanks for stopping by :).

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  5. Hi Lena , they are fun to make and more fun to eat , thanks for stopping by :).

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  6. Hi John , know exactly what you mean , I bought my wrappers at the market also until my sister taught me how to make my own a few years ago , anyway you wrap them they are good , thanks for stopping by :).

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  7. Dear Nee, great recipe. I always wanted to know how to make them. They look delicious. Thanks, Blessings Dottie :)

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  8. Hi Dottie , invite me over when you make them , my family loves them thanks for stopping by , Blessing :).

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  9. Hi Nee,

    Your dumplings look fantastic!

    Part of me originates from Northern China and my family and used to cook hundreds of these for our Chinese New Year. Oh! I missed those days...

    I like to freeze my dumplings too when I made them in large batches. Great idea!

    Zoe

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  10. Hi Nee,
    Your dumplings are amazing! Looks delicious! Wish I could grab one and pop in my mouth!

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  11. Hi Zoe , my family loves Chinese dumplings , my sister taught me how to make and keep the wrappers together . Thanks for stopping by :)>

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  12. Hi Joyce ,grab a couple , have some more in the freezer . Thanks for stopping by :).

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  13. Oh my gosh I can taste these right now, I cannot wait to try them, the sauce looks easy too, thanks for sharing, it is so fun sharing recipes..Phyllis

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  14. Hi Phyllis , they are so easy and the sauce is a breeze , it is fun sharing recipes , thanks for stopping by .

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  15. Your dumplings look much better than store bought ...yum!

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  16. Hi Sokehah Cheah , It was trial and error before I got it right . Thanks for stopping by :).

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