Because steaming is so prevalent in Asian cuisine, I decided that the recipe of the week should be Chinese dumplings. The recipe allowed me to not only practice the steaming technique, but to refine my skills in dumpling folding, a task which I have much respect for after this week.
My favorite place for this mouthwatering treat was the Chinatown restaurant on White Horse Pike in Berlin, NJ. On those special nights when my dad or mom didn't feel like cooking, we called in a large order to satisfy the whole family. This usually included at least two orders of their steamed dumplings with the amazing soy-vinegar dipping sauce. Absolutely DELICIOUS! I was sad to see that place switch owners after Elaine retired. Yes, we knew the owner by name. The dumplings (and the rest of the food for that matter) weren't the same after she left. Now, all that remains is the memory or should I say, the legend.
In my college years, I found a replacement dumpling addiction - David's Mai Lah Wah in Chinatown, Philadelphia. This time, however, they were the pan-fried dumplings in a slightly thicker wrapper called gyoza. On a college student's budget, there's nothing more cherished than a $6 plate of dumplings with a side of white rice after a late night of partying.
Whether they're pan-fried, deep-fried, or steamed, dumplings are a staple in Chinese cooking and thoroughly enjoyed by billions around the world, including me. The recipe I chose was published on the web by a woman named Jennifer Yu. Jennifer has been eating and making dumplings for, what I can assume is, a long time. The reason I feel I can safely assume this is from the detail of the instructions and the quality of the dumplings seen in her online pictures. She walks you through just about every step from selecting raw ingredients to preparation of the filling to folding and cooking techniques. Furthermore, I felt like she was reading my mind while I read the article. Each time I thought of a shortcut or another way to do something, she mentioned it in the next sentence. For example, the recipe called for the mincing of each ingredient. Naturally, I thought to myself, "I can use the food processor to do that." In the very next sentence, Jennifer writes, "I don't doubt people have tried and will continue to try using a food processor. I've done that before and I think it leads to inferior texture in your filling."
The hardest part with this recipe was rolling the dough into a circular shape. The second hardest part was the folding. Out of the first three recipes on this blog, this one was the most challenging. Time-wise, the whole process took about 2 hours - chopping ingredients, making the dough, folding the dumplings, steaming them, making the dipping sauce, and plating. The experience was education though. First lesson learned of the week, do not rush dumplings.
The filling was a combination of minced mushrooms, scallions, ginger, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, ground pork, ground shrimp, sesame oil, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, and black pepper to taste. After assembling it, I put it in the fridge while I made the dough. The dough was a mixture of two cups of all-purpose flour and a half cup of water. It was on the dry side after the mixing and kneading so I added another quarter cup of water throughout the process. Lesson two, use a cooking cutter to make circular pieces of dough. Just a rolling pin is not enough for the job. If you take the time to perfect the shape of the wrappers, the dumplings will be easier to fold and come out much prettier.
Finally, after I finished about 8 dumplings, I put them all in the steam over a leaf of cabbage to keep it from sticking. But a non-stick or greased steamer should do just fine also. It's a bit ironic that the steaming portion of the recipe was actually the easiest part. I steamed the dumplings for about 10 minutes and removed them with my hands or a spatula to maintain the integrity. For the dipping sauce, I mixed a 2 to 1 ratio of soy sauce and rice vinegar with chopped garlic.
Overall, I would grade myself a little lower on this week's recipe. Taste-wise, I would say they were wonderful, but not "Chinatown" or "Mai Lai Wah wonderful". The two lessons I highlighted above ended up being pretty crucial to the outcome of final product. I rushed the whole process on a week night, and it showed. The dumplings weren't uniform in shape. It is a delicate and slow technique that can only be sped up with enough practice. But now, I can take this new-found knowledge and learn from it so that next time they turn out even better. On a different note, steamed dumplings was an insightful way to illustrate the benefits of this week's cooking technique. The flavors were vibrant and true to the ingredients. Any dish thats cooked without oil or fat has an inherent satisfaction associated with it. At least that's the way I feel. Steaming is the perfect method for a nutritious yet palate-pleasing meal. Until next time, happy eating.
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