Dumplings are served and eaten as a mainstay all over China. Eaten at any meal, any time of day, as a starter or as the main event, dumplings in China come in all shapes, sizes, and varieties. Whether for a fancy holiday celebration dinner, or a casual roadside breakfast, dumplings always fit the occasion. Many families have specific, fancy ways to fold and seal their dumplings, but don’t let that intimidate you. Start with a simple and easy seal in the recipe below, and work your way up from there. Dumplings can be prepared as steamed, panfried, or boiled, but the recipe below marries steamed and panfried with delicious results. By using a mix of oil and water, rather than frying the dumplings in straight oil, the resulting dumpling comes out crispy on the bottom and tender throughout. You get the best of both, without all the unnecessary fat and oil. The shrimp filling here offers high quality protein that’s very low in fat, and the garlic, scallions, and ginger in both the filling and the dipping sauce give a boost to your immune system. Feel free to alter the filling and sauce to suit your preferences, both recipes are flexible and forgiving.
Shrimp and Scallion Steam-fried Dumplings
Ingredients:
- 12 oz. shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 cup minced scallions (white and green parts)
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 36 dumpling wrappers (round or square)
- 2 cups water (more if needed)
- 3 tablespoons olive, coconut, or vegetable oil
- Ginger soy dipping sauce (recipe follows)
Directions:
1. In a food processor, combine the scallions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, and parsley and blitz well to combine. Add the shrimp and the black pepper, and pulse once or twice (you don’t want to puree the shrimp, just mince them).
2. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the shrimp mixture until the shrimp are just pink. Set aside and allow to cool.
3. On a clean, dry work top, work with your dumpling wrappers one by one. Fill one side of your dumpling wrapper with a teaspoon of the shrimp mixture, and use your fingers to wet the edges with a bit of water. Fold the wrapper over to close, and press the edges to seal. Try to press out all the air to prevent them from exploding.
4. Fill all of your dumplings, and cover with a damp towel while you cook them in batches.
5. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. In a shallow pan, heat 1/2 cup water and 1/2 tablespoon oil over medium heat until simmering. Add the dumplings in batches and cook on one side for 1 minute, then flip and cover to allow them to steam. Remove to a sheet pan and keep warm in the oven. Continue cooking the dumplings in batches, adding more water and oil as needed.
6. Serve the dumplings warm or cold with the ginger soy dipping sauce, and a sprinkling of minced parsley if desired.
Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce
In your food processor, combine 1/2 cup soy sauce or tamari, 1 garlic clove, 1 scallion, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and 1/2 teaspoon ginger. Blitz until well combined.
