June 2008 Archives

View image

NPR.org, November 6, 2007 · I am a dumpling fanatic. I have yet to find a piece of dropped or stuffed dough beyond the reaches of my adoration.

Whether fried or boiled, baked in the oven or submerged in broth, steamed in bamboo or coasting over a thin puddle of sauce, breaking my fork, spoon or chopstick into a not-yet-unveiled center summons in me the excitement of a pile of brightly wrapped birthday presents. Even if I know exactly what's inside, tearing open the packaging is always half the fun.

When you love dumplings, the entire world steps out to welcome you into its home, setting out platters of spicy empanadas flecked with raisins and hard-boiled eggs throughout South America; brothy bowls of thin and slippery wantons in China; tiny, artful tortellini draped lightly in sauce in Italy, and spicy, petite manti in ayran, a yogurt sauce in Turkey. Really, we're just getting started, so you probably want to sit down and stay for a while.

There are but four features that, to me, define a dumpling, be they called ravioli or pirozhki: A filling--meat, cheese, vegetable or some combination thereof, almost always minced; a wrap, with its varied yet specific folds, crimps, tucks and turns; a preparation--boiled, steamed, pan- or deep-fried, and a presentation-- in a broth, dipped in sauce or mounded with butter-fried onions.

Of course, trying to abbreviate a whole world of pocketed delights into four parts leaves a few things out. Gnocchi, matzo balls and Kentucky chicken 'n dumplin' soup pout at me for omitting some dumpling history.

In the beginning, dumplings weren't filled at all. They were lumps of grain or cereal dough dropped into soups and stews. They evolved into the folded and sealed varieties I have fallen so hard for.

Other dumplings defy strict classification. So Chinese xiaolongbao (soup-filled dumplings), Russian golubtzi (stuffed cabbage) and German kartoffelkloesse (potato dumplings with a small crouton in the middle) stare angrily at me from the corner, tasty hands on delicious hips.

Fear not, I have room in my belly for all of you.

There are two dumpling camps: Those who have made them from scratch their whole lives find it incredibly simple and think it's ludicrous to use packaged dumpling skins or pre-sheeted pasta, and those who have tried to make them for dinner one night and realized they misjudged the prep time by several few hours.

Because most dumplings have four features--a wrapper, filling, preparation and a presentation--they also have four sets of instructions, or enough reason for anyone to dream of cutting corners and buying the first step at the store.

But if you do choose to make your dough at home (and I will not judge you if you do not), you'll realize that there is something homey and simple about most recipes: typically just flour, water and something to enrich the dough stirred in a bowl and kneaded until someone's grandmother says you're done. It's not a quick process, but it can be a relaxing one.

From there, the fillings, cooking and sauces or garnishes come together quickly, as if rewarding you for your elbow grease.

The most important thing to know if you're going to cook dumplings at home is how to flash freeze them, since they so often yield dozens when you only need 10.

Arrange your uncooked confections on a parchment-lined tray, being certain that none are touching, and freeze them through before putting them in a freezer bag. This will not only save you a tremendous amount of freezer space, but you'll find that uncooked dumplings keep surprisingly well frozen, for at least a month, so they'll always be fresh when you want them.

In my kitchen, that's pretty much daily.

 POT STICKERS:
 
 1 C whole wheat pastry flour
 1 C unbleached white flour
 1/2 C plus 1 T warm water
 1/3 C cooking sherry
 1/2 C minced onion
 1/2 C thinly sliced green cabbage
 2 cloves garlic, minced
 1 T freshly grated ginger root
 1/2 C minced celery
 3 T minced green onion
 3 T minced cilantro
 5 large mushrooms, coarsely chopped
 2 T low sodium soy sauce
 1-1/2 tsp salt or herbal salt substitute
 
 In large bowl, combine flours and water.  Knead 15 minutes, adding more 
 flour to water to create a smooth, pliable dough.  Cover dough tightly 
 with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.
 
 Heat sherry in wok over medium heat.  Stir-fry onion and cabbage until 
 limp.  Add remaining pot sticker ingredients.  Cook, stirring for 2 
 minutes.  Remove mixture from heat and place in colander to drain excess 
 moisture.
 
 Divide dough into 24 small balls.  On a lightly floured board, flatten 
 each ball of dough into a 3-4 inch circle.  Fill each circle with about 1 
 T filling.  Fold circle into half moon shape; pinch edges to seal.
 
 Lightly coat two large nonstick skillets (or work in batches with one 
 skillet) with vegetable cooking spray.  Set over medium heat.  When hot, 
 add pot stickers, seam side up, flattening slightly on the bottom.  When 
 the bottoms of pot stickers are golden brown, add 1/2 C water per pan.  
 Cover and steam for 20 minutes.  Makes 24 pot stickers.
 
 Per pot sticker: 4 cal, 2 G protein, 0.7 G fat, 8 G carb, 0 chol, 1 G fiber
 
 ***NOTE:  I usually use pot sticker "skins" found in the produce section 
 of my local supermarket - this is probably not as healthy as the way 
 outlined above, as I'm sure they are made with all white flour, and I 
 don't know the fat content, but it does save time, and they do an 
 adequate job of holding the filling.  Also, you can freeze the "raw" pot 
 stickers in a single layer on a cookie sheet, and when solidly frozen, 
 transfer to ziplocs or a tupperware.  Be Sure They are Solidly Frozen, or 
 you will end up with pot stickers en masse (trust me). To cook, just plop 
 the frozen pot stickers in a pan and proceed as usual.
 kwvegan vegan

http://chinesefood.about.com/od/potstickers/r/wortipdumpling.htm

Wor Tip Cantonese Potsticker From Rhonda Parkinson, Your Guide to Chinese Food. FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now! Recipe Feedback: User Rating write a review Be the first to write a review Potstickers are the popular dumplings that are pan-fried on one side and steamed on the other. INGREDIENTS: * 12 ounces minced pork * 6 ounces bok choy * 1 package dumpling pastry* * 1/4 teaspoon salt * 1/4 teaspoon chicken bouillion * 1/2 teaspoon sugar * pinch white pepper * a few drops sesame oil * 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch PREPARATION: 1. Defrost dumpling pastry. 2. Saute or blanch vegetables until just wilted. Drain and coarsely chop. 3. Mix pork with seasonings. Add to chopped vegetables. 4. Put a generous tablespoon of pastry onto a sheet of filling. 5. Sponsored Links 1 Trick to Lose Belly FatI'd given up, humiliated by my fat belly, until I found this 1 secret.www.TruthAboutAbs.com Great RecipesHundreds of Quick, Tasty & Healthy Recipes at your Fingertipswww.whatsfordinner.co.za South AfricansWhat kind of country do we want SA to be in 2010?www.youtube.com/fnbtv Make into a traditional dumpling, or use a crescent press and press into crescents. 6. To fry dumplings, fry dumpling on one side until golden, then turn. Add a small amount of water and cover for 3 minutes, to make sure the filling is properly cooked. Remove lid when water has more or less evaporated but do not touch dumplings. Add a bit of oil and fry for another minute. Toss dumplings around to cook them evenly. 7. A healthy alternative is to steam dumplings in steamers on high heat for 8 minutes, after water has come to a boil. 8. For dipping, use either Chinese or balsamic vinegar with ginger shreds. Soy sauce and vinegar is good as well. *Thicker than wonton wrappers, dumpling pastry is designed specifically for making dumplings. The pastry is cut in rounds and sold in all Chinese groceries, plus the ethnic food sections of some large grocery chains. This recipe for Cantonese Potstickers is reprinted with permission from Have Some Dim Sum, by Evelyn Chau.

Serves 4  
Preparation time less than 30 mins
Cooking time 10 to 30 mins 
 
Ingredients
beef dripping or oil, for deep frying (beef dripping is used in the traditional method and gives a far better flavour, but sunflower or vegetable oil will work just as well)
For the fish:
4x175g/6oz thick cod or haddock fillets, taken from the head end rather than the tail end of the fish
225g/8oz self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
salt and freshly ground black pepper
300ml/10fl oz fridge-cold lager
For the chips:
6-8 large floury potatoes, such as maris piper, king edward, desiree (depending on how hungry you are)