Chinese Dumplings

 

Ingredients:

Dough:

1. 1kg of flour

2. 2 eggs

3. 2 tsp salt

4. 1.5 - 2 cups water (360-480ml)

Filling:

1. 1 kg of minced chicken
2. 8 carrots shredded thin

3. 1/2 or 8 leaves of Chinese cabbage chopped

4. 1 bunch of spring onions chopped

5. 1 leek chopped

6. 2 eggs

7. 3 TBS light soy sauce

8. 3 TBS dark soy sauce

9. 3 TBS oyster sauce

10. 3 TBS sesame oil

11. 1 tsp sugar

12. 1 tsp salt

13. Dash of pepper

Frying and steaming:

1. 1 TBS cooking oil

2. 1/3 cup water

Directions:

1. Add salt to Chinese cabbage and leave it while working on the rest of the ingredients. Then squeeze and remove the water from the cabbage.

2. Knead the dough until firm and the dough doesn't stick to your hands. It should be elastic, but not too soft. I use a mixer and run it for 10 minutes. If possible, leave aside for 30 minutes, especially if you don't use a mixer to knead the dough.

3. Mix the meat, carrots, spring onions, leeks and sauce together and use hands to combine them well.

4. Cut a portion of dough out and roll it into a long line.

5. Cut the dough approx. 2 cm (2.5 by 2 cm).

6. Roll into a round flat dumpling shape with a rolling pin (best using the Chinese rolling pin).

7. Wrap with a bit of the meat mixture as shown.

8. Heat the pan until hot, and add cooking oil. 

9. Add dumplings, reduce fire to medium (no. 6.5 out of 9 on my stove) and fry until the bottom is lightly golden.

10. Add 1/3 cup of water into the middle of the pan, cover and reduce heat to no. 4 on my stove.

11. Once the dumplings change color to yellowish, remove the cover and let the water slowly evaporates. You can turn up the heat to no. 5. Once the water evaporates, they are done :-)

Additional Information:

A Chinese lady whose son owns a Chinese restaurant in Denmark taught me this. If you prefer pork, you can also use minced pork, although according to her, it is tastier to use minced chicken then minced pork.

To chop the cabbage, cut the leaves diagonally length-wise, then straight breadth-wise. Do the same for leek.

She said that the dough should be firm, but not too soft. For dumplings, it is easier to work with a harder dough.

She said it is best not to use a mixer to mix the minced meat, as it will be too mushy and the taste won't be good. It is best to use hands.

She also told me that it has to be pan-fried to get a bit of crusty bottom and then add a bit of water, with lid over to create steam to cook the meat in the dumplings. She told me that cooking dumplings this way will also keep the shape of the dumplings much better than boiling them.

Knead the dough until firm and the dough doesn't stick to your hands. It should be elastic, but not too soft. I use a mixer and run it for 10 minutes. If possible, leave aside for 30 minutes, especially if you don't use a mixer to knead the dough.

Add salt to Chinese cabbage and leave it while working on the rest of the ingredients. Then squeeze and remove the water from the cabbage.

Mix the meat, carrots, spring onions, leeks and sauce together and use hands to combine them well.

Cut a portion of dough out and roll it into a long line.

Cut the dough approx. 2 cm (2.5 by 2 cm).

Roll into a round flat dumpling shape with a rolling pin (best using the Chinese rolling pin).

Wrap with a bit of the meat mixture as shown.

Heat the pan until hot, and add cooking oil. Add dumplings, reduce fire to medium (no. 6.5 out of 9 on my stove) and fry until the bottom is lightly golden.

Add 1/3 cup of water into the middle of the pan, cover and reduce heat to no. 4 on my stove.

Once the dumplings change color to yellowish, remove the cover and let the water slowly evaporates. You can turn up the heat to no. 5. Once the water evaporates, they are done :-)

Sweet memories from our dumpling party on 1 October 2022: