Pork, prawn and chive dumplings

Pork, prawn and chive dumpling (韮菜豬肉鮮蝦水餃) is one of the classic Chinese dumplings. Making dumplings is time consuming, but not difficult at all. The reward of delicious fresh dumplings is well worth the effort.

You can buy ready-made dumpling skins in Asian supermarkets to reduce the preparation time, but this removes all the joy of making dumplings. Home-made dumpling skins are far better with a chewy and silky texture. Do not use “dumpling flour” which is often bleached and contains hidden additives. Medium gluten flour (11-12% protein by weight) is a good choice for making dumpling. Plain flour generally has medium gluten content. But check the nutrition information label of the flour packet. Some of the plain flour sold in the UK have low protein content (less than 11% protein by weight), and you can mix it with high gluten flour (bread flour) to achieve good results. The amount of water required to make the dough is about 50% of the weight of the flour.

Dumplings may be filled with different combinations of meat and vegetables. A popular filling is a mixture of pork, prawn and chive.

Dumplings may be cooked by boiling or pan frying. Boiled dumplings are called sui gow (水餃), whereas pot stickers (鍋貼) refer to dumplings which are pan-fried. The recipes described below are suitable for both cooking methods.

People in northern China eat a lot more dumplings than people from the south. It is a fulfilling and hearty one-dish meal. In northern China, boiled dumplings are traditionally eaten on Chinese New Year Eve when all family members get together at home. The tradition of making and eating dumplings together is said to help resolve any family tension, and good fun for the children. A dumpling also symbolises wealth as it is shaped like an ingot (a piece of relatively pure metal used as Chinese money in ancient time).

This recipe will make about 60 dumplings.

Pork, prawn and chive dumplings (韮菜菜豬肉鮮蝦水餃)

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Serves: 4 Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes 20 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

For the dumpling skin:

• 400g medium gluten flour (11-12% protein by weight), or organic plain flour
• 200g cold water
• 4g salt

For the filling:

• 300g organic or free range pork belly (without the skin), minced
• 250g fresh prawns, minced
• 200g Chinese chives (remove the hard ends), finely chopped
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp cooking wine
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp roasted sesame oil
• 1cm ginger, finely chopped
• 1 spring onion, finely chopped
• 2 tsp cornstarch

For the sauce:

• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp Chinkiang or aged black vinegar
• 1/2 tsp chilli oil
• 1 garlic clove, pureed
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil

Instructions

1. For the dumpling skin, mix all the ingredients and knead for about 15 minutes into a smooth dough. Cover with a damp cloth or cling film, and let it rest in room temperature for at least an hour. Divide the dough into a few pieces and roll them into long thin cylinders. Next cut each cylinder into very small pieces, each weighing about 9g. Shape each piece into a ball and then press it flat with the heel of your hand into a disc. Finally, roll each disc into a circle of about 8cm in diameter.
2. Make the filling by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl.
3. Make the sauce by mixing all the ingredients together. This is only a suggestion. Please feel to change any ingredients or proportions according to your taste. Let the sauce stand for 30 minutes to allow the flavours to mingle.
4. Add the filling to the centre of the dumpling skin. Fold the circle in half, make some pleats at the top and press the edge together.
5. Bring water to boil in a pot and add as many dumplings as can fit in a single layer. Cook until they float and the water is boiling again. Then add about 100ml of cold water and let it boil again. Repeat this step two more times and the dumplings should be cooked by now. Drain the dumplings and serve with the sauce.
6. If you would like to make potstickers, pan fry the dumplings in a few batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. Heat a little oil in a pan. Fry the dumplings until the bottoms are golden brown. Add 80-100ml of water and cover with a lid. This will cook the dumplings by steaming. When the water has evaporated, uncover and fry the dumplings for another couple of minutes over medium-low heat so that the bottoms are really crispy.