Food & Drink

Chicken Dumplings with Ginger Dressing

Dim sum is a genre of Chinese eating involving many bite sized dishes, from dumplings, to buns, to springrolls, and more. A dim sum brunch is a smorgasbord of contrasting colors, textures and delicious flavors. While it might not be practical to cook up 11 different small dishes at home, this recipe for boiled chicken dumplings from Barbara Tropp’s China Moon Cookbook is a nice jumping off point to try your hand at homemade dim sum!

Photo © ruocaled

Boiled Chicken Dumplings with Pickled Ginger Dressing

Makes 30 to 35 dumplings

FILLING AND WRAPPERS

½ pound Napa cabbage, diced
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger
1 small green serrano chili, finely minced
1 small red Fresno chili, finely minced
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green and white scallion rings
1½ tablespoons finely slivered coriander leaves and stems
1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon China Moon Hot Chili Oil (page 10)
2 tablespoons Five-Flavor Oil (page 13)
¾ pound coarsely ground fresh chicken breast
About 35 “sue-gow skins” (boiled dumpling wrappers), each about 3½ inches in diameter and 1/16 inch thin

SAUCE:

1 cup juice from China Moon Pickled Ginger (page 8)
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unseasoned Japanese rice vinegar
1½ tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Sprigs of tender watercress or mizuna
Cherry tomatoes or diced red bell pepper, for garnish
Green and white scallion rings, for garnish

1. To make the filling, spread the cabbage in a shallow container. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt; toss well to mix. Set aside for 30 minutes at room temperature, then drain. Firmly squeeze in small handfuls to extract all the excess liquid.

2. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and all the remaining filling ingredients through the oil. Stir to mix, add the chicken, then stir in one direction until thoroughly blended. The filling can be made a night ahead; press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the meat and refrigerate.

3. To make the dumplings, put 2 teaspoons of the filling in the center of the first wrapper. Keep the remaining wrappers covered to prevent them from drying out. Brush a thin film of cold water around the edge of the wrapper and pleat shut as shown here. Put the finished dumpling, pleated side up, on a baking sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper. Cover with a light cloth to prevent drying. Repeat with the remaining dumplings, leaving a bit of room between them, so they do not stick.

Once pleated, the dumplings can be sealed airtight and refrigerated for up to several hours before cooking. Poach directly from the refrigerator, to prevent the wrappers from becoming soggy.

4. Shortly before serving, make the sauce: Whisk together all of the ingredients for the sauce; leave the whisk in the bowl.

5. To cook the dumplings, bring 4 quarts of water to a near-boil in a large wok or wide, heavy casserole. Adjust the heat so the water barely simmers. Add the dumplings one by one in quick succession; stir gently with chopsticks to separate. Poach the dumplings for a full 2 minutes after they come to the surface of the water, adjusting the heat so the water never boils. The wrappers should be nearly translucent and the filling should be cooked through; cut one dumpling open to be sure. Using a large Chinese mesh spoon, scoop the dumplings from the water and hold them aloft for a minute to drain.

If you are working in advance, let the dumplings cool, in a single layer, without touching one another, on baking sheets lined with parchment or waxed paper. Seal and refrigerate the cooled dumplings on the baking sheets; bring to room temperature before reheating. To reheat, poach in barely simmering water until thoroughly heated through, about 3 minutes.

6. To serve, portion the hot dumplings among heated serving bowls. Whisk the sauce to recombine, then spoon a tablespoon or two over each portion. To garnish, dress the greens lightly in the sauce and tuck them jauntily amidst the dumplings along with the little tomatoes or a sprinkling of bell pepper dice or scallion rings.

Menu Suggestions: This is a great meal-in-a-bowl for a simple dinner. A hot and sour soup, a cold vegetable salad, or some ears of steamed corn accompany it nicely, if you’re wanting a larger spread. If you would like the dumplings as an appetizer, most any steamed fish dishes would follow well

HOW TO FILL AND FOLD DUMPLINGS

1. Put the filling off center in the wrapper.

2. Fold the wrapper in half over the filling and pinch it shut just at the midpoint. The sides should be open.

3. Pleat the top, open, right side of the wrapper toward the midpoint, using a series of three tiny pleats. Then, press the pleated edge to the bottom, smooth edge. The right half of the dumpling will now be sealed shut.

4. Pleat the top, left half of the dumpling shut in the same manner, again aiming the pleats towards the midpoint. Press the newly pleated left edge to join the smooth bottom. When fully shut the dumpling will have one smooth side and one pleated side. The direction of the pleats will have formed the dumpling into a crescent

The “Julia Child of Chinese cooking” (San Francisco Chronicle), Barbara Tropp was the chef/owner of one of San Francisco’s most popular restaurants and the inventor of modern Chinese bistro.

Get her award-winning China Moon Cookbook for just $2.99 this month!