Dumplings are usually filled with either meat or seafood, but vegetarian versions can be made with mushrooms or greens. They are then steamed and served with quality soy sauce or dipping sauces, which vary from culture to culture. In this case, I like to serve the dumplings with a spicy condiment made quickly from mandarin peel and chilli: an unfermented, fresh version of a kosho, which is a bright Japanese condiment.
Different Asian cultures favour different kinds of dumplings: fried or steamed, but for ease and clarity of flavour, I prefer steamed. These are the simple version: no fancy pleating or precise shapes, just homemade goodness. They are so fun to make, easy to prepare (no fancy equipment, just a bamboo steamer) and everyone will love them.
Ingredients 16
Dough
Filling
Mandarin And Chilli Paste
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Method 11
To Make The Dough
Place the and in a mixing bowl. Add the and use a spoon to mix. Once fully combined, cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel (dish towel) and rest for 1 hour.
After an hour, knead the dough on a well-floured surface for 4–5 minutes until the dough looks smooth and springy. Add more as you go to prevent it from sticking.
Cover again and allow to rest for 15 minutes, then divide the dough in two and roll into thin sheets, as thin as you can get them.
Use an 8 cm (3¼ in) round cutter to cut out circles of dough. Bunch up the off-cuts and re-roll them to use up all the dough. Your dough should be floured enough that you can stack the wrappers one on top of the other without them sticking. Set aside.
To Make The Filling
Sprinkle a pinch of salt (about ½ teaspoon) on the and leave it to sit for 15–20 minutes to release its liquid. Squeeze the cabbage to release any remaining water, then combine the squeezed cabbage with the remaining ingredients and set aside until ready to fill the dumplings.
To Fill The Dumplings
Place a wrapper in your left hand, take ½ teaspoon of the filling and place it cleanly in the centre of the wrapper. Fold one side over the other, dabbing one edge with a tiny bit of water to stick the edges together. Press the edge firmly and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Continue until all the wrappers and filling have been used.
For The Mandarin And Chilli Paste
Gather the , and , along with a mortar and pestle. I recommend wearing gloves when handling the chillies and wearing glasses when crushing everything; a splash of spicy chilli in the eye can make things very uncomfortable. If there is any white pith still attached to the mandarin peel, take the time to gently fillet that off with a small paring knife.
Finely chop the and , then add to the mortar and pestle with the and crush to a fine paste. Spoon it out and set aside. This can be kept in a small jar for a few weeks in the fridge.
To Cook Your Dumplings
Set a steamer basket on top of a pan of simmering water. Place a small piece of baking paper on each layer of the basket and line up as many dumplings as you can without them touching each other.
Steam for approximately 10–15 minutes, or until the filling feels cooked and firm and the dough looks slightly translucent.
Serve immediately with some good-quality tamari and a small pinch of the chilli and mandarin paste.
Danielle Alvarez's tips
You can buy dumpling wrappers, but the dough for these dumplings is incredibly easy to make and well worth the effort. I prefer to make them myself as I can control what flour I use. I’ve also used this filling in other ways and made them into little meatballs that get dropped into a brothy soup or get cooked under the oven grill (broiler) and served with the same dipping sauce. Either way, it’s a delicious little filling that has a few possible uses.
