Dumplings are probably my favourite international dough and meat combo. After making three lots of dumplings this weekend, I thought it was time to share another of my favourite varieties.
You can put whatever you want in a dumpling; any combination of mince, vegetable and herb will usually work. It is very hard to go wrong, so I recommend you experiment using some of the sad-looking vegetables in your fridge. Feel free to add sad vegetables to this recipe; I am all about reducing food waste, and these are a perfect way to give new life to the limp carrots and celery sticks of this world.
You can buy dumpling wrappers from Asian supermarkets for a couple of dollars. You could also make them yourself, but who would really want to put themselves through the torture of having to wait even longer to have dumplings in their life? You can also buy bamboo steamers at such supermarkets. I got mine from Kmart, which happened to be cheaper than my local at the time. A stack of two will set you back around $10.
Dumplings can also be fried. Heat up a good sloshing of oil in a large frying pan over a medium to high heat. Cook on each side until golden all over.
Ingredients
Makes 60
- ⅓ of a green cabbage
- 10 large button mushrooms
- 5 cloves garlic
- Sesame oil
- ½ a bunch of coriander (more to taste if you wish)
- 300g chicken mince
- 3cm knob of ginger, grated
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 60 dumpling wrappers
- soy sauce to serve
Method
- Shred the cabbage, mushroom and garlic very finely either with a knife or a food processor. In a large frying pan, sauté batches of the cabbage, mushroom, garlic and coriander in hot sesame oil for a couple of minutes to soften them. Combine the chicken, vegetable mix, ginger, oyster sauce and salt in a bowl.
- Take each dumpling wrapper, dip your finger in some cold water and run it around the edge of the wrapper to wet it. Place a teaspoon of filling into the centre, fold the wrapper in half, then press the edges together firmly. Repeat until the filling or the wrappers run out.
- To steam the dumplings, place a bamboo steamer over a saucepan of simmering water. To stop the dumplings from sticking, spray the base of the steamer with oil or brush on some sesame oil. Arrange as many dumplings as you can within the steamer without them touching each other (they tend to stick together once they cool). Place the lid on the steamer and leave to cook for 12 minutes. Serve these with soy sauce while the next lot cook.