Shrimp And Spinach Dumplings With Asian Dipping Sauce Recipe Epicuriouscom

SHRIMP SCALLION DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Stir together all ingredients, except wrappers, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• Put a rounded teaspoon filling in center of a wrapper. Lightly brush edge of wrapper with water, then fold in half (diagonally if square) and press to seal. Form a tortellini shape by moistening 1 corner and bringing 2 corners together, pressing them. Form remaining dumplings.
• Cook dumplings in 2 batches in a medium pot of gently simmering water until filling is just cooked, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a platter. Keep warm, covered.

JAPANESE PORK AND SHRIMP POT STICKERS

Steps:

• To make the filling, in a large bowl, toss the cabbage with the 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside for about 15 minutes to draw excess moisture from the cabbage. Drain in a fine-mesh strainer (the cabbage may fall through the large holes of a colander), rinse with water, and drain again. To remove more moisture, squeeze the cabbage in your hands over the sink, or put into a cotton (not terry cloth) kitchen towel and wring out the moisture over the sink. You should have about 1/2 cup firmly packed cabbage.
• Transfer the cabbage to a bowl and add the garlic, ginger, Chinese chives, pork, and shrimp. Stir and lightly mash the ingredients so that they start coming together.
• In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, the sugar, pepper, soy sauce, sake, and sesame oil. Pour these seasonings over the meat and cabbage mixture, and then stir and fold the ingredients together. Once you have broken up the large chunks of pork so none are visible, briskly stir to blend the ingredients into a cohesive, thick mixture. To develop the flavors, cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes. You should have about 2 cups of filling. (The filling can be prepared 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature before assembling the dumplings.)
• Meanwhile, form 16 wrappers from half of the dough. Aim for wrappers that are about 3 1/4 inches in diameter (see page 24).
• Before assembling the dumplings, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (If you plan to refrigerate the dumplings for several hours, or freeze them, lightly dust the paper with flour to avoid sticking.) For each dumpling, hold a wrapper in a slightly cupped hand. Scoop up about 1 tablespoon of filling with a bamboo dumpling spatula, dinner knife, or fork and position it slightly off-center toward the upper half of the wrapper, pressing and shaping it into a flat mound and keeping about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of wrapper clear on all sides. Fold, pleat, and press to enclose the filling and create a half-moon, pea pod, or pleated crescent shape (see pages 26 to 29 for instructions). Place the finished dumpling on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining wrappers, spacing them a good 1/2 inch apart. Keep the finished dumplings covered with a dry kitchen towel as you make wrappers with the remaining dough and fill with the remaining filling.
• Once all the dumplings are assembled, they can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for several hours; they can be cooked straight from the refrigerator. For longer storage, freeze them on their tray until hard (about 1 hour), transfer them to a zip-top freezer bag, seal well, and keep them frozen for up to 1 month; partially thaw, using your finger to smooth over any cracks that may have formed during freezing, before cooking.
• To panfry the dumplings, use a medium or large nonstick skillet; if both sizes are handy, cook two batches at the same time. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil for a medium skillet and 2 tablespoons for a large one. (If you are combining oils, use 2 parts canola oil and 1 part sesame oil.) Add the dumplings one at a time, placing them sealed edges up in a winding circle pattern or several straight rows. The dumplings may touch. (In general, medium skillets will fit 12 to 14 dumplings, large skillets will fit 16 to 18 dumplings.) Fry the dumplings for 1 to 2 minutes, until they're golden or light brown at the bottom.
• Holding the lid close to the skillet to lessen the dramatic effect of water hitting hot oil, use a kettle or measuring cup to add water to a depth of about 1/4 inch; expect to use about 1/3 cup water for each skillet. The water will immediately sputter and boil vigorously. Cover each skillet with a lid or aluminum foil, lower the heat to medium, and let the water bubble away until it is mostly gone, 8 to 10 minutes. After 6 to 8 minutes, move the lid or foil so that it is slightly ajar to allow steam to shoot out from underneath. This lessens the drama of condensation dripping down onto the hot oil when you remove the lid.
• While the dumplings cook, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chile oil in a small bowl to create a dipping sauce. Taste and make any flavor adjustments.
• When the bubbling noise in the skillet turns into a gentle frying sound (a sign that most of the water is gone), remove the lid. Allow the dumplings to fry for another 1 to 2 minutes, or until the bottoms are brown and crisp. Turn off the heat and wait until the sizzling stops before transferring the dumplings to a serving plate, using a spatula to lift up a few of them at a time. Display them with their bottoms up so that they remain crisp.
• Serve immediately with the dipping sauce in a communal bowl for people to help themselves or divided up among individual rice bowls or large dipping bowls. Pass the mustard at the table. Eat these with chopsticks in one hand and a spoon or rice bowl in the other.
• Instead of pan frying these dumplings, poach and serve them in smoky chicken broth for satisfying sui gyōza (Japanese dumplings in soup).
• In a large pot, combine 4 cups of chicken stock (page 222), 1 tablespoon of sake, and 2 pieces of kombu (dried Japanese kelp), each the size of a playing card. Let the kombu soak for 15 minutes to develop flavor, then bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and scatter in 1/2 loosely packed cup of katsuo-bushi (Japanese dried bonito flakes, available along with the kombu at Asian markets and specialty grocers). Let sit for 3 to 4 minutes, then strain through a mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth or paper towel; save the kombu for another use, if you wish. Transfer the stock to a pot, cover, and reheat to a low simmer.
• Parboil 16 uncooked gyōza dumplings in a large pot of water (see Pork and Napa Cabbage Water Dumplings, step 7, for guidance), until they float to the top, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cut 1 1/2 to 2 inches of carrot into fine shreds and set aside. Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to scoop up dumplings from the pot, then add them to the hot stock; keep the water boiling. Add the carrot to the stock, and adjust the heat to maintain a simmer and finish cooking the dumplings, about 3 minutes.
• Meanwhile, wilt 2 lightly packed cups of spinach leaves in the boiling water. Drain the spinach, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Divide among 4 individual bowls.
• When the dumplings are puffy, glossy, and a bit translucent, scoop them from the stock and divide among the soup bowls. Taste and add salt as needed, then bring the stock to a boil. Ladle the stock and carrot into the bowls. Serve immediately.

CHINESE CHIVE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• To make the filling, in a bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine, and 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, stirring to dissolve the cornstarch. Add the raw shrimp and stir to coat well. Set aside. In another bowl, create a seasoning sauce by stirring together the remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch, sugar, white pepper, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and water. Set aside.
• Heat the canola oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the dried shrimp and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the Chinese chives and keep stirring and cooking for 1 minute, or until the chives have wilted slightly. Add the raw shrimp and cook for about 1 minute, or until they have just turned orange. Make a well in the center, give the seasoning sauce a stir, and add to the skillet. Cook for about 45 seconds, or until the mixture thickens and coheres. Taste and, if needed, add salt for savory depth. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool completely. You should have about 1 1/4 cups.
• Working with 1 piece of dough at a time to form the wrappers, roll it on an unfloured work surface into a chubby 6-inch log. Cut the log into 6 pieces. Follow the instructions on "Forming Wrappers from Wheat Starch Dough" (page 133) to shape circles that are each about 4 inches in diameter.
• Before assembling the dumplings, line steamer trays and/or baking sheets with parchment paper. Oil the paper lining in the steamer trays.
• To assemble a dumpling, hold a wrapper in a slightly cupped hand. Use a spoon to center about 1 tablespoon atop the wrapper, flattening the filling a bit and keeping about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of wrapper clear on all sides. Then fold, pleat, and press to enclose the filling and create a closed satchel (see page 52). Try to make large pleats so that the dumpling is not too thick on one side. After pinching the opening closed, twist off any excess dough and discard. As you work, set each finished dumpling in a prepared steamer tray, closed side down, and 1/2 inch apart; when using a metal steamer tray, keep the dumplings 1 inch away from the edge, where condensation will collect. Set overflow dumpling on the baking sheet and loosely cover. Assemble more dumplings from the remaining wrappers before working on the next batch of dough. Once assembled, the dumplings should be cooked as soon as possible, because they cannot be refrigerated uncooked.
• Steam the dumplings over boiling water (see page 17 for guidance) for about 7 minutes, or until they have puffed slightly and become somewhat translucent. Remove the trays and place atop a plate if serving as steamed dumplings. To panfry, remove the trays and let the dumplings cool to room temperature. (They can sit for up to 2 hours.) Use a regular (not a nonstick) skillet for better browning. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon oil for a medium skillet or 1 1/2 tablespoons oil for a large skillet. When the oil is just about to smoke, add the dumplings, smooth side down, in batches if necessary; it is okay if they touch. Fry for about 3 minutes, or until crisp and tinged golden brown. Flip each over to crisp the sealed (pleated) side for about 2 minutes; reduce the heat if the oil smokes. There is no need to brown the bottom as it will not show. Transfer to a platter.
• Serve hot or warm with the soy sauce and chile garlic sauce for guests to concoct their own dipping sauce. Cooked dumplings can be refrigerated; steam to reheat for about 3 minutes before serving.

SHRIMP DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Peel shrimp and, if desired, devein. In a food processor purée 3 shrimp. Rinse and drain water chestnuts. Finely chop water chestnuts and remaining shrimp. Finely chop scallion greens, reserving white parts for another use. Lightly beat egg white and put 1 tablespoon in a bowl. Stir in puréed and chopped shrimp, water chestnuts, about two thirds each of scallion greens and gingerroot, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce.
• Put 7 won ton wrappers on a dry surface, keeping remaining wrappers in package, and lightly brush edges with water. Mound about 1 tablespoon filling in center of each wrapper. Fold each wrapper over filling to form a triangle. Press down around filling to force out excess air and seal edges well. Make additional dumplings with remaining wrappers and filling in same manner.
• In a small bowl stir together sugar and remaining scallion greens, gingerroot, and soy sauce to make dipping sauce.
• In a 12-inch nonstick skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown dumplings on both sides, about 3 minutes total. Add boiling-hot water to skillet and cook, covered, 5 minutes. Serve dumplings with sauce.

GRILLED SHRIMP AND SCALLIONS WITH SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIPPING SAUCES

Steps:

• In small bowl, stir together fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar. Mix well to dissolve sugar, then stir in jalapeño rings. Set aside.
• In small bowl, stir together soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, and cilantro. Set aside.
• Prepare grill for cooking: If using charcoal grill, open vents on bottom, then light charcoal. Charcoal fire is medium-hot when you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for 4 to 5 seconds. If using gas grill, preheat burners on high with hood closed 10 minutes, then turn down to moderately high.
• Using electric spice grinder, pulse coriander seeds 2 to 3 times to crack. (Alternatively, place seeds on cutting board and crush lightly with small saut pan, using gentle rocking motion.) In large bowl, combine shrimp and scallions. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with coriander, salt, and pepper and toss to coat.
• Thread shrimp and scallions onto skewers. Grill, turning once, until just cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Arrange on platter and serve with dipping sauces.

PORK AND SHRIMP POT STICKERS WITH CHILE-SOY DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix all the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Take 1 teaspoon and bake or steam it, to taste for adjusting the seasoning. Set a large pot of lightly salted water over high heat, ready for boiling.
• To make the pot stickers, lay down about 4 gyoza or wonton wrappers and brush the edge halfway around with cornstarch mixed with a little water. Place about a teaspoon of filling in the center of each wrapper and fold over into a half moon, being careful to keep filling away from the edge. Using your fingers, crimp to seal. As you become more adept, you can pleat one side against the other. Press each pot sticker onto the table to flatten the bottom, and place on a tray lightly dusted with cornstarch. Pot stickers can sit there until ready to cook.
• When all the pot stickers have been shaped, boil them in batches in the lightly salted water for about 2 minutes, until the dough is cooked through (it will become slightly translucent). Drain and cool until ready to fry.
• Heat about 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Place pot stickers in the skillet in batches, to avoid crowding, and lower the heat. When they're golden brown and crispy on the bottom, carefully pour in a little hot water or broth to just cover the bottom of the pan. Watch out for steam! Cover the pan tightly and steam 3-4 minutes, until almost all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat, and repeat with the remaining dumplings. Serve with Chile-Soy Dipping Sauce.
• Chile-Soy Dipping Sauce
• Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

DUMPLING DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, stir together the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and star anise and bring them to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring so that the sugar dissolves. Once it does, remove the pot from the heat and let the mixture cool. Discard the star anise before serving.
• This sauce keeps well in the refrigerator indefinitely and can also be multiplied, though you'll want to start with slightly less vinegar and adjust to taste.

SHRIMP AND SPINACH DUMPLINGS WITH ASIAN DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Make filling:
• Cook spinach in 1 inch simmering water in a small saucepan, stirring, until wilted, about 5 seconds. Drain in a sieve and rinse under cold water until cool. Squeeze to remove as much moisture as possible. Finely chop spinach and stir with remaining filling ingredients until blended.
• Fill wrappers and steam dumplings:
• Stack a few wonton wrappers (keep remaining wrappers covered) and cut into rounds with a 2 1/2-inch cutter. Spread 1 slightly rounded teaspoon filling onto each round, spreading up to but not over edge. Bring up edge of each round, pleating to form a cup and leaving open at top.
• Bring enough water to a boil in a wok so that bottom rim of steamer (not basket) rests in water. Line steamer rack with lettuce. Arrange dumplings over lettuce, making sure dumplings do not touch each other. Cover with steamer lid and steam until filling is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Make dipping sauce:
• Stir together all sauce ingredients.