Superfood Dumplings Recipes

DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in medium size bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in milk to make a soft dough.
• Drop by spoonfuls into boiling stew. Cover and simmer 15 minutes without lifting lid. Serve.
• To make parsley dumplings, add 1 tablespoon parsley flakes to the dry ingredients.

CHINESE-STYLE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• For the dough: Whisk the flour with the salt and stir in the water until dough is shaggy. Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead briefly; dough should be soft and pliable but not too sticky. Rest, covered, while you make the filling and the sauce.
• Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. To check for seasoning, fry a bit in some hot oil until just cooked through. Adjust the seasoning as necessary.
• For the sauce:
• Combine all but the last 2 ingredients in a bowl for dipping. Sprinkle the basil and habanero over the top.
• To Assemble and Cook:
• Flour your work surface lightly and roll the dough, or pieces of it, about 1/8-inch thick (too thin and the dough will tear as you fill the dumplings). Cut out circles with a 3-inch round cutter. Cover the dough with a side towel or piece of plastic wrap as you work. Have a small bowl of water next to you. Place a scant tablespoon of filling in the middle of a dough circle, and press it so that it spreads slightly toward the side edges of the dough. Using your fingertip or a small pastry brush, wet the edge of the dough. Fold the dough up around the filling so that the filling sits on the work surface-that's the bottom of your dumpling-and the seam is between your fingers. Pleat the dough that is facing you, about 6 times, pressing it against the back to seal-only the front of the dumpling should be pleated. The corners of the dumpling should curl slightly away from you, toward the unpleated side. Heat a skillet, just large enough to accommodate the number of dumplings you want to cook over high heat. Add a thin coating of oil, heat, then add the dumplings in concentric circles. They should be touching. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown, 3 or 4 minutes (reduce the heat if they are browning too quickly). Add enough water to come about 1/4 of the way up the sides of the dumplings-it will spatter. Cover the skillet, adjust the heat so that the water is simmering, and cook for about 7 minutes. Uncover the skillet and, if there is water left, let it cook off. Check the dumpling bottoms-if they need to brown a bit more, let them, adding a bit more oil if necessary. Serve the dumplings immediately, drizzled with some dipping sauce and garnished with cilantro and lime wedges.

CLEAR FRUIT DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• For the strawberry puree dipping sauce: Combine the strawberries, sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, then uncover and continue to cook until the mixture has the consistency of syrup and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
• Transfer to a blender and blend on low speed until the mixture has a jam-like consistency, about 1 minute. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pressing with a metal spoon. The sauce can be served at room temperature or refrigerated for about 30 minutes and served chilled.
• For the clear fruit dumplings: Combine the cold water, sugar and agar-agar powder in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture starts to boil, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the butterfly pea flowers if using. Reduce to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar and agar-agar powder dissolve, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and discard the butterfly pea flowers with chopsticks or a spoon.
• Divide the mixture between two 9-inch square nonstick baking pans. Set aside at room temperature until the mixture sets into a firm jelly, about 30 minutes.
• Use a 3 1/2-inch round cookie cutter to make 4 dumpling wrappers per pan, leaving them in place in the pans. Remove one round from the pan and place it in the palm of your hand. Place 3 teaspoons of the chopped fruits of your choice in the center of the round. Fold the wrapper over like a taco. Do not press down the edges or the dumpling will break. Place the dumpling on a serving plate and repeat with the remaining 7 dumpling wrappers, varying the combination of fruits as desired.
• Squeeze a couple of drops of lemon juice over the dumplings just before serving with the strawberry puree dipping sauce on the side.

MOM'S SIMPLE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in the shortening with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir the milk into the flour mixture until moistened. Dough will be pretty lumpy, but be sure to not over mix it!
• Drop dough by large spoonfuls onto any boiling stew. The dumplings should rest on top of vegetables and meat; it's okay if they stick out of the top a bit. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes; cover and cook another 10 minutes.