Chinese dumplings.

[AtomicKitten]

Anybody have a good recipe?

I make wor wonton soup and every single recipe I have tried for dumplings results in a meatloaf type consistency of whatever meat I use in the dumpling.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[Warpy]

1. My favorite recipe uses half pork, half shrimp for the protein

plus Napa cabbage, chopped and salted and put into a colander for 20 minutes, then rinsed with the water squeezed out. To that was added scallion, soy sauce, sherry, and a few drops of toasted sesame oil. Then mix the whole business and my recipe suggested throwing handfuls of it against the side of the bowl to try to compact it. I've adapted it to use dark meat turkey instead of the pork, adding some light vegetable oil to replace pork fat. I don't have any hard and fast proportions but starting out with a half pound each of pork and shrimp and one whole cabbage, chopped, seems to be about the best. The rest is added to taste.

This filling can be used in a wide variety of dumplings but I like it best in jiaotze, crescent shaped dumplings served boiled with a dipping sauce or as pot stickers.

I also found that hand chopping was best for all ingredients since the food processor tends to make a paste instead of a filling that shows off wee chunks of all ingredients, more pleasing to the eye as well as the palate.

The cabbage is the real workhorse in this filling, lightening and moistening the rest.

[AtomicKitten]

2. Thank you!

I love, love, love this soup but I've never been satisfied with the various permutations of dumplings I've tried.

I like your idea of substituting turkey for the pork, and I think the addition of shrimp and Napa cabbage is key here. I love crunch in dumplings and usually add chopped water chestnuts along with scallions for that effect.

Thanks for your suggestions!

[Warpy]

3. I have Chinese cleavers and use them two at a time for heavy chopping and grinding of meat

Not only is the consistency more controllable, the cleanup of two cleavers and a cutting board couldn't be easier.

[AtomicKitten]

4. Using a food processor really does just make a paste.

I'll try hand chopping instead.

I've already started the stock and look forward to incorporating these ideas you've given me.

Thanks again.

[cbayer]

5. Wish I could help you. I stopped making them completely

when I discovered the frozen ones at Trader Joes.

[AtomicKitten]

10. I haven't been to TJ's in quite a while.

Maybe it's time to cruise their aisles again.

Thanks!

[bif]

6. The pork shu mai at Trader Joe's are great!

I don't think I'd go through the trouble to make them myself.

[Warpy]

7. It's a lot easier than you think

The dough is just flour and water and the assembly goes quickly once you get into the groove.

I do about 200 jiaotze at a time and freeze them.

[AtomicKitten]

13. Good lord you are ambitious!

I have never made my own wrappers before. I do believe I'll give it a shot! Thank you.

[Warpy]

15. I learned at a party from Chinese visitors

Barbara Tropp has a good enough description in "The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking" and fortunately, that book is still in print.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Modern-Art-Chinese-Cooking/dp/0688146112

It's something that can be done sitting down at a table and watching a movie or listening to music. It takes very little ambition.

[AtomicKitten]

17. I first discovered dim sum in LA's Chinatown in the early 70s.

It was in a restaurant with a huge banquet room and lots of round tables with a lazy susan in the middle of each table. Waiters pushed trolleys loaded with steamers filled with food I had never seen before with everything from cha siu bao to chicken feet. It was an amazing experience. I saw elderly Chinese women off in an adjacent room cranking out dumplings in record time. I thought of it when I read your response. You have dispelled the notion that I just can't do it ... and I will try again. Thanks for that.

[Warpy]

20. The first dozen are fiddly and turn out lopsided

but then you shut your brain off or distract it with conversation, music, movies, or audiobooks and the rest of them go like lightning and turn out fine. One thing that can help is the Chinese rolling pin, a 3/4 inch dowel cut about a foot long. Roll from the center out while turning the wrapper around so that it's thick in the middle (they call it a belly) and thin at the edges. The process goes roll-fill-crimp.

The ladies in the tea room were relying on muscle memory, too, and that helps build speed.

The Imperial Tea Room in Boston was the place to go for a dim sum lunch (and only lunch). It was usually packed and my table were usually the only white faces in the place. It was strictly point at the cart, chow down and then take the ticket written in Chinese to the register and just trust their honesty. It was never terribly expensive, though, and was always outstanding.

[AtomicKitten]

11. I remember getting those from TJ's.

I really, really like homemade dumplings. I use the wonton wrappers and they become really delicate in the soup; really my favorite part.

Still, with the price of food these days, it may be cheaper to try the sui mai.

Thanks!

[azurnoir]

8. Here's really good recipe

I've also used just the meat mixture to make meatballs for home made bahn-mi

Ingredients

1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 small bunch scallions, white and green parts, chopped
12 ounces ground pork
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 egg
1 package round dumpling wrappers
1 tablespoon vegetable or peanut oil , for frying

Instructions

Add everything to a bowl minus the dumpling wrappers and veggie oil.
Lay out a few of the dumpling wrappers and add about a teaspoon of filling to each one. Wet the edges just with your finger and fold up the dumplings.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add a few to the oil and leave them until they are golden brown and crispy on one side. Add about a half cup of water to the pan and cover loosely with a lid. Steam them like that for 5-7 minutes.
Put them all on a platter and serve immediately with soy sauce!

http://juniorhighfoodie.com/pork-gyoza-aka-dumplings/

[AtomicKitten]

12. I've tried ground pork before.

Perhaps it steeps too long in the soup but it always ends up a not pleasant consistency. I will, however, try this recipe for steamed dumplings. I think the different cooking technique will make a difference in the consistency.

Thanks!

[pscot]

9. Here's a site that offers detailed instruction

http://steamykitchen.com/5874-gyoza-recipe-japanese-pan-fried-dumplings.html

You tube also has some excellent demonstration videos. It pays to make them in quantity; a job that goes a lot faster with two.

[AtomicKitten]

14. Thanks for the link.

I'll bet it freezes well.

Thanks!

[pscot]

16. When I did this I made about 60

of them and froze the ones we didn't use, a dozen to a baggie. I made my own wrappers. A one inch dowel about 10 inches long is an essentiale tool if you want to roll your own. It also helps to have 2 pairs of hands.

[AtomicKitten]

18. I've always thought making my own wrappers wasn't

.... feasible for me, but your reassurance makes me want to give it a shot. Thanks for that.

[pscot]

19. There are YouTube videos

of Chinese restaurant guys knocking wrappers out at a rate of about 2 per second. I isn't quite as easy as they make it look, but it's certainly doable. Home made are way better than store bought won ton wrappers.