You are my dumpling....

Dumplings - everyone loves them. Especially Asians who have different names for their favorite dumpling: Koreans call it mandu, Filipinos call it siomai, Japanese refer to them as gyoza, some refer them to potstickers etc. But it all boils down to one simple thing, a dumpling is a parcel of food wrapped in a thin layer of dough. Dumplings can be cooked in a variety of ways, steamed, fried or boiled.

I like making my own dumplings. I get to choose what goes inside my little morsels of delight and usually its a list of my favorite things: minced pork, mushrooms, spring onions, grated carrots, etc. Sometimes, I just need to clean out my veggie bin and make "clean-out-the-fridge" dumplings.

There are also a number of ways to seal the dumplings. There is the round half-moon shape, that resembles a nun's wimple. There is also the triangle shaped potsticker. I favor the popular way of making a half-moon shape and then pleating the edges into a pretty ruffle like this.



Here is my recipe for dumplings or what is also known as...

Shrimp Potstickers

Sauce ingredients
1/3 cup rice vinegar (substitute white vinegar if you don't have any)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon chopped green onions (green part only)
1/2 teaspoon chili oil (optional)

Filling ingredients
1/2 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (or just peel it if you're feeling lazy)
1 lb ground pork
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup finely minced green onions
1/2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1/2 tbsp minced fresh garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 dozen dumpling wrappers or wonton wrappers
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp cornstarch

1. Make dipping sauce by combining ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
2. Make shrimp filling for the dumplings by pureeing the shrimp in a food processor until it makes a smooth paste or by simply chopping it with a large knife on your cutting board.
3. Add the shrimp into a large mixing bowl together with the rest of the ingredients (EXCEPT THE WRAPPERS).
4. Measure a heaping tbsp of the filling into the center of the wonton wrapper.
5. Fold the wrapper into two and seal the edges with some water mixed with cornstarch (to act as a glue) and pleat the edges into 6 or 7 pleats.
6. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and let the dumplings sit in the refrigerator for about ten minutes so that edges seal completely.

To cook your dumplings
1. Steaming method - Prepare the steamer with hot water. When the water is simmering nicely, drop in the dumplings and steam for 12-15 minutes.
2. Pan frying method - heat up some vegetable oil (2-3 tbsps.) in a skillet over medium heat. Whenthe oil is hot, place the dumplings with the flat side down in the oil and saute for a couple minutes or until the bottom is golden brown. Add 1/4 cup of water and immediately cover. Wait until all the water has evaporated and then take out the dumplings and serve immediately.