The World of Computer Software/The World of Computer Software.iso/rec759.zip/REC785

Text File | 1993-01-18 | 14KB | 305 lines

Digest: #111
Date: Mon, 8 Apr 1991 05:48:53 GMT
From: Larry Margolis <[e-mail]>
Subject: MEAT: Dim Sum


In  <[e-mail]>
[e-mail] (Mike Rothman) writes:

> Can someone PLEASE post a recipe for Dumplings, and possibly also the
> sauce they come with as well (the black sauce)

First, note that dim sum encompases a wide variety of wonderful dishes,
of which dumplings is just a small part.

The following is something I posted to rec.food.cooking a while ago.

 ---------
I make these a lot, and really love them.  Whenever I make them, I make
plenty; after they're cooked, leftovers can be frozen and then
re-steamed.

I threw a party recently where I made tons of food; I made dumplings
both according to the following recipe and with ground chicken instead
of the pork (for the non-red meat eaters).  Both were good, but I
prefer the pork.

                            Shao-mai
             (Steamed Pork Dumplings, Cantonese Style)

1/2 pound ready-made shao mai          1   tbl Chinese rice wine, or pale
    wrappers (available in                 dry sherry
    Chinatown or many oriental         1   tbl soy sauce
    groceries)                         2   tsp salt
2   stalks celery cabbage              1   tsp sugar
1   pound boneless pork shoulder,      1/4 cup finely chopped canned bamboo
    finely ground                          shoots
                                       1   tbl corn starch

Prepare ahead:

1.  With a cleaver or heavy, sharp knife, cut off the flat ends and
trim away any wilted green tops from the cabbage stalks.  Wash the
stalks under cold running water, then drain them thoroughly and chop
into a very fine dice.  Place the chopped cabbage into a kitchen towel
or double layer of cheesecloth and squeeze it firmly to extract as much
of its moisture as possible.

2.  In a bowl, combine the pork, wine, soy sauce, salt, sugar and corn
starch, and, with a large spoon, mix them thoroughly together.  Stir in
the cabbage and bamboo shoots.

3.  To fill each dumpling, place a shao mai wrapper on the palm of your
hand and cup it loosely.  Place one tablespoonful of the filling in the
cup.  Then, with your other hand, gather the sides of the wrapper
around the filling, letting the wrapper pleat naturally.  Squeeze the
middle gently to make sure that the wrapper fits firmly against the
filling, and to give the cylinder a faintly wasp-waisted look.  Tap the
dumpling to flatten its bottom so it can stand upright.

When all the dumplings are made, place them on a greased heatproof
plate 1/2 inch smaller in diameter than the pot in which you plan to
steam them.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are
ready to cook them - but no longer than 2 to 3 hours.

To cook:

Pour enough boiling water into the lower part of a steamer to come
within an inch of the cooking rack.  Place the plate of dumplings on
the rack.  Over high heat, bring the water in the steamer to a rolling
boil.  Cover the pan tightly and steam for 30 minutes.

If the dumplings must be made in 2 or more batches, keep the finished
dumplings warm as you proceed with the rest by covering them with a
saucepan lid.  Or they may be reheated in the steamer for a minute or
so before serving.  In any case, during the steaming process, it is
wise to keep a kettle of boiling water at hand if the water in the
steamer boils away and needs replenishing.

Serve the dumplings on the steamer plate set directly on a platter or,
with chopsticks, tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the finished
dumplings to a heated platter.

 ------

(The above is from the Time-Life Foods Of the World series, Chinese
Cooking edition.)

For a dipping sauce, I pour about 4 parts soy sauce in a small bowl
with one part vinegar, a splash of sesame oil, and a little finely
sliced scallion for garnish.

 ------

Since this has to last you the whole summer, and I'm too lazy to type
in my recipe for making the wrappers in case you can't purchase them
ready-made, I'm going to repost an article that has a recipe for
wrappers and another recipe for the dumplings.  Enjoy!

 ------
 From: [e-mail] (Steve Hammond)
 Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
 Subject: pot stickers/gyoza/dumplings  (long)
 Date: 14 Nov 89 02:30:25 GMT
 Reply-To: [e-mail] (Steve Hammond)

The Chinese New Year arrives in Taipei with much fanfare and ritual.
Several weeks before the holiday, telltale signs of its advent are
clearly visible; clotheslines usually festooned with laundered
pantaloons and tunics become burdened with the weight of fragrant coils
of freshly made sausage.  The marketplace, filled to the brim with the
usual bounty of shellfish, meat, and fish, offers such usual New Year's
delicacies as glutinous rice cake (nian gao), red and white glutinous
rice balls, and mountainous stacks of dried shark's fin, bird's nests,
and silver ears -- prime ingredients fro the New Year's banquet.  The
frequent boom of firecrackers exploding in the streets -- set off to
ward away evil spirits -- becomes more pronounced as the holiday
approaches, and the air fairly tingles with electricity of expectation
and excitement -- for this is the most important holiday of the Chinese
lunar calendar.

In Chinese homes, preparations begin at least a month in advance.
Houses are cleaned from top to bottom, new clothes for the entire
family are made or purchased, and the kitchen teems with activity from
early morning to late at night as many dishes are made ready for the
feasting.  Much of the cooking for the holiday is made in advance.

In northern China a custom that has been observed for centuries still
exists today; women friends and relatives gather before the holiday to
prepare several hundred jiao zi, meat dumplings or Peking ravioli.  The
finished dumplings are arranged on trays and left to freeze in the
chill winter air.  During the holiday, a cauldron of water is boiled,
the desired number of dumplings are cooked, and a hot filling meal is
ready in minutes.  Often a silver coin is placed inside one of the
dumplings, signifying good luck in the coming year for the recipient.

Some families prefer to pan-fry the dumplings (in this case they are
called guo tie), creating a golden crust that gives ravioli the
appearnce of golden coins.

The Cantonese are fond of a New Year's dumpling made of glutinous rice
and a filling of powdered sesame seeds and sugar.  This pastry is
believed to symbolize completeness and is served to celebrate the
family unit and ensure a healthy harvest and bountiful year.  In some
parts of eastern China, these dumplings are eaten two weeks after the
New Year, whereas in Fukina, an eastern-province north of Canton, they
are consumed during the Mid-Autumn Festival and are often dusted with a
mixture of sesame seeds, ground peanuts, and sugar.

Dumplings have a prominent place in Chinese cuisine; they are prepared
in numerous variations for holidays and festivals and they are consumed
on  a daily basis in several parts of China.  In the north, where wheat
provides the area with its wealth of noodles and steamed breads,
dumplings frequently act as a staple substitute for rice, in addition
to being served as a meal themselves.  The same is true in western
China.  In the east and the south, dumplings are considered to be a
type of dim sum (dian xin) and are commonly served as a snack with tea
or wine.

The origin of dumplings is undocumented, but it is believed that these
pastries, along with other wheat products, were introduced to China
from the west -- most likely Persia or central Asia.  They quickly were
adapted to Chinese ingredients and were incorporated into the daily
diet.  As these snacks were adopted by various cuisines, their
ingredients were altered slightly, depending on the products of the
area.  In the north, dumplings were filled with lamb, pork, and
chives.  In Sichuan province, the filling included a mixture of pork,
cabbage, and dried shrimp.  In the eastern and southern regions, more
delicate variations of the dumplings evolved (such as hun dun and shao
mai), with stuffings of shrimp, bamboo shoots, and black mushrooms.
The methods of cooking dumplings have regional characteristics as well;
in the north they are boiled, whereas in the east they are steamed on
beds of pine needles that have been anointed with sesame oil.

   Dumpling Skins     jiao zi pi

The texture of these fresh pasta products is positively silky in
comparison to the commercially prepared kind.  Making them by hand is a
very time-consuming process, but the result is certainly worth the
effort.  Commercial dumpling skins (gyoza) will work just fine.

Fifty skins:
 2.5  cups all-purpose flour
 1.25 cups boiling water

1. Place the flour in a mixing bowl and add the boiling water.  With a
wooden spoon, mix the ingredients to a rough ball.  If the dough is too
hot to handle, let it cool a bit; then turn it out onto a lightly
floured surface and need for about 5 minutes, until it is smooth and
elastic.  If the dough is too sticky, need a few tablespoons of flour
into it.  Cover the dough and let it rest for 25 minutes.

2. Cut the dough in two and form each half into a long snakelike roll
about 1 inch in diameter.  Cut each half into 25 pieces.  with a cut
edge down, press each into a circle.  Using a small rolling pin or a
tortilla press that has been lightly floured, roll out each piece into
a 3-inch circle.  Cover the circles with a cloth or towel to prevent
drying.

  Fifty Dumplings       Jiao Zi

Meat dumplings typify the hearty, wholesome qualities of northern
home-style cooking.  Traditionally, they are filled with pork, cabbage,
and flavored with a generous amount of Chinese garlic chives.  For a
nice variation is to substitute lamb for pork

1.5 cups finely minced Chinese cabbage (Napa)
1   tsp salt
75 pounds ground pork
1   cup finely minced Chinese garlic chives, leeks, or scallion
       greens

Dumpling Seasoning
2   Tbs soy sauce
1   Tbs rice wine (shaohsing)
2   Tbs sesame oil
1.5 tsp minced ginger
1.5 tsp minced garlic


1.  Place the minced cabbage in a large mixing bowl, add the salt, toss
lightly to mix evenly, and let sit for 30 min.  (this is done to remove
the water from the cabbage, so the filling will not soak through the
dumpling skin.)  Take a handful of minced cabbage and squeeze out as
much water as possible.  Place the cabbage in a mixing bowl.  Squeeze
out all the cabbage and discard water.  Add the pork, minced chives,
and "dumpling seasoning".  Stir vigorously in to combine the
ingredients evenly.  (If the mixture seems loose, add 2 Tbs cornstarch
to bind it together.)

2.  Place a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of each
dumpling skin, and fold the skin over to make a half-moon shape.
Spread a little water along the edge of the skin.  Use the thumb and
index finger of one hand to form small pleats along the outside edge of
the skin;  with the other hand, press the two opposite edges of the
skin together to seal.  The inside edge of the dumpling should curve in
a semi-circular fashion to conform to the shape of the pleated edge.
Place the sealed edge dumplings on a baking sheet that has been lightly
dusted with cornstarch or flour.

3.  In a large wok or pot, bring about 3qts of water to a boil.  Add
half the dumplings, stirring immediately to prevent them from sticking
together, and heat until the water begins to boil.  Add 1/2 cup cold
water and continue to cook over high heat until the water boils.  Add
another 1/2 cup cold water and cook until the water boils again.
Remove and drain.  Cook the remaining dumplings in the same manner.
(this is the traditional method of cooking dumplings; for a simpler
method, boil for about 8 minutes, uncovered, on high heat.

Serve the cooked dumplings with one (or both) of the following
dipping sauces:

  Dipping Sauce  I
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 Tbs Chinese Black vinegar or Worcestershire sauce


  Dipping Sauce  II
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tbs Chinese Black vinegar or Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs chili oil or chili paste with garlic


  Variation

add 1 Tbs shredded gingerroot or minced garlic to either of the sauces.

   Pan Fried Dumplings   Guo Tie

Literally translated, guo tie means "pot stickers," and anyone who has
not used a well-seasoned pan to cook these dumplings will understand
the appropriateness of this title; the dumplings often refuse to
dislodge themselves from the pan.


  25 dumplings

3.5  Tbs peanut oil
5   meat dumpling from above
1    cup boiling water


Heat a large wok or well-seasoned skillet until very hot.  Add three
tablespoons of oil and and heat until hot.  Place the dumplings in the
pan, pleated side up.  Fry the dumplings over medium heat until their
bottoms are a deep golden brown.  Add the boiling water to the pan and
cover.  Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes.  Uncover,
and pour out the water.  Lightly rinse the dumplings for 5 seconds
under hot running water to remove excess starch*.  Drain.  Place the
pan containing the dumplings over medium-high heat.  Drizzle 1/2 Tbs of
oil around the dumplings and fry until the bottoms are again crisp
(about 2 minutes).  Loosen any dumplings that seem to be stuck to the
bottom.

* I have only had to rinse when I have made the skins myself.


Most of this came from the book Nina Simonds, "Classic Chinese
Cuisine", Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1982.  It is an excellent
Chinese cookbook.  The recipes are straight forward and typically
pretty easy.  It contains nice (often wordy and sometimes slightly
dated) descriptions and historical notes.