some dim sum
Mrs. Wheeler
3 Black mushrooms, dried
1/3 cup Bamboo shoots, canned
1/2 lb Pork loin ground with 1 ounce fatback
1 tsp Sesame oil
1 tsp Rice wine or dry sherry
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
1 Egg white
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Granulated sugar
1/4 tsp White pepper, freshly ground
30 Won ton skins, defrosted
Cover mushrooms with boiling water and soak for 15 minutes. Drain, trim and
discard tough stem ends and finely mince caps. Blanch bamboo shoots for 1
minute in boiling water; drain, pat dry and mince finely. In a large bowl,
combine pork, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, sesame oil, rice wine, cornstarch,
egg white, salt, sugar and pepper until well mixed.
Form into 30 1-inch balls. Trim the corner of won ton wrappers to form
circles; cover with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.
To assemble, place a meatball in the center of each wrapper and bring up
sides, to form an open topped basket. Flatten the top of each meatball with
a butter knife dipped in water and flatten bottoms of dumpling so they stand
upright.
Place on a lightly oiled plate and set in bamboo steamer or on an inverted
heatproof bowl or trivet set in a wok filled with 2 inches of boiling
water. Cover and steam for 5 - 8 minutes or until done. Serve meatballs hot
and garnish plate with sprigs of fresh corianders.
Yield: Makes 30.
China. Steamed Pork Dumplings (Shiu Mai)
1 pkg Round dumpling skins *
1/2 lb Prawns
12 Chinese mushrooms, small or use canned but squeeze dry
1/2 lb Ground pork
2 Green onion, finely chopped
1 small Egg
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Sesame oil
2 tsp Thin soy sauce
1 tsp Oyster sauce
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
Shell, devein, wash, and drain prawns. Dice into bits. Boil mushrooms in
water for 10 minutes, rinse, squeeze dry, cut off and discard stems; then
chop into very small pieces. Combine the pork, mushrooms, prawns, and onion.
Put mixture on chopping board and chop 10 to 15 strokes with cleaver. (Use a
sharp knife if you don't have a cleaver.) Texture, when you're finished,
should be slightly finer than hamburger. Add "seasoning" and the egg to the
pork mixture.
Mix well. To make dumpling, place 1 Tbsp filling in the center of a
dumpling skin. Then bring all sides of the skin up to cover the meat as much
as possible, without closing. The top of the dumpling is left open. Cook
dumplings by steaming for 30 minutes. Use as many as you need, with the
rest, cool, wrap, freeze. Reheat after thawing by steaming 10 minutes. Serve
with soy sauce, hot sauce, or mustard.
*Note: Dumpling skins are similar to won ton skins, except that they are
round and slightly thinner. You may substitute won ton skins by merely
cutting off the corners to round off the skin. Chopstick, Cleaver, and Wok.
China. Steamed Pork & Shrimp Dumplings
1 large dried Chinese black mushroom
hot water
4 oz lean pork, ground
4 oz shrimp, shelled, deveined and chopped fine
2 Tbsp water chestnuts, chopped fine
2 small green onions, white parts only, minced
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp dry sherry
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp sugar
1 pinch Chinese pepper
36 3-1/2" round won ton wrappers
1 1/2 cups water
Soak the mushroom(s) in the HOT water until softened (about 20 minutes).
Drain. Remove and discard the stem and the tough center. Chop very fine.
Mix the mushroom(s), pork, shrimp, water chestnuts, green onion(s), soy
sauce, sherry, sesame oil, cornstarch, sugar, salt and pepper together.
Place a generous teaspoon of the mixture on the center of each won ton
wrapper.
Bring the sides of the wrappers up around the filling. Pinch the
tops together to form bundles around the filling. Press down lightly on the
filling. Place the cooking rack and the measured amount of water in the
pressure cooker. Place the dumplings on the rack (this may have to be done
in batches). Close the cover securely. Place the regulator on top of the
vent. Cook for 5 minutes at 15 POUNDS - start timing when the pressure
regulator begins to rock. Immerse the pressure cooker in or under running
cold water to stop the cooking immediately. Remove the dumplings - keep them
warm while additional batches are cooked. Serve warm with a dipping sauce.
Yield 36 Servings
China. Shrimp Shiu Mai (Open Face Dumplings)
30 won ton skins
1 Lb uncooked shrimp, shelled, deveined and minced
1/2 cup carrot, slivered
1 green onion, minced fine
8 water chestnuts minced fine
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 egg white, lightly beaten
3 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp dry sherry
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, minced fine
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper, ground
1/4 tsp sugar
cornstarch
soy sauce
hot chili oil
vinegar
hot Chinese mustard
Make a 3" round indentation on each won ton skin using a jar,
beverage glass or can. Use the indentations as a guide to cut the won ton
skins into circles (use scissors to actually cut the skins) - cut several
skins at a time, don't worry about ragged edges.
Combine all the remaining MEASURED ingredients in a large bowl. Blend
thoroughly. Dust a length of waxed paper with cornstarch. Moisten one won
ton wrapper with water. Place 2 level teaspoons of the filling in the
center. Draw the edges of the won ton skin up around the filling. Set the
dumpling in the hollow between your thumb and index finger. Gently squeeze
the dumpling while while pressing on both the top and bottom at the same
time. Pleat the top edge to form a narrow column with some filling showing
at the top. Set the dumpling on the cornstarch covered paper. Cover with a
dry kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining dumplings. Bring water to a
rapid boil in the steamer. Arrange the dumplings on a layer of aluminum
foil. Transfer to the steamer tray. Cover. Steam until the shrimp has lost
its raw color in the center (about 8 minutes).
Serve immediately with the soy sauce, hot chili oil, vinegar and hot Chinese
mustard.
Yields 30 Dumplings
Dipping Sauce
1 part soy sauce
1 part rice Vinegar
1 part canned pineapple juice
Combine these and serve
Dipping Sauce II
soy sauce
rice wine vinegar
sesame oil
chile oil
a little sugar
grated ginger
sliced scallions.
Combine these ingredients to taste.
--
ÉOnly god can make a treeÉ
--Joyce Kilmer