Dazzling, Delicious Dumpling Dinner

 Menu

Appetizer

Sesame Prawn Toast (Z & K)

Dumplings

Tofu, Pork, Beef and Chives - Filling (Chinese Mustard) (T & J)

Pork/Shrimp/Napa Cabbage - Filling (Garlic Chili Sauce) (F & L)

Mushroom  - Filling (L & T)

Carrot - Filling (J & K)

Sides

Carrot and Daikon pickles (J & K)

Stir Fried Bok Choy (L & T)

Dessert

Strawberry/Blackberry Pudding (Z & K)

Carrot Dumpling Filling

Source

Carrot Dumpling Filling

Ingredients

• 1 pound (450 grams) carrots, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 slices ginger
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil (or vegetable oil)
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup bamboo shoots, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

• Rinse shiitake mushrooms and transfer them to a bowl. Add hot water to cover. Rehydrate for 30 minutes, or until tender. Rinse with water again and gently rub by hand to remove dirt from the surface. Drain and set aside.
• Add carrots, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, and ginger into a food processor. Pulse until all the ingredients are minced, but not turned to mush.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until warm. Add the minced carrot and shiitake mushrooms. Cook and still until the carrot is completely cooked through. Transfer to a large plate to cool.
• Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the same skillet. Add the beaten eggs. Stir and chop the eggs with a spatula, until the eggs are cooked through and turned to small bits. Transfer to a large plate to cool.
• When the eggs and carrot mixture have cooled, transfer them to a large bowl. Add bamboo shoot, white pepper powder, light soy sauce, and salt. Mix with a spatula, until everything is mixed well.

Mushroom Dumpling Filling

 Source (includes a sauce and cooking instructions - all you need to prepare is the filling)

Chinese Mushroom Dumpling Filling

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 4 cups shiitake or cremini mushrooms, chopped
• 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
• 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari
• Black pepper
• 2 cups roughly chopped spinach or bok choy

Method

1. Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the shallots and cook until fragrant and lightly caramelized, 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, ginger, and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms have cooked down, about 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce and large pinch of pepper. Stir in the greens. Cook another 2-3 minutes, until the mushrooms are caramelized. 
2. Remove from the heat and let cool. 

Pork/Shrimp/Napa Cabbage Dumpling Filling

 Source

Pork/Shrimp/Napa Cabbage Filling (Jiaozi)

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/2 pound shrimp (shelled, deviened and coarsely chopped)
• 2 large napa cabbage leaves (salted, drained, rinsed and finely diced)
• 2 green onions (finely sliced)
• 2 tablespoons bamboo shoot (finely diced)
• 2 tablespoons ginger (finely diced)
• 1 tablespoon garlic (finely diced)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Method

Combine the pork, shrimp, cabbage, green onions, bamboo shoots, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch.

Tofu, Pork, Beef and Chive Dumpling Filling

Source 

Dumplings with Tofu, Pork, Beef and Chives

Ingredients

• 8 ounces medium-firm tofu
• 8 ounces ground pork
• 8 ounces ground beef
• 2 cups buchu (Korean garlic chives), finely chopped
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white or black pepper

Method

1. Drain the tofu: Tofu usually comes in 16-ounce blocks. You will use half of it. Reserve the other half in the fridge for another use. Place the tofu on a cheese cloth or flour sack towel.
2. Loosely break it up into small pieces using your fingers. Wrap the cloth or towel around the tofu tightly and squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible.
3. Leave the tofu in the cloth and set it in a colander for 10 to 15 minutes to make sure it’s drained well.
4. In a large bowl, add the tofu, pork, beef, buchu, onions, garlic, ginger, egg, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and black pepper. Stir until combined well.

Curried Empanadas

Source 

Curried Empanadas Recipe

Make Ahead: The dough and the filling can be made 2 days ahead of time. The formed empanadas can be chilled several hours before baking. Once baked, the empanadas can be made a day ahead of time and reheated before serving.

Pastry Ingredients

16 ounces cream cheese (do not use light), room temperature

8 ounces (2 sticks, 1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 egg, beaten, for pastry egg wash

Filling Ingredients

Salt

1/2 pound ground pork, chicken or beef

2 tablespoons plus one teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onions

1 clove garlic, minced

4 shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped (optional)

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

2 tablespoons sherry

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/4 cup golden raisins, chopped

Method

Make the empanada dough: Beat together the cream cheese, butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, until well blended. Slowly add in the flour, mixing until incorporated.

Form two balls (it will be easier to work with 2 separate pieces of dough), then flatten each into a disk. Dust with flour, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Cook the meat: While dough is chilling, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large frying pan on medium high heat. Break off bits of ground meat and add to the pan, until all the meat is added without crowding. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of salt over the pork. Do not stir.

Once the meat is lightly browned on one side, use a spatula to flip the pieces to the other side so the other side can cook.

Once the meat is lightly browned on both sides, reduce the heat on the pan to medium, and remove the pork to a bowl.

Make the picadillo stuffing: Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Then add the finely chopped onion. Let onions gently cook on medium heat for a few minutes until translucent.

Add the minced garlic. Cook until fragrant.

Add the finely chopped mushrooms, cooking for a few minutes more.

Add the curry powder, ground coriander, and cardamom to the pan. Mix the spices in with the onion mix.

Add the ground meat back to the pan, mixing in the seasoned onion mix.

Add the raisins. Add the sherry, soy sauce, sugar, and corn starch, mixing well.

Break bigger pieces of ground meat with the edge of a metal spatula. Remove from heat, and chill until time to stuff the pastries.

Roll out the dough and cut out rounds: Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured, smooth, clean surface, roll out one of the dough rounds to a thin 1/8-inch thickness. (If refrigerated for more than an hour, you may need to let it sit for 10 minutes to soften it enough to roll it out more easily.)

Use a wide-mouthed jar or biscuit cutter (about 3 inches wide) to cut out rounds. Place them on a baking sheet.

During this and the next step, if the dough becomes too soft and therefore difficult to work with, put whatever you are working on in the refrigerator to chill for 5 or 10 minutes.

Stuff and fold the empanadas: Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the inside edge of the rounds with egg wash (to help the empanadas seal).

Place a teaspoon of meat inside each round

Fold the round over to and press the edges to seal shut. Use the tines of a fork to flute the edges.

Place standing upright on a baking sheet, spaced an inch apart. (You can also lie them down, but with them upright, you'll fit more on a pan.)

Use a pastry brush to brush the sides (not the bottom) of the empanadas with more egg wash.

Bake in oven: Working in batches, cook in the 375°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Potstickers! October 17th

Please prepare your filling and bring it with you; I'll provide the wrappers. We will assemble and cook the dumplings together at my house.

Menu:

3 Types of Dumplings (potstickers)

• Crab Potstickers with Sesame-Ginger Dipping Sauce - T&J
• Shrimp and Chive Potstickers - J&K
• Japanese Style (pork or chicken - cook's choice) - C&C

Salad with spicy sesame dressing - Z&K

Rice Pudding - Z&K

Japanese style dumplings (Gyoza)

Inspired by a recipe from The Kitchn

Yields aprox 40 dumplings.

Ingredients:

4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps diced small
1 pound napa cabbage, quartered down the length and thinly sliced across (about 5 cups)
1 teaspoon salt
6 to 7 ounces ground pork or chicken (80% lean preferred)
3 to 4 scallions, thinly sliced across
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large egg, beaten

Method:

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced shiitake mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes, until softened and turning golden brown. Add the cabbage and the teaspoon of salt to the pan. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is completely wilted, 3-4 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, combine ground meat with the scallions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and black pepper.

Squeeze handfuls of the cooled mushroom-cabbage mixture in your fist to squeeze out as much moisture as possible and transfer to the meat mixture. Stir to combine all the ingredients. Thoroughly mix egg into the filling mixture. (You should have about 3 cups of filling total.)

Shrimp and Chive Potstickers

Source: Peter Meehan's Lucky Peach Presents 101 Easy Asian Recipes via David Lebovitz

Yields aprox: 50 dumplings

Ingredients:

1 pound (450g) uncooked shelled shrimp, fresh or frozen (if frozen, thawed)

1 cup finely minced garlic chives or 2 bunches regular chives, minced
1 tablespoon peeled, minced ginger
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or sherry
½ teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon white or black pepper
½ teaspoon salt

Method:

Peel and chop the shrimp, either with a chef’s knife or pulsing them in a food processor. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the chopped shrimp with the chives, ginger, egg, soy sauce, Shaoxing, sesame oil, pepper, and salt. Cover and chill the mixture for at least 30 minutes.

Crab Potstickers with Sesame-Ginger Dipping Sauce

Source:  Gourmet via Epicurious

Recipe should yield about 24 dumplings.(~1.5 cups filling)

For dipping sauce:

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon grated peeled fresh gingerroot
5 teaspoons water

Filling:

2 scallions
12 ounces jumbo lump crab meat
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 large egg whites
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh gingerroot

Make Dipping Sauce:

In a small bowl whisk together all dipping sauce ingredients.

Make Filling:

Chop scallion and pick over crab meat to remove any bits of shell and cartilage. Break up larger pieces of crab.

In a dry small heavy skillet toast sesame seeds with salt to taste over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer seeds to a medium bowl and cool slightly.

Add egg white and gingerroot to seeds and lightly beat.

Gently stir in crab and scallion and season with salt and pepper.