BEIJING DUMPLING HOUSE RECIPES

Steps:

• First make the dough. Put the ?our into a large bowl and stir in the hot water gradually, mixing with a fork or with chopsticks until most of the water is incorporated. Add more water if the mixture seems dry. Then remove the mixture from the bowl and knead for about 8 minutes until smooth, dusting the dough with a little ?our if it is sticky. Put the dough back into the bowl, cover it with a damp towel and let it rest.

  Meanwhile, combine the ?lling ingredients in a large bowl, add 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper, and mix.

  After around 20 minutes, take the dough out of the bowl and knead it again for about 5 minutes. Form it into a roll about 23cm (9in) long and about 2.5cm (1in) in diameter. Cut the roll into about 18 equal segments.

  Roll each dough segment into a small ball. Then roll each ball into a small, round, ?at ‘pancake’ about 6cm (2½in) in diameter. Arrange them on a lightly ?oured tray and cover with a damp kitchen towel until you are ready to use them.

  Put about 2 teaspoons of ?lling into the centre of each ‘pancake’ and fold in half. Moisten the edges with water and pinch together with your ?ngers. Pleat around the edge, pinching to seal well. (The dumpling should look like a small Cornish pasty, with a ?at base and a rounded top.) Transfer the ?nished dumpling to the ?oured tray and keep it covered.

  Heat a large frying pan (preferably non-stick) until hot. Add 1 tablespoon of oil followed by the dumplings, ?at side down. Turn down the heat and cook for about 2 minutes, until they are lightly browned. (You may need to cook in two batches.) Add the water (half at a time if you’ve got two batches), then cover and cook for about 12 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Cook, uncovered, for a further 2 minutes, then remove. Serve with 3 bowls, containing the Chinese white rice vinegar, chilli oil, and light soy sauce, to dip.

Steps:

• Clean the cabbage, chop it, and put it in a large non-reactive pot with salt Set it aside and let it sweat out water for 45 min or so (you can prepare this ahead).
• If you're using a meat grinder, feed the shrimp, pork, garlic, onions, and ginger through the meat grinder, getting everything to be a smooth, yet chunky mixture. If you're using a food processor, you're going to half way freeze the meat, and chop each ingredient on it's own, and then mix them in a pasta bowl. Traditionally, all these ingredients are minced and chopped using a large cutting board and a cleaver. However you do it, it's up to you.
• Put the meat and veggie mixture into a a large bowl. Add the salt, soy sauce, egg and sugar to the mixture.
• In a heavy skillet, heat up the oil. Add the spice powders and toast the spices. Pour this mixture hot over the meat mixture in the bowl, and stir inches.
• Drain the cabbage, rinse it and drain again. Mix it in to the meat mixture.
• (Optional step) Make the dumpling wrappers: mix together 1 1/2 cup flour and pinch of salt and then slowly add just enough water to result in a springy dough. Knead it a lot to make the gluten stringy and strong. Roll the dough out into a long rope, cut the rope apart into ping pong ball sized pieces. Flatten the pieces out into small flat discs, and flour a table or cutting board, and roll them out using a beer bottle or small rolling pin. As you make them, hand them to the person wrapping the dumplings. Or just buy the pre-made wrappers.
• Wrap the dumplings in the dumpling skins, pinching together the sides and tucking in the ends.
• Cook the dumplings: boil a pot of water. Drop the dumplings in, they are ready when the float to the top of the pot. Don't boil too many at once, or they'll stick together. Scoop them out with a strainer, so you can use the water for the next batch.
• Serve with soy sauce, dipping sauce, raw garlic (for true Northern Chinese style eating!), chili sauce, or cut up green onions.