DUMPLING DOUGH BUY RECIPES

Steps:

• To prepare the dough in a food processor, put the flour in the work bowl. With the machine running, add 3/4 cup of water in a steady stream through the feed tube. As soon as all the water has been added, stop the machine and check the dough. It should look rough and feel soft but firm enough to hold its shape when pinched. If necessary, add water by the teaspoon or flour by the tablespoon. When satisfied, run the machine for another 5 to 10 seconds to further knead and form a ball around the blade. Avoid overworking the dough. Alternatively, make the dough by hand. Put a bowl atop a kitchen towel to prevent it from slipping while you work. Put the flour in the bowl and make a well in the center. Use a wooden spoon or bamboo rice paddle to stir the flour while you add 3/4 cup water in a steady stream. Aim to evenly moisten the flour. It is okay to pause to stir or add water—it is hard to simultaneously do both actions. When all the water has been added, you will have lots of lumpy bits. Knead the dough in the bowl (it is not terribly hot) to bring all the lumps into one mass; if the dough does not come together easily, add water by the teaspoon. Regardless of the mixing method, transfer the dough and any bits to a work surface; flour your work surface only if necessary, and then sparingly. Knead the dough (it is not hot) with the heel of your hand for about 30 seconds for machine-made dough, or about 2 minutes for handmade dough. The result should be nearly smooth and somewhat elastic; press on the dough; it should slowly bounce back, with a light impression of your finger remaining. Place the dough in a zip-top plastic bag and seal tightly closed, expelling excess air. Set aside to rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours. The dough will steam up the plastic bag and become earlobe soft, which makes wrappers easy to work with. After resting, the dough can be used right away to form the wrappers. Or, refrigerate it overnight and returned it to room temperature before using. Note: Recipes for hot-water dough often call for boiling water to hydrate the dry ingredients, but I find that practice too dangerous and prefer to let the water rest first. For the just-boiled water, half-fill a kettle or saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Turn off the heat and after the bubbling action subsides, 30 to 90 seconds (depending on the heating vessel), pour the amount needed into a glass measuring cup and use for making the dough. I typically wait no more than 2 minutes after boiling to use the water.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, and the warm water and mix until well-combined.
• Roll out dough on a floured surface and knead until smooth.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal parts.
• Roll out 1 piece of dough into a thin log and divide into 6 or 8 pieces, depending on the size of dumplings you want. Repeat with the remaining dough portions.
• Lightly flour the dough pieces and roll out 1 piece into a thin circle roughly 4-inches (10 cm) in diameter.
• Keep the dumpling wrappers separated with a small piece of parchment paper and repeat with the remaining dough.
• Combine the cabbage, green onions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a medium bowl and mix until well-incorporated.
• For the pork filling, combine the ground pork with the remaining teaspoon of salt, the pepper and 1 cup (125g) of the cabbage mixture and stir until well-incorporated.
• For the veggie filling, combine the mushrooms and carrot and microwave for 3 minutes, until soft. Add 1 cup (125g) of the cabbage mixture and stir until well-incorporated.
• For the shrimp filling, combine the shrimp with 1 cup (125g) of the cabbage mixture and stir until well-incorporated.
• To assemble the dumplings, add roughly 1 heaping tablespoon of filling to the center of a dumpling wrapper. With your finger, lightly coat half of the outside of the wrapper with water. Fold the moistened half of the wrapper over the filling and, using your fingers, pleat the edges to seal. Repeat with the remaining fillings and wrappers.
• Heat the oil over medium high in a large skillet and add a few dumplings, cooking them in batches. Once the bottoms of the dumplings start to brown, add a splash of water and cover with a lid. Steam for about 5 minutes, or until the dumplings are cooked and the water has evaporated. Transfer the cooked dumplings to a paper towel-lined plate to remove any excess moisture or grease.
• In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and pepper flakes and stir to combine. Serve the dumplings immediately with the dipping sauce.
• Enjoy!