STEAMED DUMPLING DOUGH RECIPES

Steps:

• Wet your tea towel or cloth and baking parchment under the tap then squeeze out the excess moisture. Spread out the towel on the work surface then place two pieces of parchment (the length and width of the tea towel) in a cross on top and lightly oil or butter them. Put a very large pan of water on to boil with an upturned plate in the base.
• Tip the breadcrumbs, flour, suet, sugar, salt, bicarbonate of soda, spices and dried fruit in a large bowl and stir to mix. Whisk the treacle or syrup into the milk and egg using a fork until well blended then stir the mixture into the dried ingredients with the blade of a cutlery knife to make a soft dough.
• Dust the paper generously with sifted flour then place the dough in the centre of the cross and shape into a round with your hands. Bring the paper up round the pudding and tie at the top with string. Trim off the excess paper with scissors then wrap in the cloth and tie in the same way. Lower into the pan of simmering water, cover with a lid and boil for 3 hours until firm. Check the water level every now and then and top it up if necessary.
• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C /gas 4. Tip the pudding into a colander to drain and then carefully peel off the cloth and paper. Place the pudding on an ovenproof dish and bake for 15 mins to dry it off and produce the classic skin. Serve sliced with custard, cream or ice cream and a dram of whisky if you like.

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in the water; stir in the sugar and beat in 2 1/2 cups of rice flour to make a soft sponge. Set aside in a warm place to double in bulk, about 40 minutes. Mix in 2 more cups of rice flour and 1/4 cup of shortening and place the dough on a greased work surface; knead in the remaining 1/4 cup of shortening to make a smooth dough. Cut the dough into 15 equal-sized pieces; form each piece into a ball.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir the onion and garlic in the hot oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken, soy sauce, 2 teaspoons of sugar, green onion, salt, and pepper. If the mixture is juicy, add cornstarch to thicken.
• Working on a lightly greased work surface, flatten a dough ball into a circle about 4 inches in diameter with the heel of your hand. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of the dough ball, bring the edges of the dough together at the top, and pinch and twist to seal in the filling. Place each filled dumpling onto waxed paper with the pinched seal at the bottom while you finish the rest of the dumplings.
• Spray a multi-layered bamboo steamer with cooking spray, place the steamer on top of a large saucepan, and pour in water to several inches below the steamer. Bring the water to a boil.
• Working in several batches, place 3 or 4 filled buns into each steamer layer without letting the buns touch each other or the edge of the steamer, cover the steamer, and let the buns steam over medium-low heat until puffy and the dough is springy, about 15 minutes per batch. Serve warm.