Steamed Chinese Dumplings

When we lived in Atlanta, my husband, Chad and I used to go to this international grocery store right on the perimeter off 85. A little old man used to make fresh steamed dumplings and they were excellent. We had them eaten in the parking lot before we made it to the car! One day I asked myself, "Why don't I try to make these?" And so I did!

This is the recipe I found on about.com and it came out nicely.

http://thaifood.about.com/od/vegetarianthairecipes/r/vegdumplings.htm

How to make Vegetarian Dumplings:

Start out chopping the filling ingredients and then processing them in the food processor as requested:

Filling:

• 3 cups sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 1 cup cubed medium-firm tofu (about 2/3 package)
• 1 thumb-size piece galangal OR ginger, sliced
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves and stems, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. white pepper
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. chili sauce (or more if you want them spicy)
• 1/4 cup vegetarian simulated chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
  
  

Directions:

Prepare a steamer (I used a bamboo steamer) lining the bottom of each section with enough lettuce leaves to cover the entire surface. Take a shallow pan and fill it with about 3 inches of water. Place the pan on a flame until the water boils (without bamboo steamer). The image below shows how to add the filling into the wonton wrapper.

In the meantime, take one wonton wrapper and place about half a tablespoon of filling onto the center of the wonton. Do not add too much filling or it will squirt out of the sides of the wonton. Dip your finger in water and run the water on to the outside perimeter of the entire wonton wrapper. Fold the wonton wrapper once and pinch the edges together so no filling squirts out and place it on a lightly floured surface or on the lettuce in the prepared bamboo steamer. The image below shows the Pre-Cooked Dumpling.

Once you have enough dumplings prepared, place them on the lettuce in the bamboo steamer making sure they do not touch or they will stick together. Place the bamboo steamer directly on the water in the pan. Steam for 10 minutes or until fully cooked. Be careful to watch the water level in the pan. It may steam out and then you will have to add water to the bottom of the pan so that the bamboo steamer is not sitting directly on a hot pan.

Sauce for Dipping:

I whip up my own dipping sauce:

• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce.
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil.
• a little bit of scallions sliced.

Serve and enjoy!

Make your husband do the dishes!