“Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.” ~ Mark Twain
~ DIM SUM SERIES ~
Twain was a man after my own heart. I love dim sum. The tapas-style dining means lots of varieties of food to try in one sitting, from savory to salty, spicy to sweet, it is like eating your way through a land of tastes and textures, delivered in bite-sized packages. But as previously mentioned, scoring a spot at a good dim sum restaurant can be a feat.
If you are like me, given to occasional pangs of dim sum cravings, fear no more. Ever since I made my first shrimp dumplings based on Katie Chin’s Crystal Shrimp Dumpling^ recipe, I look forward to the times when I can grab a couple from the freezer anytime I want. They are great for freezing, and it does take a little bit of work to make (all the more reason to savor every bite) but once they are done, what remains is to relax and eat. Anytime I want. Celebrating little victories 🙂 Warm in a pan, lightly pan-fried, added to soup or even just microwaved, these are easy to make and hard to get wrong. For fancier dumplings, use a dumpling press to seal the sides in Step 2.
More from the Dim Sum Series: Siu Mai Dumplings »
- Round dumpling wrappers (store-bought)
- 8 oz shrimp, chopped into paste-like consistency
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp white pepper
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 egg white, divided into 2
- 2 tsp cilantro, finely chopped
- ½ cup water
- 1 spring onion, cut into ½" strips (for garnish)
- *3 Tbsp light soy sauce (for dipping sauce)
- *1½ Tbsp black vinegar (for dipping sauce)
- *1/2" ginger, julienned (for dipping sauce)
- Combine chopped shrimp with salt sugar, pepper, sesame oil, cornstarch, ½ of the egg white and chopped cilantro.
- Place 1 Tbsp of shrimp filling in the middle of a wrapper. Dap edges of the wrapper with the remaining egg white, fold wrapper over the filling and seal. Repeat till all filling is used, about 10-12 dumplings.
- Pan-fry both sides of the dumplings in 1 Tbsp oil over medium heat for about 1 minute.
- Add ½ cup water, cover and bring to a boil. Then uncover and allow to cook for another minute.
- Mix dipping sauce ingredients * in a small saucer.
- Garnish and serve with dipping sauce.
To freeze, lay dumplings on a cooking sheet and tray after Step 2 and freeze. Store in a sealed bag when frozen.
(Adapted from Katie Chin's Crystal Shrimp Dumpling)