FOIE GRAS STICKY SESAME DUMPLINGS

This is our take on a breakfast classic，which you can invariably find at one of the numerous congee（rice porridge）stalls in Hong Kong.Sometimes they are filled with a sweet lotus paste；other times they are hollow，jumbo balls of sticky goodness.

Makes 40 dumplings

INGREDIENTS

230 mlboiling water，plus extra if needed

126g sugar

300g glutinous rice flour

194g wheat starch

10g baking powder

19g white vegetable fat，at room temperature，diced

60g foie gras，cut into 1cm cubes and placed in the freezer for about 20 minutes until firm vegetable oil，for deep-frying

200g mixed black and white sesame seeds

plum sauce，to serve

1.Place the boiling water and sugar in a saucepan and boil，stirring constantly，just until the sugar has dissolved.

2.Place the glutinous rice flour and wheat starch in an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.With the machine running，slowly add the hot sugar syrup in a steady stream untila dough forms.If the mixture fails to bind together，boil a kettle of water and add a little more boiling water，2 teaspoons at a time，until you have a smooth dough.

3.With the machine still running，probably making a racket with the dough banging against thesides of the mixing bowl，add the baking powder and fat.Continue to mix for a further minute.

4.The dough will be a little wet，so stop the machine，cover the mixing bowl with clingfilm and place in the refrigerator for 3 hours to firm up.

5.Remove the bowl from the refrigerator，divide the mixture into 15g portions and roll each intoa ball.Place on a sheet of baking paper.

6.Remove the foie gras from the freezer and place a cube in the middle of each ball.Gently shape and roll each ball with both hands so that the foie gras is encased in the middle of each ball.

7.Place the balls in the freezer until ready to use.At this stage，they can be stored for several weeks.

8.When ready to fry，heat the oil for deep-frying in deep-fat fryer to 180℃.

9.Remove the balls from the freezer and roll in a plate of water，then add to a bowl filled with the sesame seeds and roll around so that they are completely covered in the seeds.

10.Deep-fry the balls，in small batches，until they puff up and become hollow in the middle，rolling them around in the oil constantly so that all sides of the balls are in contact with the oil.You will be able to tell if they are hollow in the middle by removing them from the oil and shaking them-

you should be able to hear the foie gras rattling around inside.（Be careful when doing this，as the balls will be very hot.）

11.Remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper.Leave to cool slightly before serving with plum sauce.

CHEF’S TIP

The secret to a good sticky dumpling is for the middle to be hollow.If the centre of your dumplings remains solid and full of dough，you haven’t fried them for long enough.To assist in the hollowing-out process，once they have cooled enough to handle，give the fried balls another vigorous shake before serving.

hancheng

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