Vegetarian Dumplings
2 min readHua SuJiao
250g wonton skins
plain flour, for dusting
1.2litres(2pints) chicken stock or water
chopped spring onions, to garnish
FILLING
1tablespoon groundnut or vegetable oil
2tablespoons finely chopped garlic
250g pak choi, finely chopped
250g Chinese leaves, finely chopped
125g fresh or frozen peas
25g Sichuan preserved vegetables, thoroughly rinsed and finely chopped
2tablespoons shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1teaspoon sesame oil
1teaspoon salt
2teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped spring onions
TO SERVE
small bowl of white rice vinegar
small bowlof chillioil
small bowl of dark soy sauce
Dumplings in any form are universally popular in China. In this version,I have used wonton skins, which are simple to use, light and easily available.
1. Heat a wok over a high heat until it is hot, then add the groundnut or vegetable oil. When the oil is hot and slightly smoking, add the garlic and stir-fry for 20 seconds. Then add the pak choi, Chinese leaves, peas and preserved vegetables and continue to stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the rice wine or sherry, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 3 minutes, then add the spring onions. Cook for 3 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Put the mixture in a bowl and leave it to cool thoroughly.
2. Put about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the centre of each wonton skin and then fold in half. Moisten the edges with water and pinch together with your fingers. Pleat around the edge, pinching to seal well. Trans-fer the finished dumplings to a floured tray and keep it covered with a damp cloth until you have filled all the dumplings in this way.
3. When the dumplings are ready, bring the stock or water to a simmer in a large saucepan, add the dumplings and poach for 1 minute or until they float to the surface. Continue to simmer them in the stock for2minutes.
4. Transfer to a platter. Arrange 3 small bowls, each containing white rice vinegar, chilli oil and dark soy sauce. The idea is to let each person concoct their own dipping sauce by mixing these 3 condiments exactly to their taste. Garnish the dumplings with chopped spring onions and serve at once.
