Try This at Home: How to Make Dumplings

The host of Cooking Channel's Easy Chinese, Ching-He Huang, shows Food Network Magazine how to make dumplings for Chinese New Year.

From: Food Network Magazine

Related To:

Photo By: Eric Wolfinger

"In Chinese culture, dumplings are a sign of love because they take some time and skill to make," says Ching-He Huang. "But it's easy once you know how!"

Get the Recipe: Steamed Pork-and-Mushroom Shumai

Dried goji berries, popular in China, are a traditional topper for shumai, Ching says.

Peel the ginger by scraping it with a spoon, then grate 1 tablespoon. Stem and finely chop the mushrooms.

Combine the ginger, mushrooms, scallion, pork, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil and cornstarch in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands until all of the ingredients are incorporated.

Place a damp paper towel over the wonton wrappers to keep them from drying out. Remove 1 wrapper and brush with some of the beaten egg.

Make a circle with your thumb and index finger; lay the wrapper on top, nudging it down to create a cup. Add 2 teaspoons filling, then pat the filling down with the back of a spoon.

Fold the overhanging wrapper edges down, leaving the filling exposed. Press the wrapper firmly around the filling. Pat the top and bottom of the dumpling to make it flat.

Top the dumpling with a dried goji berry or 1 each frozen pea and carrot. Repeat to form the remaining dumplings.

Ching rolls up the parchment circle and makes holes with a hole puncher.

Cut out a round of parchment paper to fit in a bamboo steamer and punch holes in the paper to let steam through. Line the steamer with the parchment and brush with vegetable oil; arrange the dumplings in the steamer and cover.

Put the steamer in a wok or skillet with a few inches of boiling water, making sure the water does not touch the bottom of the steamer. Steam the dumplings 8 to 10 minutes, or until the pork is cooked through.

Combine the chile paste and soy sauce in a small shallow bowl. Serve with the dumplings for dipping.

On Tonight

Try This at Home: How to Make Dumplings

Related To:

More from:

Related Pages