Steamed Dumplings

From: marple@cs.ubc.ca (Kirk Marple)

Date: 9 Aug 1993 10:44:55 -0700


_Chinese Silver Loaves_ (dough for outside of dumpling)

1 3/4 cups hot water
3 T. sugar
2 T. vegetable shortening or oil
6 cups all-purpose (plain) flour  
2 T. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Add sugar and shortening to hot water, stir til sugar is dissolved, and allow
to cool until barely warm.

Sift remaining dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl, and gradually stir in
sugar mixture. Mix well and gradually draw dough together with your hands. It
should be soft, but not sticky.

On a floured board, knead dough about 5-8 minutes, or til smooth and elastic.
Return to bowl, cover with damp cloth and let rise at least 1 hour.


_Roast Pork Filling_

makes 24 buns

1 T. sugar
1 1/2 T. soy sauce
1 T. oyster sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 drop red food colouring (optional)
1 T. vegetable oil
3/4 lb. diced roast pork (recipe: 3 lbs. pork sirloin cut into 2 inch strips,
       marinated in: 2 T. sherry, 2 T. sugar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 3 T.
       hoisin sauce, 1/4 tsp. red food colouring; marinate 4-5 hrs in
       fridge; bake 1 hour at 325, brushing with honey three times; let cool
       20 min. then dice for dumpling recipe)
1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, minced
1 large or 2 small spring onions, chopped
1 T. cornstarch
2 T. water
1 recipe Silver Loaves

Mix together sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, chicken stock, sesame oil,
black pepper and red food colouring. Set aside.

Stir-fry the pork, ginger, and spring onions in the vegetable oil for 2 min.
Pour in the seasoning mixture and stir for another minute. Stir the cornstarch
into the water and pour into wok. Continue to cook, stirring, until the sauce
is like thick custard. Remove from heat.

Knead the Silver Loaves dough for 3 minutes. Cover and let sit 10 minutes.
Divide into 24 pieces and cover again with the cloth.

Pat each piece of dough into a 4 inch in diameter circle. Place a teaspoon
of pork filling in centre and pleat edges of circle all the way around.
Bring edges up over filling, finally pinching the pleats together firmly at
the centre top. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Place each bun on a piece of wax (greaseproof) paper, and steam with 1/2 inch
of space between them, for 12 minutes. Do not open the steamer while cooking
or else the characteristic splitting of the top of the bun will not take place.

_Shrimp and Vegetable Filling_

1 T. vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 spring onion, finely chopped
3/4 lb. chinese cabbage, chopped, blanched in boiling water for 1 min,
     drained and squeezed dry in paper towels
1/4 cup cooked baby shrimp, minced
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 T. water

Heat the oil in a wok, fry garlic and spring onion til garlic is a light
golden colour. Stir in cabbage and shrimp, and cook one more minute. Add 
sugar, soy sauce, pepper and sesame oil, stir; then add cornstarch mixed
with water. Stir again. The mixture should thicken immediately. Fill buns as 
with above recipe.

_Sweet Red Bean Paste Filling_

(sweet red bean paste can be bought in the store, and used straight from the
can for filling, but this is how to make it from scratch) 

1 1/2 cups red beans, washed well
4 cups water
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar

Place the beans and water in a saucepan, cover, bring to boil over medium
high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 1 1/2 hours, or til beans
are very soft. 

Strain the water from the beans, and blend them into a puree in a blender
or food processor.

Press the puree through a sieve, discarding the skins, which will be left
in the sieve.

Place the puree in several layers of cheesecloth, and gently squeeze to
remove excess moisture.

Place the thickened puree back into the saucepan, together with the sugar and
vegetable shortening, and heat over low heat, stirring until it becomes a
thick paste. Stir and scrape vigourously so that it does not stick to
the bottom.

Remove from heat and let cool before filling buns.


mara

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