Brush the outer edge with beaten egg and fold the round in half, crimping the edge and pushing out any air bubbles. Cook the dumplings for 5 to 7 minutes in the boiling water to which you’ve added salt and peanut oil. Drain and serve with dipping sauce. See recipe on page 27.
Cabbage Dumplings
Makes 40 to 50
INGREDIENTS
FILLING:
2 cups finely chopped Napa or Savoy cabbage (some leaves reserved for steaming)
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
Dash of white pepper
½ teaspoon cornstarch
40–50 dumpling wrappers
STEPS
1. Mix all the filling ingredients. Lay out 6 of the dumpling wrappers on the table and put a teaspoon of filling in the center of each. Use your finger or a pastry brush to put a thin coating of water around the edge of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper over to form a half-moon shape and pinch the edges tightly to enclose the filling. It is traditional to gather one side of the dumpling into several pleats but it’s not necessary. Continue with the remaining wrappers and place the completed dumplings on a wax paper or parchment-lined tray.
2. Two ways to cook them: You can boil the dumplings by dropping them gently into a pot of boiling water. They will take about 10 minutes and will float to the top. But I prefer to use a steamer: Cover the bottom of your steamer with the reserved leaves of Napa or Savoy cabbage. Place the dumplings in the steamer and steam for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with dipping sauce. See recipe on next page.
Pork and Shrimp Dumpling Filling
For 40 to 50 dumplings
INGREDIENTS
FILLING:
¼ pound ground pork
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 green onion, chopped
1 small can water chestnuts, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
½ cup cilantro
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 dash of white pepper
STEPS
1. Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the shrimp is finely chopped and the ingredients are well mixed. Do not over process. Proceed as with the pork dumplings to fill and steam or boil.
Note: Once you have filled the dumplings, they can be frozen on a baking sheet and then put in a plastic bag for storage in the freezer.
Dipping Sauce for Dumplings
INGREDIENTS
⅓ cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon seasoned rice vinegar
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Chinese Egg Rolls
Makes 40 to 50
Contributed by
Yu Ling Cheng Behr
Yu Ling: My family is from Taiwan, a beautiful island in Asia, rich in history, culture, tech and of course, food. The Taiwanese people are very welcoming and love to share about their culture and food. In fact, family recipes are a source of pride for many Taiwanese families. Because the island is small and highly populated, multi-generations live together in the same home and that is how family history and family recipes are passed down.
I learned to cook from my mother who taught me our family recipes as well as her own creations. Oftentimes, these recipes are simply taught orally in the kitchen with no written recipe. Cooking is also important in Asian culture because it brings family together for meals. Many dishes are served family style and that simple act of passing dishes and sharing deepens bonds between family and friends.
Egg rolls are one of my favorite foods. I love the crunchiness of the egg roll wrapper and the tasty mix of vegetables, pork and shrimp. In my opinion, it provides a well-balanced meal all in one wrapper. Sometimes I think this is how my mother convinced me to eat vegetables – by putting them inside an egg roll! I also appreciate the time I spend with my mother when we make egg rolls together. We can easily spend a day making hundreds of egg rolls. We talk and laugh as we make them. Recently, my young daughters, Catheryn and Caroline, started to help make egg rolls, so we now have three generations of women working together.
The best part about egg rolls is there is no set recipe. You can mix together the ingredients you like and make your own version. If you need a place to start, then I hope you’ll try my family’s egg roll recipe.
INGREDIENTS
1 head Chinese cabbage (shredded and diced)
1 carrot, grated
3 eggs
½ pound pork, thinly sliced (bite-size)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ tablespoon sugar
½ pound baby shrimp
1 bunch green onions, diced
