Sui Mai

Ingredients: 10 Chinese black mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, rinsed, dried, stems discarded, and caps cut into -inch dice pound coarsely ground pork pound shrimp, shelled, de-veined and diced 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons sugar 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 tablespoons oyster sauce 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon sesame oil Pinch freshly ground white pepper 36 square wonton dumpling wrappers skins In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the skins and mix until the consistency is smooth and even. 2. Place in a shallow dish and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. 3. To make the dumplings, in the middle of each skin place 4 teaspoons filling. Hold the filling in place with your fingers and, holding the dumpling in the other hand, gradually turn the dumpling, flattening the filling on top. This will result in a basket shape. 4. Pack down the filling, and smooth the top of the dumpling. This will ensure that the dumpling and filling will remain intact during steaming. 5. Tap the dumpling bottom lightly on the work surface to flatten it so it will stand in the steamer. 6. Place the dumplings in a steamer, cover, and steam for 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and serve.

Dim Sum Recipe Vietnamese spring rolls with plum sauce

Ingredients

For the plum sauce * 225ml water * 200g sugar * 2 tbsp rice vinegar * tsp salt * 6 dried preserved chinese plum For the spring rolls * 25g vermicelli rice noodles * 7g bunch coriander, with roots * 1 clove garlic, crushed * 1 tsp white pepper * 450g uncooked shelled de-veined prawns, such as tiger prawns or langoustines, chopped * 1 tbsp Thai fish sauce, or light soy sauce * 2 egg yolks, beaten * 1.2 litres approx groundnut oil, for deep-frying For the plum sauce: combine the water, sugar, rice wine vinegar, salt and plums in a heavy-based saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid has reduced to about 175ml. Remove the plums and discard, then transfer the sauce to a bowl and allow to cool completely. For the spring rolls: soak the vermicelli in a bowl of hot water for 15 minutes, then drain and drop into a pan of boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain again and rinse in cold water. Using kitchen scissors, cut the noodles into small lengths. Set aside. Place the coriander, garlic and pepper in a small blender or pestle and mortar. Blend or pound to a paste, then transfer to a bowl. Stir in the prawns and the fish sauce or soy sauce. Set aside for 5 minutes to allow the flavours to combine. Remove the spring roll wrappers from the packaging and cut into quarters so that you end up with 6cm squares. Place a tablespoon of the prawn mixture near the corner of each spring roll, fold in each side and roll up tightly. Seal the open ends by brushing a small amount of beaten egg on each edge, then press the edge on to the roll. Place the rolls on a rack until ready to fry. Heat the oil in a wok or deep-sided pan until it is very hot and slightly smoking. Gently drop in as many rolls as will fit easily in one layer. Carefully fry them for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper. To serve, place a spring roll in the centre of a lettuce leaf, adding some mint and coriander. Roll up and dip into the plum sauce while still hot.

Shrimp Dumplings Recipe (Har Gow)

Ingredients: The Filling 1 lb of peeled and deveined shrimp 2 tbsp of minced bamboo shoots 1 tbsp of minced scallion (white part only) 1 tsp of finely grated ginger 2 tbsp of minced pork fat 3 tsp of soy sauce 2tbsp of Shaoxing wine or dry sherry 2 tsp of sugar tsp of salt 2 tsp sesame oil 4 tsp tapioca starch, potato starch, or corn starch A dash of white pepper

The Wrapper 1 cups of wheat starch, plus extra for kneading 2 tbsp of tapioca starch 1 cup of boiling water 1 tbsp of lard (If you dont want to use lard, you can add oil) OR A bag of Har Gow wrapper flour For the filling: Finely mince the shrimp and add in all the ingredients for the filling. Mix until everything is incorporated and the mixture almost has an elastic feel to it. One trick my mom taught me is to mix it in one direction. Set aside and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours. For the wrappers: There is no shame in buying a bag of Har Gow wrapper flour. You still have to do the work of kneading and rolling it out and they taste perfectly good. You should be able to find Har Gow wrapper flour in most Asian grocery stores. If you want to make your own, here are the instructions: In a large bowl combined the wheat starch and the tapioca starch together. Make a hole in the circle of the bowl and pour the hot water in. Add the lard and combine until a ball of dough starts to form. Transfer the dough into a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth. Divide the dough into 3 pieces and form it into a cylinder shape. Cover it with a damp towel or napkin and let it rest for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes cut the cylinder into 1 inch diameter and about a quarter inch thick pieces. Roll the dough out into round pieces. You can make the wrappers 1hrs or 2hrs before you need it. Just remember to cover it with a damp towel or napkin. Wrapping the dumplings: There really is no easy way to wrap these dumplings. It took me a few times before I got the hang of it and Im still not as good and lighting fast as my mom. Just remember to try to evenly pleat your pleats and make sure each dumpling has an equal amount of filling. Traditionally there are about 7 pleats per dumpling, but Ive only mastered 4 and sometimes 5 if its my lucky day. Start by taking your filling and place it in the middle. Pleat the front side of the dumpling. Bring the back side forward and seal it with the front. Use water to seal your dumpling. Repeat. Cooking and freezing the dumplings: Before you steam your dumpling, line your steamer or plate with either nappa cabbage or thinly slice pieces of carrots.

If you are using nappa cabbage, briefly cook the cabbage in water so that it would lay flat on the steamer. Place the dumplings on the lined steamer and cook for about 10 minutes.

Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients:
1 head iceberg lettuce or romaine lettuce leaves (whichever you prefer) Sauce: 1 tablespoon soy sauce 2 tablespoons oyster sauce 1 tablespoon dry sherry 1 teaspoon sugar Remaining Ingredients: 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 slice ginger, minced 1 garlic clove, minced 2 green onions, chopped 1 lb meat from chicken breasts or sliced white chicken meat 1 red pepper, seeded and diced 1 can water chestnuts, rinsed in warm running water and chopped 1 stalk celery, diced 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Preparation:

Wash the lettuce, dry, and separate the leaves. Set aside. Mix together the sauce ingredients. Heat the sesame oil in a non-stick frying pan on high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and green onions and fry until the garlic and ginger are aromatic. Add the chicken and cook until the chicken is browned. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Add the red pepper, water chestnuts, and celery to the frying pan. Add the sauce ingredients and cook at medium heat, Give the cornstarch/water mixture a quick restir and add to the sauce, stirring to thicken. Add the chicken back into the wok. Cook for 2 - 3 more minutes, stirring, to heat through and finish cooking the chicken. Lay out a lettuce leaf and spoon a heaping teaspoon of the chicken and vegetable/sauce mixture into the middle. The lettuce wraps are designed to be eaten "taco-style," with the lettuce/chicken mixture folded into a package. Continue with the remainder of the chicken and lettuce leaves. Serve. Variations: Try substituting different vegetables, or using one of the many stir-fry sauces that are now on the market in place of the sauce.

Lotus Leaf Wraps

Ingredients:
4 lotus leaves, cut in half 1 1/4 cups glutinous rice (sticky rice) 4 Chinese dried black mushrooms 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, 6 ounces 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry 1 teaspoon cornstarch 2 Chinese sausages (lop cheong) 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped 1 tablespoon Chinese or Japanese rice wine 1 tablespoon light soy sauce 1 teaspoons dark soy sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for stir-frying, or as needed 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil Freshly ground black or white pepper, to taste

Preparation:

One hour ahead of time, prepare the rice and lotus leaves: Soak the lotus leaves in hot water for 1 hour. Pat dry. Cover the rice with water and let soak for 1 hour. Drain. Next, steam the rice. Line a bamboo steamer with parchment paper or cabbage leaf. Fill a wok approximately to the half-way point with water so that the steamer will be sitting above the water without touching. Bring the water to a boil cover the rice and steam for about 20 minutes. Remove the rice, cover and keep warm while preparing the remainder of the ingredients. Soften the dried mushrooms by soaking in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes. Squeeze out any excess water, remove the stems and finely chop. Cut the chicken into small cubes about the size of a postage stamp. Add the salt, 1 tablespoon rice wine and 1 teaspoon cornstarch. Marinate the chicken for 20 minutes. Finely chop the sausages. Peel and chop the garlic. In a small bowl, combine the rice wine, light soy and dark soy sauce. In a separate small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water, and whisk into the sauce. Heat a wok and add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and stir-fry until aromatic (about 30 seconds). Add the chicken cubes. Stir-fry until they turn white and are 80 percent cooked through. Add the sausages and the mushrooms. Stir-fry for a minute. Give the sauce mixture a quick re-stir then add in the middle, stirring quickly to thicken. Season with pepper, to taste. Cook for 1 to 2 more minutes to mix everything together and heat through. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil. Cool. To make the wraps, separate the rice and the filling into 8 equal sections, 1 section for each wrap. Lay out a lotus leaf in front of you. Place a portion of the rice mixture into the center of a lotus leaf. Add the meat and vegetable mixture over top, shaping the rice with your hands so that it forms a ring around the filling. Add more rice to cover. Form a square parcel with the lotus leaf and tie it up with twine. Repeat with the remaining lotus leaves. Steam the lotus leaf parcels, covered, on a heatproof plate in a bamboo steamer for 15 minutes, or until they are done.