Okay guys. This maybe wasn’t such a good idea but I don’t want to discourage you from attempting to make your own (supposedly easy) Chinese dumplings.

Reason being is that these are a huge “patchka” (literal translation: to mess around with food or a project)

Think of these as a culinary challenge to your dexterity and patience.

Have you ever watched professional chefs make dim sum dumplings? Truly an art.

They take the dough, stuff it, seal it and steam the dumplings efficiently. Within seconds, they have mastered hundreds of precisely made dumplings. That being said, they do this for a living. Day in and day out. THEY ARE DUMPLING  MAKERS.

I had a few factors working against me when I tried these. One being that I’m not Asian and have never made a dumpling before (hang on, I tried making what we call “Jewish wontons” once and experienced the same result….crappy kreplach. Secondly, for a change I was in a hurry to make and photograph these in time for the Chinese New Year. Do you know what happens when you rush? Besides breaking into full on shvitz (sweat) here’s a list of my excuses……

#1.

I didn’t feel like making my own dough. Already, that’s a problem and classified as a cop out for authentic dumplings.

#2.

Although I’m pretty good with my hands, the majority of these SO CALLED dumplings fell apart as soon as I steamed them. Not pretty, not pretty AT ALL.

#3.

I ate the ones that fell apart so no one would witness aftermath of the exploded dumplings. Not a great idea since I was trying to hide the disaster and therefore couldn’t eat dinner seeing as I WAS STUFFED to the gills with dumplings. A full out giveaway that “something went awry” with my experiment.

I came to the conclusion that it’s much easier to go out for Dim Sum and I plan on doing that in the future.

Have I scared you enough to look away from this blog post?

Nah.

Check out how nice they are……..(I mean, see how nice the ones that turned out look?)

The truth of the matter is, practice makes perfect and the next time I tried making these I used yoga breathing to get through the process and they were STELLAR.

almost forgot something. The dipping sauces. I wanted to make MY own and I did. What I didn’t do was write down the recipes for each one. Brilliant right? I’m going to do my best to remember what was in them but just in case I forgot an ingredient please forgive me. I’m blaming it all on the dumplings.

CHICKEN & BOK CHOY CHINESE DUMPLINGS

- ½ lb ground chicken - ¾ cup baby bok choy, steamed and finely chopped - 2 tablespoons, chives finely chopped - 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger - 1 garlic clove, finely minced - 1 tablespoon sesame oil - ½ teaspoon rice wine vinegar - ⅛ teaspoon white pepper - 1 package round wonton wrappers (you can find these at an Asian supermarket) - 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, if pan frying - black and white toasted sesame seeds for garnish - Additional chopped chives for garnish

1) Combine the ground chicken, bok choy, chives, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, vinegar, and pepper into a medium bowl until well blended. 2) Place wrappers on a work surface lined with parchment paper. 3) To assemble the dumplings place ½ tablespoon of filling per wonton. 4) Rub the edges of the wrappers with water using your fingertip. 5) Fold the dough over the filling to create a half-moon shape, and pinch the edges to seal. (here's where you need to be very careful, make sure those edges are tightly sealed otherwise you will end up with E.D.S. - Exploded Dumpling Syndrome. 6) Now you can either steam or pan fry the dumplings, here's how: 7) To steam the dumplings, add about 1 to 2 inches of water into the bottom of a large pan and bring to a boil. (I have a double decker bamboo steamer and I make sure not to submerge the bottom layer of the steamer into the water) 8) Layer the steamer baskets with vegetable leaves (I used bok choy) to prevent the dumplings from sticking. 9) Place the bamboo steamer over the water and cook for about 10 minutes or until the dumplings are fully cooked. 10) To pan fry the dumplings, add oil to a pan and sauté dumplings for 2-3 minutes on one side until golden brown. Add in some water (3-4 tablespoons) and place a lid over the pan to steam. The dumplings should be done once all of the water has been absorbed. Garnish with additional chives, chopped peanuts and serve with dipping sauces. Makes about 24 dumplings or in my case 15 due to E.D.S. 11) Serve with dipping sauces and garnished with sesame seeds and chives

GINGER SOY DIPPING SAUCE

- 1⁄4 cup light soy sauce - 3⁄4 tablespoon rice vinegar - 1 teaspoon honey - 1 minced garlic clove - 1⁄2 teaspoon sesame oil - 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) - 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger

Whisk all ingredients and serve.

SZECHUAN PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE

- 2 tablespoons peanut butter - 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce - 1 tablespoon oyster sauce - 1 teaspoon sriracha ketchup - 3 - 4 tablespoons water - 1 tablespoon crushed peanuts

1) In a small microwave-safe bowl, add hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, 3 tablespoons of water, peanut butter, and sriracha ketchup. Mix to blend ingredients. 2) Microwave on high for 20-25 seconds. Remove from microwave, and use a fork to combine ingredients together. 3) If sauce is too thick, add 1-2 additional tablespoons of water to achieve a thinner consistency. 4) Sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Serve as dipping sauce.

FIERY THAI DIPPING SAUCE

- ½ cup water - ¼ cup rice vinegar - ¼ cup white sugar - 1 large garlic clove, finely minced - 1 ½ teaspoons red chili flakes - ⅛ cup water - 2 teaspoons cornstarch

1) Combine water, rice vinegar, sugar, garlic and chili flakes in a small sauce pan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. 2) Bring to a slow simmer and cook for 5 minutes, keep stirring so it doesn't scorch. 3) In a cup or small bowl, make a slurry of the cornstarch and ⅛ cup water. 4) After the sauce has simmered for 5 minutes, slowly pour in the cornstarch mixture. 5) Bring the sauce to a boil and cook gently for 1 minute, stirring constantly. 6) If the sauce isn’t as thick as you want, boil for another minute or so. 7) Serve as dipping sauce.

See you next week!

debi Simply Beautiful Eating@simplybeautifuleating