How to Make Chinese Dumplings
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This excerpt on making dumplings is from a fantastic book about Chinese food. The book covers everything from basics like white rice and peanut sauce, to classics like Beef and Broccoli, to dumplings and pancakes.
Title: Double Awesome Chinese Food: Irresistible and Totally Achievable Recipes from Our Chinese-American Kitchen Author: Margaret Li, Irene Li, Andrew Li Excerpt: Dumpling MakingEach of the recipes in this chapter makes about 24 dumplings, depending on the size of your wrappers and how you fold them. If the filling includes raw meat, fry or microwave a tablespoon of filling to test for seasoning before you start folding. It'll make dinner for four people with sides, or for one or two with lots of leftovers. All the recipes can easily be doubled, tripled, or more, so you have some to eat, some to freeze, and some to send home with your friends. We firmly believe in spreading the dumpling love.
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Make the Dumpling Wrappers
Using a sharp knife or dough cutter, slice the ball of Hot Water Dough into four equal pieces. Set one aside on a cutting board and cover the remaining pieces with a damp towel so they don't dry out. Roll the dough ball with your hands to form a roughly 6-inch-long "snake" (see photos for a visual guide). Cut the snake into six equal pieces. Turn each piece onto its side and flatten with your hand slightly, then use a dowel or rolling pin to flatten into circles 2 to 3 millimeters thick and about 3 inches in diameter.
Fold the Dumplings
When we teach dumpling classes at our restaurant, we demonstrate the classic pleated, crescent-shaped style along with the pyramid (see page 72) and the folded empanada (which turns into the tortellini), but we encourage you to play around!
For the classic pleat (see page 68), hold a wrapper in your left hand and place a spoonful of filling into the center with your right hand. Depending on how large you've rolled your wrappers, this is usually about 3/4 tablespoon to 1 tablespoon. Leave some space: tempting as it is to overstuff, the filling will squirt messily and make the folding process more difficult.
Fold the wrapper in half into a taco shape and, starting from the right side, pinch the wrapper shut. (If you're using store-bought wrappers, set up a small bowl of water to help seal the wrappers. Dip a finger into the water and smear it around the edge of each wrapper before you fold so the dough sticks when you pinch it shut.) After each pinch, fold the side farthest from you into a pleat toward the pinched end and press it back together. The side closest to you should remain smooth and will gradually curve toward you into a crescent shape.
Continue to pleat and pinch until the entire dumpling is sealed, aiming for 5 or 6 pleats per dumpling or more if you want to get fancy. As you fold, place the dumplings onto a large plate or baking sheet in rows with a little space between each one. Cook them right away, or place the sheet into the freezer so they can freeze without squishing each other. Once frozen, transfer the dumplings into plastic bags for storage.
- from "Double Awesome Chinese Food: Irresistible and Totally Achievable Recipes from Our Chinese-American Kitchen," by Margaret Li, Irene Li, and Andrew Li
For the classic pleat (see page 68), hold a wrapper in your left hand and place a spoonful of filling into the center with your right hand. Depending on how large you've rolled your wrappers, this is usually about 3/4 tablespoon to 1 tablespoon. Leave some space: tempting as it is to overstuff, the filling will squirt messily and make the folding process more difficult.
Fold the wrapper in half into a taco shape and, starting from the right side, pinch the wrapper shut. (If you're using store-bought wrappers, set up a small bowl of water to help seal the wrappers. Dip a finger into the water and smear it around the edge of each wrapper before you fold so the dough sticks when you pinch it shut.) After each pinch, fold the side farthest from you into a pleat toward the pinched end and press it back together. The side closest to you should remain smooth and will gradually curve toward you into a crescent shape.
Continue to pleat and pinch until the entire dumpling is sealed, aiming for 5 or 6 pleats per dumpling or more if you want to get fancy. As you fold, place the dumplings onto a large plate or baking sheet in rows with a little space between each one. Cook them right away, or place the sheet into the freezer so they can freeze without squishing each other. Once frozen, transfer the dumplings into plastic bags for storage.
- from "Double Awesome Chinese Food: Irresistible and Totally Achievable Recipes from Our Chinese-American Kitchen," by Margaret Li, Irene Li, and Andrew Li