Recipe: Chinese Dumplings (by Ginger & Parsley)
As Chinese New Year is fast approaching I asked Michelle le Goff, owner of Ginger & Parsley, to write up a recipe for her Chinese dumplings. I had a "dumpling evening" with Michelle last year and can give them a solid thumbs up. As you can tell from the ingredients list, there's definitely no MSG involved so it's a healthier alternative for you and your family.
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A parcel of joy – Hong Kong style prawn dumplings
It is difficult not to think about food all the time after spending many years growing up and living in Hong Kong, I reckon we take food more seriously than any other nation in the world. It is somewhat normal that I arranged my day around food, and I definitely felt strange if I met up with my friends without having a meal with them.
Come to think of it, would Chinese New Year be the same without all the food? Definitely not! While my family was in Hong Kong, the preparation of Chinese New Year to us was as important as the Festival itself. Besides buying new clothes for the new year, which symbolises a new beginning, and buying new year decorations, there was a lot of food shopping involved. I have many fond memories navigating different food markets with my mum.
In London, obviously It is hard to match the Chinese New Year festival spirit in Hong Kong, we usually invite our friends over for a Chinese feast to mark for a good start of the New Year. Hong Kong style prawn dumpling is one of the dishes that makes regularly features on our Chinese New Year menu. They are so easy to make yet so moreish.
Unlike the Northern style dumplings, the Hong Kong prawn dumplings are wrapped in a thinner wrapper. In other words, you can eat lots of them without feeling full. Each family’s recipe may vary slightly, so feel free to add or remove any ingredients or replacing the pork mince with other meat.
Ingredients:
For dumplings:
Pork mince 200g
Prawns, minced 200g
Cloud ear fungus, chopped 10g
Water chestnuts, peeled and chopped, 15 pieces
Dried Chinese mushrooms, 10 pieces
Sesame oil 2 tbps
Brown sugar 1 tbsp
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 tbsp potato starch
1 egg white
Spring onions, finely chopped
Garlic 2 cloves, finely minced
Square dumpling wrapper (yellow colour) – 50 pieces
Soup:
Chicken broth 2 litre
Garnish
Handful of chopped spring onions
Handful of chopped coriander
Method:
Soak the mushrooms overnight, remove the root and chop finely. Mix all the ingredients together in a sealed container and refrigerate for an hour.
To wrap the dumplings, place a piece of the wrapper over the palm of one hand. Press a dollop of mixture in the centre and fold it diagonally to make a triangle shape and press down on the tip and seal it with water. Use your thumb and forefinger to form pleats in the wrapper, and pinch the edges closed.
To cook the dumplings, put them in a boiling water until they float for 3 minutes. Remove them from the water and put them in bowls. Boil the chicken broth and add them to the cooked dumplings. Add garnish and ready to enjoy!
Hope you enjoy these dumplings as much as I do!
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