Mushroom and Pork Dumplings

Carmen is back with us, author of Tia Alia. This time she brings an oriental recipe, steamed dumplings, which she suggests filling with mushrooms and pork, although the possibilities are endless. A great recipe for an appetizer or an original dinner!

Dumplings are a type of dim sum (the equivalent of tapas in China, to put it some way) that is served as a starter in oriental menus. The concept is very similar to our traditional empanadillas, since they are made with very thin wonton wrappers filled with meat, seafood, vegetables, etc, but the difference between the two is that dumplings are steamed.

Although they may seem laborious, the truth is that preparing dumplings for four people takes no more than an hour and, if you're handy and crafts was your favorite subject at school, you're sure to enjoy making these dumplings as much as I did.

Wonton wrappers can be found in large supermarkets and shops specializing in Asian products, something easy to find nowadays. And you can adapt the filling to your tastes or to what you have in the fridge, so there is no excuse not to get started right away!

Star Wave porcelain bowls by Tokyo Design Studio, wood cutting board, Ken Hom bamboo steamer and Le Creuset ceramic ramekins.

Ingredients (for 4 people)

For the mushroom and pork dumplings:

• 1 package of wonton wrappers with 21 round sheets
• 200gr minced pork
• 11 leaves of Chinese cabbage
• 1/2 spring onion
• 50gr fresh mushrooms
• 100gr mixed preserved mushrooms (drained weight)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 piece of ginger about 2cm
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon fine corn flour
• 1 teaspoon of sesame oil

For the sauce:

• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of sesame oil

Preparation

1. Remove the first three leaves of the Chinese cabbage, wash them well, dry them and remove the hard central part. Keep only the green part which you prick with the tip of a knife well sharpened in several places and place on the base of the two trays of the bamboo steamer.
2. This prevents the dumplings from sticking to the base of the steamer. If we don't have enough Chinese cabbage leaves, we can use baking paper. Cut two circles the same diameter as the steamer, make some cuts and cover the bases with them.
3. In any case, set the steamer aside ready and move on to prepare the filling. For this we need to finely chop all the vegetables and mushrooms, mix them with the minced pork and season.
4. Wash the remaining eight leaves of Chinese cabbage, dry them and remove the hard central part of the leaves.
5. Remove the outer layer of the half spring onion and discard it.
6. Clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth until any traces of dirt are removed and separate the stems from the caps.
7. Drain the mushrooms and wash them under a gentle stream of cold water. Let them drain well before drying with absorbent paper.
8. Peel the garlic cloves, cut them in half lengthwise and remove the germ (so they don't leave an aftertaste).
9. Peel the ginger using a spoon, scraping the skin gently to make the most of the flesh.
10. On a cutting board and with a knife well sharpened, dice all of the above vegetables finely, and place them in a deep bowl. Add the minced pork, soy sauce, salt, fine corn flour and the sesame oil. Mix until you obtain a homogeneous mixture and let it rest for half an hour.
11. Meanwhile prepare the sauce to accompany the dumplings by mixing the soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil in a deep bowl. Whisk well and set aside.
12. After the filling has rested, proceed to fill the wonton wrappers. This is a delicate dough that dries quickly, so it's advisable to cover both the unfilled and the filled wrappers with a damp cloth so they don't go bad.
13. Prepare a small container, like a ramekin, with water. We'll use it to moisten the edge of each wrapper so it acts as glue when folding the dough. This way the dumplings won't open and the filling won't spill out.
14. Take a sheet and place it in the palm of one hand. Brush the edge with water and place a small portion of filling inside. Join the left ends and pinch to seal well. Make pleats with the front part of the wrapper while joining it to the back part, from left to right.
15. I made six pleats on each dumpling, but you can make as many as you like. Giving dumplings that characteristic shape is very simple and the result is beautiful, so don't despair if it doesn't work the first time. Try again and you'll see how quickly you get the hang of it.
16. As you fill the wrappers, place them on a board and cover them with a damp cloth so that, as mentioned above, they don't dry out. Repeat the operation until all the wonton wrappers are used. You'll have leftover filling; you can freeze it to make more dumplings another day or use it in other recipes.
17. Place the dumplings on the trays of the bamboo steamer, on the Chinese cabbage leaves, and cover. Fill a frying pan of the same diameter as the steamer halfway with water and heat it over low heat. When it begins to produce steam place the steamer on top and cook the dumplings over low heat for 20-25 minutes.
18. Serve immediately accompanied by the dipping sauce and, if desired, some noodles, a vegetable broth, rice, etc.

Wood cutting board and Ken Hom bamboo steamer.