Mushroom and pork dumplings

Once again we have Carmen, author of Tia Alia, with us. This time he brings us an oriental recipe, some steamed dumplings, which he proposes to fill with mushrooms and pork, although the possibilities are endless. A great recipe for an aperitif or an original dinner!

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

Although they may seem laborious, the truth is that preparing dumplings for four people doesn't take more than an hour and, if you're a handyman and crafts was your favorite subject at school, I'm sure you'll enjoy making these dumplings as much as I did.

Wonton dough can be found in large stores and in establishments specializing in Asian products, something easy to find today. And you can adapt the filling to your tastes or to what you have in the fridge, so there's no excuse for not putting it into the voice of ya!

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

Ingredients (for 4 people)

For the mushroom and pork dumplings:

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

For the sauce:

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

Elaboration

1. We remove the first three leaves of the Chinese cabbage, wash them well, dry them and remove the hard central part. We are left with only the green part that we pierce with the point of a very sharp knife in several places and place on the base of the two bamboo steamer trays.
2. With this we ensure that the dumplings do not stick to the base of the steamer. If we don't have enough Chinese cabbage leaves, we can use baking paper. Cut two circles with the same diameter as the steamer, make some incisions and cover the bases with them.
3. In any case, we reserve the steamer already ready and proceed to prepare the filling. For this we have to finely chop all the vegetables and mushrooms, mix them with the minced pork and season.
4. We wash the remaining eight leaves of the Chinese cabbage, dry them and remove the hard central part of the leaves.
5. Remove the outer layer of the half chive and discard it.
6. We clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth until we remove any possible remains of earth and we separate the feet from the hats.
7. Drain the mushrooms and wash them under a thin stream of cold water. Let drain well before drying with absorbent paper.
8. Peel the garlic cloves, cut in half lengthwise and remove the germ (so it doesn't repeat).
9. Peel the ginger with the help of a spoon, scratching the skin gently to make the most of its meat.
10. On a board and with a very sharp knife , brunoise each and every one of the above vegetables, and place them in a deep bowl . Add the minced pork, soy sauce, salt, fine cornmeal and sesame oil . Mix until a homogeneous mass is obtained and let it rest for half an hour.
11. Meanwhile we prepare the sauce with which to accompany the dumplings and, for this, mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil in a deep bowl . We beat well and reserve.
12. Once the resting time for the filling has elapsed, we proceed to fill the wonton dough wafers. This is a delicate dough that dries quickly, it is advisable to cover both the unfilled wafers and the already filled wafers with a damp cloth so that they do not spoil.
13. We prepare a small container, ramequin type, with water. We are going to use it to moisten the edge of each wafer and to act as glue when folding the dough. This way the dumplings will not open or the filling will come out.
14. We take a sheet and place it in the palm of one hand. We brush the outline with water and place a small portion of the filling inside. Join the ends on the left and pinch to join well. We make folds with the front part of the wafer while joining the back part, from left to right.
15. I got six folds in each dumpling, but you can make as many as you want. Giving dumplings this characteristic shape is very simple and the result is beautiful, so don't despair if you don't get it right the first time. Try again and you will see how quickly you get the hang of it.
16. As we fill the wafers, we place them on a board and cover them with a damp cloth so that, as mentioned above, they do not dry out. We repeat the operation until we finish all the wonton dough wafers. We will have leftover stuffing, we can freeze it to make more dumplings another day or use it in other recipes.
17. Place the dumplings on the bamboo steamer trays, over the Chinese cabbage leaves, and cover. Half fill a pan with the same diameter as the steamer with water and heat it over low heat. When it starts to generate steam, place the steamer on top and cook the dumplings over low heat for 20-25 minutes.
18. We serve immediately accompanied by the sauce to dip the dumplings in it and, if we wish, some noodles, a vegetable broth, rice, etc.

Wooden cutting board and bamboo steamer Ken Hom .