Dumpling/Dim Sum Help
 

Since returning from Hong Kong, my son has repeatedly talked about how he misses the food. Living away from a big city, we have no place to get dim sum. His favorites were pork dumplings and turnip cakes. He did like the baked BBQ pork buns from Tim Ho Wan.

So my request: Does anyone have a favorite dumpling recipe? Do you have a dim sum cookbook recommendation?

I'd really like to try to make some for him to add to Christmas dinner.

TIA

Frozen, but not nearly as good. Are there any Asian markets around that may carry it? ON line? I know nothing about how they would get delivered?

We just came back from China and HK this summer and have been going to Dim Sum places around here. We do have a large Chinese or Asian communities around grater LA.

I am sure there's something on utube.

Wow, I understand, and I haven't even been to HK. I've had some good stuff here in Houston and some amazing dumplings in San Fran. I would think the hardest part might be sourcing some of the ingredients, especially the wrappers. The right wrappers make a huge difference to the end result.

Supermarket frozen ones are certainly OK.

The usual steam then shallow fry. Of if you are lazy/hungry like me, I just coat them in rice bran oil and put them in the air fryer.

We have a lot of dim sum in Hawaii and even have a Tim Ho Wan. For us, dim sum is a local kind of thing to take to friends homes for a pot luck, or to watch a football game. I have not tried these recipes, but they look about right. The big thing is getting the proper skins to make the dim sum. Go to your local Asian store and see what they have. Pork hash/siu mai usually uses a pi that is also used for won ton and gau gee. The wrap for half moon, I have not seen in stores. You may have to improvise.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/84858/hawaiian-pork-hash/

https://www.hawaiianelectric.com/recipes/find-a-recipe/gok-jai-(half-moon)

For the pork buns aka char siu bao, you would need to get the char siu sauce/powder to marinate your pork, then roast it, then shred for the filling. You could get an order of Peking duck buns from your local Chinese restaurant, and just fill them with the char siu you made. I know my sister had a recipe to make them as she does Tupperware demos and makes char siu bao. The ingredients should be easy to get. I'll ask her for the recipe.

how about Yan Can Cook? Marvin Yan?

or that guy in Boston - I forget his name

here, they are in all the grocery stores (ok, but not as good as in restaurants or food trucks)

Ming Tsai?

I follow Seonkyoung on YT. The dan dan mian is amazing

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Bingo - thx for help with my senor moment

Dumpling dough is just water and flour. Add water little by little while kneading until consistency is right. Then roll into a log, refrigerate while you make the filling. When the filling is ready, cut small sections from the log, then roll out to disks about 1/8" thick. Thinner is better but more fragile. Make the first one, put filling in it, moisten edges of disk, fold disk in half, then pleat. No need to get fancy with the pleating, do get most of the air out. When you have the amounts right, make ten more disks and fill / pleat. Then another ten. Etc.

This homemade wrapper/disk is much better than the premade wrappers you can buy.

For filling, use pork, shrimp, garlic, ginger, scallion, salt, pepper, a little soy sauce, a little white/rice vinegar, a very little Worchestershire as sub for Chinese black vinegar. And a dollop of fat (lard, Crisco, other rendered fat) or a dollop of jellied broth or a couple packages of Knox unflavored gelatin - this is to keep the filling moist when cooked. Chop everything fine, using food processor or knife, and mix.

You can pan fry, deep fry, steam, or simmer these. If pan frying, use a little oil, set the dumplings in the pan (extra credit for shaping them into little crescents) with pleat up. Fry over medium heat until the dumplings stick to the pan, then pour 1/2 oz water into the hot pan and cover. The water will steam the rest of the dumpling and release the stuck-on part. Remove lid and keep cooking until the water is gone, then serve.

This is your basic Asian dumpling.

For shao mai, make smaller dough disk and same filling, but instead of folding over and pleating the disk, put filing in center and then pleat disk into sort of a "trash can" shape with the filling in the can. (Think of how a potted plant is set on wrapping paper and the paper pleated to fit around the pot.) Bring your forefinger and thumb tips together, holding the trash can in the circle of these fingers, and squeeze a little to give the can a little bit of an hourglass shape. Use other hand to lightly compress the filling in the can, leaving some of the can sticking up above the filling. Leave the can open. Then fill the can with something red like chopped carrot or red pepper. That's for looks. These have to be steamed.

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http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1576392964.jpg

I used to make Dim Sum. So good. But like a lot of asian foods, its labor intensive. I got lazy and started getting frozen. Seeing these recipes inspires me to get back to it. I mainly remember one must mix the pork filling until it becomes a paste. Makes them much easier to fill and fold properly.


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This is great! Thanks guys. My son does the frozen stuff but he says it's not the same, as most frozen foods are. I just thought for Christmas dinner I would surprise him with a dumpling.

A dumpling? Just one?

:D

I cook more Oriental food than probably anybody on this site. Not dim sum. Too much work, for too little reward. Sushi, dim sum and tamales are three things that I tend to buy only in restaurants.

Here’s the book I have on it. It’s not a fancy coffee table book, more something that would be used to train a Chinese cook in school. No idea where you would find it...

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You can find anything these days.


Chinese Dim Sum (Chinese Edition) (Chinese) Paperback – November 1, 1990

OK. Maybe one is shooting a little low. ;)

There are just no local places that do anything beyond americanized Chinese food. I just want to try to give him a little reminder of his travels.

I'm also thinking of taking him to NYC in the spring. Shouldn't be too hard to find a great place for him to get his favorites.

Are you using AP Flour for this? Thanks

This might help.

https://odyhouse.com/products/dumpling-mould-set-of-2pcs

Most recipes call for rice flour, and tapioca flour.