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Posted by sunflower (U5594423) on Saturday, 10th March 2007
I have not made dim sum for ages. Thought I better practise again. Made some war tip (fried dumplings) last night.
img221.imageshack.us...
Recipe as follow:
You need white bread flour, water, mince pork, normal seasoning, beaten eggs, chinese leaf or spring onion. Traditional dipping sauce is chinese black vinegar and ginger, but you can use soy sauce or sweet chilli sauce.
This quantity will made about 18 - 20 pieces.
For the pastry,
100g strong white bread flour
50 - 55 ml of water
extra flour for dusting
Mix flour and water together to form a dough. Leave to rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Knead for couple of minutes, then roll into a sausage shape and cut into pieces, about 18 - 20 pieces. Use extra flour if needed for dusting.
For the filling
125g (4 oz) mince pork
Season pork with dash of light soy sauce, pinch of white pepper, a little cornflour and 1 tbsp of egg white, leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Then add one of these to the meat mixture,
1 large leave of chinese leaf (cabbage) about 40g, chopped very fine
Or
2 tbsp of spring onions, finely chopped
To wrap the dumplings,
Dip each piece of dough with flour. Roll into a 2" round disc, quite thin. The dough will stretch quite easily, if not too perfectly round, can streth when lifted onto one hand as shown in picture 2.
Put a piece of meat (shape into a ball in the bowl) about the same size as the dough. Place meat in the centre of dough.
Fold the pastry up, pinch in the centre as shown.
Then try to make few pleats from the middle out at one end and then do the same on the other end. Folds are normally towards the centre. Only make pleats on one side of the dumpling. (It is easier to place the dumpling on the working board when making the pleats). Pinch and tidy folded edge. Place dumplings on a flour dusted plate or straight onto a the frying pan. See finished products
Put the dumplings on a non stick frying pan, drizzle about 1 tbs of oil all around. Fried the dumplings till the bottom is slightly brown.
Then splash about 2 tbsp of water around the dumplings, lid on and steam till all the liquid has evaporated, remove lid and continue frying till bottom of the dumplings beginning to get golden brown and crispy.
Ready to serve.
I serve them with chinese black vinegar and very fine strips of ginger.
I have some mince pork left, so soon as I posted this, I am going to make myself some siu mai and maybe some har gau. Till later.
Sorry the slides aren't that good and some of the pictures are not that clear. I will try better next time. Still very amateur with photography.
Very pretty pleats! How long did it take to perfect that technique?
Could these be steamed too?
Beautifully made Sunflower, so professional!
Are they also known as potsticker dumplings?
, in reply to message 1.
Posted by Furious_of_Forges (U2186673) on Saturday, 10th March 2007
Hi sunflower,
Thank you SO much. I adore dim sum but despite having a Dim Sum cookbook have never made any. The fact that you're there may give me the courage to start making them. I'd love to be able to make Siu Mai, which are about my favourites (along with most of the rest)!
All the best
Ian
Evening all, am munching my siu mai while typing. Will post you a snap or two later or tomorrow.
I learnt to make dumplings and other stuff while I was still a teenager. Think it has stuck with me. Don't take long to learn probabaly few minutes??
Yes War tip is also called potsticker dumpling or in Japan it is called gyoza. The technique is almost the same. The only difference is the extra stuff that goes with the pork mince and flavourings.
Ian, if I know anything you don't, will be please to guide you anytime or anyone interested.
Sakkarin, dumpling can be steamed or boiled. Any left over can be fried with a bit of oil till crispy. The dough can be quite sticky if left overnight in the fridge, so best steamed or boiled if to keep for the next day. If not, can be frozen right away in open tray and put in plastic bag or container for later use. Dumplings made for freezing, very little vegetable is added cos of the high moisture content which may spoil the pastry.
I have a chinese written cookery book full of different type of dumplings. Will make some different ones when I get the time.
Great thread Sunflower
. I'm going to have to try them out sometime.
Thank you Sunflower for the recipe and the video!! I love gyozo and shall certainly make them (probably not as well as you!!). Also love dim sum with prawns, same type of thing??
Thanks again, Elisa
Wow, Sunflower - i'm dead impressed! I normally try to avoid pastry doughs of any type, but I'm going to give this a go. Isn't interesting how something that comes so easily to some is so impressive to others?
(And, Ian, come on - we all know that anything you try in the kitchen is going to be pretty wonderful - don't be so modest.)
, in reply to message 9.
Posted by Furious_of_Forges (U2186673) on Sunday, 11th March 2007
Hi random_kitty,
(And, Ian, come on - we all know that anything you try in the kitchen is going to be pretty wonderful - don't be so modest.
Well, I would be the first to admit that I have many faults, but false modesty is not amongst them! I tend to do most of my cooking within my comfort zone. Also, in our household, it's Jacquie who makes pastry, and so before embarking on Dim Sum, many of which have some kind of pastry, I'd not only have to extract an in principle agreement, but time commitment from her to make and deal with the pastry. I'd not have a problem making the filling, probably, if I can get the ingredients - though in the case of the war tip recipe, I can usually get either napa cabbage or green onions if I go to Brive.
I'd truly love to make siu mai, though. I remember to this day my amazement when I discovered how good they _could_ be.
All the best
Ian
Here is my second instalment of dim sum snacks which I had late last night. I did not make har gau cos it was fairy late and I was hungry. So I whipped up a few siu mai, fried wanton and crisy prawn balls in batter and few Brunei prawn crackers (made with real prawn and not flavourings like those you get from chinese takeaway)
picasaweb.google.com...
For the siu mai, here is the recipe:
Some wanton sheets (from the chinese supermarket) or some pasta pastry but roll very thin and cut into rounds or square about 3" wide.
For the meat filling, I use 1/2 mince pork and 1/2 chopped raw prawn and seasoned with light soy sauce, pepper, sesame oil and pinch of cornflour. Beat the meat mixture vigorously in a bowl for a minute or two so the texture will be firmer. Leave to set for at least 1 hour in the fridge. (Some amount of these finely chopped vegetables can be added before wrapping the little dumplings, like water chestnut, shitake mushrooms or spring onion).
To wrap this dumplings. Curl your thumb and index finger together to form an 'o', place the pastry on top and put a lump of meat about just over 1 tbsp, use a teaspoon to push and tease the meat to form a cylindrical shape, decorate with a pea or red crab roe if you can find some. Cut any excess pastry off with a pair of scissors. Cut a piece of brown greaseproof paper to line the bamboo steamer. Prick the paper with bamboo stick to allow steam through. Put the dumplings in and steam for about 10 minutes.
For the wanton, I did not bother to use another filling, just use the same as the siu mai. Using the same wanton sheet, put a teaspoon of meat in the centre of the pastry, fold diagonally, and using fingers to squeeze to tighten around the 'waist' area of the wanton. Deep fried at medium heat for few minutes till golden brown. The pastry will brown very quickly so best not use too much meat or it will not cook before the pastry starting to burn.
For the prawn I just use a bit of tempura batter.
Thank you very much for these instructions, Sunflower. I might be brave enough to try making some!
Hi Sunflower: lovely! You're a real
I'm going to make these. I feel as if I dare do it now!! Thank you!!
Elisa
Thanks a million for all that information. I made some siu mai last year which were suprisingly successful and the recipe was very like your own. I made them following this link, which I am posting, in case anyone finds the video images useful uktv.co.uk//index.cf...
Thanks again
Thanks, Sunflower - snagging! Love dim sum!
, in reply to message 11.
Posted by Furious_of_Forges (U2186673) on Sunday, 11th March 2007
Hi sunflower,
Brilliant... Thanks so much. Snagged and printed out. I'll leave them lying on Jacquie's desk!!
All the best
Ian
That clip looks interesting Gaynor, but it has that awful shouty woman on it, she irritates me to distraction, I have to switch the telly off when she appears.... I watched it about 15 seconds before she patronised Ken Hom and embarrassed the girl making the recipe, and had to stop. Doh.
Watched it, thanks Gaynor. The woman is loud Sakkarin but you can turn the sound down.
I'm safely filing Sunflower's excellent recipes for use in the very near future.
, in reply to message 17.
Posted by Furious_of_Forges (U2186673) on Sunday, 11th March 2007
Hi sakkarin,
When I saw your comment, I thought to myself, "oh come now, she's a bit boisterous, but she's not that bad". This episode she was monstrous. First of all she tried to destabilise the poor girl by telling her how famous Ken Hom was (sub vocal, look what an important presenter I am. Ken Hom comes on my show to play second fiddle) then she interrupts all the way through with smart ass remarks ("what would I do with xxx I got chicken soup" - yawn, who gives a damn) and then she tries to make her drop everything.
GRRRRR. Makes A W-T lok a positive gem.
Now I wonder if those wonton wrapper I bought 3 years ago are still usable. Didn't really look THAT hard to do. Even Jacquie looked interested!
Good tip about oiling the babboo steamer.
All the best
Ian
I think you meant baboon steamer
Hi all, love to see what that video is all about, but it won't load on my computer at the moment, will watch it tomorrow at work.
Have been busy again today making more chinese stuff
, guess I am hooked now that I have started.
Will reveal tomorrow. I got plenty of house chores to do in a mo before ready for bed.
Night night all.
I watched Chin making her sui mai (in silence!), sorry to be in disagreement with her again. Never had sui mai with spring onion or any green in it and the way she loosely wrap the little meat dumpling is not heard of. The meat should be tightly packed so it is quite firm and its shape should be uniformly cylindrical.
I've enjoyed my dim sum weekend. Think I over indulged, feeling a bit indigested this morning.
Two more additions from yesterday.
I made some chicken and mushroom steam bun.
picasaweb.google.com...
It is fairy easy, I made 16 buns, you can reduce the quantity if you want less.
For the bread dough, there are two stages:
A. 200g plain flour
1/2 tsp quick yeast
125 ml water
Mix the dough, don't need to knead much. Leave to rise for about 1 hour or till double in bulk.
B. 250g plain flour
90g sugar
2 tsp bicarb
2 tbsp sunflower or olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
100 ml water
Mix this into a dough when the yeast dough has risen. Mix the two dough together. Leave to stand for 15 minutes.
For the fillings:
500g chicken breast
10 dried shitake mushrooms
2 - 3 stalks of spring onion
2 - 3 tbsp chopped coriander
2 tsp light soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp cooking wine or sherry
Pinch of ground pepper
pinch of salt
1 tsp of sugar
1 tsp grated ginger
2 tsp cornflour
Excess flour when wrapping the bun
Greaseproof paper, cut into 16 little squares of around 6cm.
Cut the chicken into bite size pieces,
Soak and clean mushroom. Give them a good squeeze and cut into thin strips.
Cut spring onions into small dices.
Mix everything together.
Cut the mixed dough into 16 pieces around 45 - 50g each with a blunt or plastic knife.
Dunk each piece in flour, tap off excess.
Use fingers to stretch the dough into a 7cm (3")round piece as shown in picture.
Put about 4 tbsp of fillings (about 40 - 45 g) on the dough.
Using the left hand thumb (that hold the dough) push the filling in while the right hand fingers gathering the dough together to make a bun. Place bun on a piece of greaseproof paper square
Leave the bun to rest for 15 - 20 minutes.
Steam for 20 minutes.
Serve hot. These bun can be frozen once cooked. Reheat in a microwave or steamer.
The buns look a bit yellowish rather than pure white due to the flour use. In chinese restaurant bleached flour is used which is not longer available for sale in UK. I still need a lot of practice to improve the look of my dumplings.
I also made some soy skin (Fu Pei) rolls, which is very easy.
picasaweb.google.com...
You need: (this quantity made about 8 rolls)
Few pieces of Soy skin like that shown in the picture
100 g raw shelled prawn
3 tbsp soaked, chopped shitake mushrooms
1/4 cup peas
1/4 cup roughly chopped spring onions
2 -3 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tsp chopped garlic
Dash of light soy sauce
Pinch of pepper
Pinch of sugar
1 heap tsp cornflour mixed with few tbsp water
Cooking oil
2 tbsp plain flour
(you can added bamboo, water chestnuts, diced carrots etc which I haven't got last night)
Cook garlic with oil for a minute, add mushroom stir for another minute or two, add prawn and cook till prawn turn colour. Add remaining ingredients, thicken with cornflour solution.
Make a paste with plain flour and little water
Cut each soy sheet into 4, around around 12 x 18 cm, dampened with a little water.
Spread 3 - 4 tbsp of fillings, smear flour paste around the soy sheet.
Fold into a long flat spring roll.
Shallow fried with few tbsp of oil till crispy and brown. Serve hot.
This soy sheet is slightly different in texture compared to normal spring roll pastry. It has a chewy texture.
You can use spring roll pastry if you preferred.
Wow... all that dim sum! i'm very impressed, sunflower
Hi,
Bumping up! Am planning to do some dim sum next week - inspired by this thread and I found my bamboo steamers yesterday while spring cleaning!
Request for Sunflower - wondered if you have a wonton filling (for soup) you could post? Do you you ever make Barbequeue pork dumplings using yeast dough like your chicken dumplings? I have a big yen for them - used to buy them in Shoho Chinatown - no Chinatown where I am, so need to DIY!
Sunflower i meant to ask, have you thought about starting your own blog? you take v good pictures and seem to have such a wide breadth of knowledge.
snagging to peek at tomorrow.xxxxxxxxx
Hi AZCook,
Wonton soup is my favourite. You need a good stock for the wanton soup and some chinese green like choi sum or pak choi to go with. Filling same as the deep fried ones, use ready made wanton pastry. You can use half pork half prawn or all prawn with other bits added like spring onion, bamboo shoot, water chestnut. If you want an full detailed recipe, I will post one over the weekend.
For the bun, do you mean the steamed char siu bau or the baked type? Yes I do know how to make them, let me which one you like, I will post you a recipe over the weekend.
Schmoof, am working on a blog, will reveal when I am ready.
, in reply to message 1.
Posted by GuernseyFrench (U2945013) on Thursday, 15th March 2007
bumping
Schmoof, am working on a blog, will reveal when I am ready.
I await with baited breath
For the bun, do you mean the steamed char siu bau or the baked type? Yes I do know how to make them, let me which one you like, I will post you a recipe over the weekend.
Thanks Sunflower. And thanks for the wonton info - it's my favorite, too! So I knew you would have a good recipe - and please post when you have time! I have ready made wanton pastry squares as you suggest.
For the bun, I think it's the baked one. They were very soft but also glazed and and brown, as if they had been baked. And the most succulent BBQ filling!
I don't think we can make it as soft as the bakery shop, think additives and very refined flour are used. I will probably try a batch this weekend and let you know.
don't think we can make it as soft as the bakery shop, think additives and very refined flour are used.
We can try LOL! But you're probably right!
I will probably try a batch this weekend and let you know.
Great! Will check back here then.
, in reply to message 33.
Posted by BelgianEndive (U4866204) on Thursday, 15th March 2007
Thank you Sunflower. I'll try the wonton soup possibly this weekend. Have to go to the Chinese store for the little wonton sheets. It will be a nice way to try out new things in the kitchen! What a lovely idea to make your own blog Sunflower!
Elisa
I've made char siu and char siu bau earlier this afternoon.
My lunch was char siu with sauce served with egg fried rice and steam pak choi.
picasaweb.google.com...
For the char siu, the recipe is quite easy.
600g of pork steaks (shoulder or leg) or pork fillet
2 tbsp of hoi sin sauce (do use chinese brand not sharwood or supermarket brand)
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsbp sugar
1 clove of garlic grated
1 tsp five spice
For the glaze
1 tbsp honey
Mix the meat with the marinade, leave for few hours before roasting.
Line a baking tray with foil then put a rack on. Place meat on rack. Without the rack, the meat may stew in its own juice and gets very tough and not browning. Roast the meat at 220deg C, for 30 - 35 minute, turn the meat at half time.
When the meat is cooked, stir one tbsp honey with some of the roast meat sauce, then glaze the meat all over both sides and leave to cool slightly before cutting.
To make the sauce for the meat/rice, pour all the roast meat juice in a pan, add some sugar, honey, soy sauce,few drops of sesame oil, pinch of five spice and ground pepper and conflour solution. Cook the sauce, this sauce is fairly thin.
______________________________________________________________
For the Char Siu bau, here are few pictures.
picasaweb.google.com...
For the dough,
400g white bread flour
220 - 230ml lukewarm milk
1 tsp yeast (quick yeast or dried), you can use fresh yeast if preferred
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp cooking oil or olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
Meat filling
250 - 300 g char siu, cut into very fine dices
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp hoi sin sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 cup of water
3 tbsp conflour
pinch of ground pepper
1 tsp five spice
1 tsp oil
Cut greasproof paper into 2 1/2" - 3 " squares, you need 9 squares.
for the glaze,
milk
sugar
Mix the bread dough, it should be quite soft but not sticky (adjust amount of milk according to flour type) knead for 5 minutes or till the dough is silky and smooth, leave to rise till double in size.
Cook the char siu sauce, fried grated garlic with 1 tbsp cooking oil till slightly brown, mix remaining sauce ingredients in a cup then into the pan, cook till thick. The sauce needs to be very thick, if not, add more cornflour with little water. Add in diced char siu, leave to cool.
Knock the air out of dough, then divide the dough into 9 pieces, around 85g each piece. Use extra flour for dusting.
Dust both hand with flour, also dust dough with a little flour. Stretch each piece of dough into a large round disc around 3" wide, place on left hand(the middle part of the disc is thicker than the side), add about 2 - 3 tbsp meat filling. Gather the edge together with right hand fingers to form a round ball. Make sure the edge is properly sealed. Place bun on a piece of grease proof paper. Brush buns with milk. Leave to rise for 30 - 40 minutes. Bake at 210deg C for 15 - 20 minutes till the bun is brown. Make a sugar syrup with a little milk and sugar. Glaze buns with syrup while hot, leave to cool slightly before ready to eat. Enjoy!!
Wow Sunflower! I was talking about your dim sum recipes today to friends and they all want me to make them! So I'll have to oblige!
Chinese dinner coming up! I cannot find five-spice here. Have something called Quatre Epices which is 4 spice and Chinese spice. Don't know which is best.
I printed all your recipes and have made a special folder for them!! Thanks ever so much!
Elisa
Hi Elisa, can I come too
. Chinese is not that difficult, just need the right recipes. If there is anything I can help, do ask.
Not heard of the spices you mentioned, I think chinese spice is probably five spice or very close.
Of course you can come too Sunflower! You could supervise and correct my cooking!
I'm going to the Chinese supermarket downtown this week and hopefully will find the five-spice and the hoi-sin sauce and the wonton wrappers.
I'll let you know!! Elisa
Thank you Thank you Thank you for the Char Siu bau recipe Sunflower! I used to get them when I went to Soho Chinatown - they were my student-days Soho must-have comfort food - I always went to the same bakery & would get four just as I was about to take the tube home - one for on the way to the tube, one for on the tube, one for later and one for the next day! I will make the BBQ buns this week. And your pictures and Char Siu bau are fantastic!
I made war tip and Wonton soup yesterday! My War tip were not as perfect as yours, but they tasted great. Very good, if I say so myself! Practice makes perfect! So thank you again!
Oh I forgot to mention after sealing the bun with the filling, don't roll or mess about with bun or it will burst and you will end up with messy gravy on your hand and on the bun surface. Seal side down on the paper.
Hi Belgium Endive. Don't use quatres épices. That is a seasonng for terrines and patès and is something quite different to Chinese 5 spice power. I can find this easily in most big supermarkets....
snagging for next dinner party!!
All looks totally gorgeous, Sunflower. Can't wait for your blog.
ang x
Hi Gaynor:
Chinese 5 spice power. I can find this easily in most big supermarkets
Not here Gaynor! However I have hopes for the Chinese supermarket!!
You could always make it.
www.recipezaar.com/l...
I shall have to give these char siu bao a go. I've made the steamed ones a few times as the missus adores them so these will make a nice change. The pastry ones are very nice too.
I was thinking about the flaky pastry ones earlier. I have some leftover char siu, will make some when I have eaten the baked buns first.
Is the pastry just a rough puff pastry type?
You can use rough puff pastry. I make it the chinese way using two different doughs layered together.
Hi Sunflower,
Thank you so much for sharing your dim sum secrets. I have had to stop reading the thread as it is making me so hungry!
You have inspired me to have a go.
NG
x
Snagging for future use. These all sound fantastic, can't wait for the blog.
You could always make it.
Thank you for the link. If I can't find it, I'll make it!
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