Stories. I like stories.
Once upon a time, a book showed up on my doorstep. It was called Dumplings All Day Wong. I was intrigued, excited. But I knew, this book would take a long time – not the book, the recipes. How could dumplings be quick and easy? They were so…complex. I was so…wrong.
I set out one Sunday afternoon to make a dumpling from this book by Lee Anne Wong. Ben was going to do his weekly shopping trip so I made sure to put dumpling wrappers and all of the ingredients for the filling on the list.
He came home without wrappers. WHAT?!?! I was going to have to make them?!
So I did. And it was life changing.
Now I realize I seem dramatic about all of this. And you need to understand that I really like to cook. It really did change my life in the kitchen. Suddenly this book, this cook book that I thought took all of this time, it became a bible.
Dumplings. How cool are they?! Come on, they are delicious! You know you love them. Now think about opening your world to the idea of making HOMEMADE (wrapper and all) dumplings. Taking them as contributions to parties, making different ones to spice it up.
Lee Anne Wong isn’t kidding when she says at the start of this book that homemade dumpling wrappers are easy AND much better. They absolutely are. I have never tasted a dumpling like the one I did that Sunday night and I can’t wait to work my way through the rest of this book.
The BBQ Chicken Dumplings called for the Bao Dough. Made with cake flour (and a few other ingredients that you likely have on hand), they offer a soft, somewhat pastry feel and taste to them. The small amount of filling in each one pops with flavors. Again, most of the ingredients I had on hand and I whipped these up start to finish in just a part of the afternoon.
A total novice dumpling maker I am and the instructions in Dumplings All Day Wong were fool proof. In fact, C helped me fill and close some of them. She had a blast and because she helped, most likely tried a new food that she would have otherwise. {Insert mwahahaha laugh} Pages are written on techniques in folding and filling. There are multiple types of Dumpling Wrapper Doughs offering for so many incredible combinations.
Please, take it from me, NOT trying to make dumplings on your own should be a crime. Okay, maybe that’s a little harsh. But you should totally do it. And here’s a recipe to start with (but you’ll totally need to buy the book for the dumpling dough recipe;).
BBQ Chicken Dumplings
Ingredients
- FILLING
- 12 oz (340 g) cooked chicken meat, dark meat preferably
- ¼ cup (15 g) minced scallion, white and green parts
- 1 tsp (5 g) minced garlic
- 1 tsp (5 g) minced ginger
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) maple syrup or dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) soy sauce
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) apple juice or cider
- 1 tbsp (10 g) cornstarch
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) Chinese red vinegar or rice vinegar
- 1 tsp (5 ml) sambal paste or Sriracha
- ½ tsp dry mustard powder
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 1 recipe Bao Dough (page 30)
- Oil for deep-frying
Directions
- To make the filling, chop the cooked chicken meat into small ½-inch (1.3-cm)
- pieces and shred. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients until smooth.
- Fold the sauce into the cooked chicken meat until well combined. Refrigerate for
- at least an hour.
- Divide your dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a 1-inch (2.5-cm)-thick rope
- and cut into ½-inch (1.3-cm) pieces. Keep the dough covered with a damp towel.
- Roll each dough ball into a 3-inch (7.5-cm) round wrapper using a rolling pin,
- about ⅙-inch (0.4 cm) thick. Fill each wrapper with 1 tablespoon (12 g) of filling.
- Lightly wet the edges of the wrapper and form the dumpling using the round or
- puck-shaped fold. Keep the dumplings covered on a lightly floured tray or plate.
- Preheat the deep-frying oil to 350°F/176°C. Carefully fry the dumplings in small
- batches until the skin is golden brown and the dumplings are floating in the oil,
- about 3 to 4 minutes, gently tossing the dumplings in the oil so all sides cook
- evenly. Drain on paper towels. Allow the oil to come back to 350°F/176°C before
- frying the next batch. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce of your choice.
Notes
I like the convenience of using cooked meat for dumpling filling. This is a great way to have some fun with leftover chicken. The Asian-style barbecue sauce keeps the filling moist and juicy. Similarly, you can use sauce as a marinade for raw chicken or pork and roast or barbecue the meat. A slightly yeasted dough works well for this dumpling, adding a lighter texture to the wrapper. - Lee Anne Wong
Recipe via Dumplings All Day Wong by Lee Anne Wong and published with permission.
**Disclosure: I received a book in order to facilitate my review. What came next was totally unexpected and amazing. This is a fabulous book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I LOVE steamed pork dumplings BUT these look AMAZING!!!!!
Sarah Hughes recently posted…Fun with Hasbro
They are SO good Sarah!
I’ve never made dumplings but these sound really good .
Julia recently posted…11 School Day Breakfast Ideas
I hadn’t either! SO fun!
My kids love the beef dumplings from the local Chinese place. I have to win this book because I know they’ll want me to make the dumplings for them!
Barb @ A Life in Balance recently posted…#PinterestFoodie Linky Party #56
You’ll never stop. This is a great book!!