5 Ingredients, an Urban Family series where we sit down with a Shanghai-based chef and ask for a family-friendly meal using 5 Ingredients easily found in Shanghai; let us help you start the week with a simple five-step recipe!
This week, with Chinese New Year in sight, we have festive Chaozhou dumplings to indulge in.
What dish are you helping us prepare this week?
Dumplings are the most iconic festive food in China. On Chinese New Year’s Eve, the entire family gather round and prepare this dish as the last meal of the year. The shape of dumpling resembles a traditional Chinese gold ingot, which symbolizes the wish for a prosperous new year. The filling ingredients and cooking methods vary depending on the different regions throughout China. For this recipe, I chose the steamed version that originates from Chaozhou.
What five ingredients do we need?
500 grams of dumpling skins (you can buy premade skins from City Shop)
500 grams mince pork (preferably with fat)
500 grams Chinese cabbage
8-10 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 chunk of finely-chopped ginger, salt and fish sauce
What is the five-step recipe?
1. Soak the shiitake mushrooms in hot water for 15 minutes, drain and squeeze out the excess water, remove the stem and finely chop into tiny cubes. Heat a shallow pan with vegetable oil and stir fry the mushrooms until they soak up the oil and slightly shrivel, then place aside to cool.
2. Place the coarsely chopped cabbage in a large bowl. Sprinkle ½ tablespoon of salt and mix until water seeps from the cabbage, and then squeeze out any excess water (this step will prevent a soggy filling).
3. Once the mushrooms have cooled, place all the ingredients in a large bowl. Add 1 ½ tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce. With your hand, thoroughly mix all the ingredients.
4. Place a spoonful of ingredients onto a dumpling skin and fold it together. See diagram below for technique.
5. Using a steamer set, bring water to boil in the bottom pot and then place the dumplings on the top rack. Lower the heat and with the lid on, steam for 15 minutes.
What's your advice on your dish of the week?
The amount of ginger can be adjusted according to your preference. You can also add finely chopped dried shrimps to enhance the flavor. We prefer the steaming method as it preserves all the flavors during the cooking process.
Watch the dumpling tutorial below (VPN off):
For more 5 Ingredients recipes, click here.
