The Shun Lee Cookbook - Michael Tong [18]
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1. To prepare the filling, mix the cabbage with the salt in a medium bowl. Let it stand for 10 minutes while the cabbage releases its excess water. Meanwhile, combine the pork, scallions, soy sauce, stock, vegetable oil, and sesame oil in another bowl. Transfer the cabbage to a clean kitchen towel and squeeze it hard to release any excess liquid. Add the cabbage to the pork mixture, and mix well. Cover, and freeze for 1 hour (or refrigerate overnight) to firm the mixture so it becomes easier to handle.
2. Dissolve the cornstarch in 3 tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl to make a paste. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper, and sprinkle it with additional cornstarch. Moisten the edges of one dumpling wrapper by dipping your finger into the paste and running it over the edge of the wrapper. Using a blunt knife as a scoop, place about a tablespoon of the filling in the center of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half, and pinch the edges closed. Place it on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers. (The uncooked dumplings can be made ahead, covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerated for up to 1 day. Or freeze them for up to 3 months. To freeze, place them in a single layer, pinched side up, in a plastic storage container or plastic storage bag, arranged so that the dumplings don’t touch one another. When you are ready to cook them, the frozen dumplings will be easy to remove, one by one.)
3. To make the dipping sauce, mix the soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Set it aside.
4. Pour an inch or two of water into the bottom of an Asian-style steamer, and bring it to a boil. Lightly oil a dish or plate to hold the dumplings. Arrange the dumplings side by side in the dish, pinched side up, without touching one another. Place the dish in the steamer and cover it. Steam until the filling in the dumplings feels firm when pressed, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, remove the plate from the steamer.
5. Heat the 2 tablespoons oil in a very large skillet over high heat until it shimmers. Carefully add the dumplings, pinched side up, and cook until the bottoms are golden, about 2 minutes. Serve hot, with a communal bowl of the dipping sauce.
HERE IS ANOTHER DISH that is popular in the Canton-Hong Kong culinary corridor, where chefs are most likely to use live shrimp, complete with heads. Because the shrimp are poached in a lightly seasoned stock, their quality is very important, so even if it is unlikely that you will use live shrimp, search for the best-quality thawed frozen shrimp. It is served with a light, slightly spicy dipping sauce.
Makes 2 to 4 servings
Poached Whole Shrimp with Ginger, Scallion, and Soy
Dipping Sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Maggi Sauce (see Note)
1 tablespoon Chicken Stock (page 70) or canned chicken broth
1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
½ teaspoon Chinese barbecue sauce, preferably Bull Head
1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
1 scallion, white part only, trimmed and minced
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 small green chili, such as Thai or serrano, seeds and ribs removed, minced
1 scallion, green part only, trimmed and cut into 3 pieces
One ½-inch piece peeled fresh ginger, cut into 2 slices and smashed
1 teaspoon rice wine or dry sherry
12 colossal or jumbo shrimp (about 1 ¼ ounces each), unpeeled
1. To make the dipping sauce, mix the soy sauce, Maggi Sauce, stock, ginger. barbecue sauce, rice wine, scallion, cilantro, and chili in a small bowl. Set it aside.
2. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a wok over high heat. Add the scallion, ginger, and rice wine. Add the shrimp and cook just until they turn bright pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain well. Discard the scallion and ginger.
3. Transfer the hot shrimp to a platter and arrange, overlapping, in a circle. Serve with the dipping sauce.
Note: Maggi Sauce is a proprietary brand of seasoning sauce that is widely available at supermarkets.
ALONG WITH EGG FOO YUNG and chow mein, these crispy, golden triangles