STEAMED DUMPLINGS

STEAMED DUMPLINGS

Ingredients for the filling:

1 small LEEK (about 70g=2,47oz=¾ cup)

⅓ SAVOY CABBAGE (about 230g=8,11oz=3 ¼ cups once shredded)

1 sweet unflavoured PORK SAUSAGE or SALAMI PASTE (about 160g=5,64oz)

215g MINCED BEEF PULP (=7,58oz)

35g SOY SAUCE (=1,23oz=¼ cup)

40g DRY WHITE WINE (=1,41oz)

15g unsalted BUTTER (=0,53oz=1 ⅛ tbsp)

Ingredients for the pasta:

270g PLAIN FLOUR (=9,52oz=2 ⅛ cups)

140g WATER (4,94oz=⅔ cup)

1 pinch TABLE SALT

Ingredients to serve:

SOY SAUCE to taste

Method:

Wash and dry the leek, then take away the far ends and the first layer. Chop the leek.

Cut away the bottom of your savoy cabbage, then wash and dry its leaves. Shred them.

Melt butter in a pan, then add the chopped leek. Stew it at low heat. Peel the sausage and add it, breaking it into pieces. Mix.

Add the minced beef pulp and keep stirring until the meat changes in colour.

Simmer with dry white wine and add the soy sauce.

Add the shredded savoy cabbage and mix. Cover with a lid and cook at medium heat until the liquids are reduced (about 10 minutes). Let the filling cool down.

Warm up some water in a pot (I’ve opted for 3 liters in a high-sided pot) and prepare your bamboo steamer cutting a round piece of baking paper for each layer. Lay the baking paper and then make some holes to let the steam in (the paper is just to make sure the dumplings do not stick to the steamer).

In the meantime, prepare the pasta, mixing 255g (=8,99oz=2 cups) plain flour with water and salt. Knead to obtain a homogeneous dough.

Roll the pasta with a rolling pin or a pasta machine (my machine has 9 levels and I stop at 6 for steamed ravioli) on a floured surface (you will need about 15g=0,53oz=⅛cups flour). Use a pastry ring (ø 8,5 cm) to cut some dough circles, then lay the filling in the middle and seal them well (proceed with your favourite shape: mine were not really beautiful but super-delicious!). 

Once water boils, place the bamboo steamer on the pot (they obviously need to be the same size) and lay the dumplings in the steamer (about 6 per layer each time). Cover with the lid and cook for about 15 minutes. Repeat 3 times as you will get about 37 dumplings.

Serve your steamed dumplings warm and enjoy them with some soy sauce dip!

As you can imagine this is not an original Chinese recipe: I’ve tried to combine my love for steamed dumplings with Emilia-Romagna taste!