The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (13 page)
Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
1.
Divide dough into 4 equal pieces and cover. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll dough into 7-inch circle about ¹⁄
8
inch thick on lightly floured counter. Brush round lightly with sesame oil, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons scallions and 1¹⁄
2
teaspoons cilantro.
2.
Roll round into tight cylinder, brushing away any clumps of flour that have stuck to bottom of dough.
3.
Coil cylinder into tight round, tucking end underneath.
4.
Roll round into 5-inch pancake about ¹⁄
4
inch thick, adding additional flour to counter as needed to prevent sticking.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
The open-faced dumplings known as shu mai are ubiquitous on Cantonese menus, but homemade versions often disappoint us with their one-dimensional, mealy meatball flavor. For moist, tender, deeply flavored dumplings, we ground the pork ourselves from country-style pork ribs, since preground pork from the supermarket tends to cook up with unpredictable, inconsistent results. Grinding the meat to two textures ensured our filling held together but still had some texture, while adding a little gelatin and cornstarch kept the filling moist and supple. We tested a variety of wrappers and settled on delicate, easy-to-find egg roll wrappers.
MAKES ABOUT 40 DUMPLINGS, SERVES 6 TO 8
Do not trim the excess fat from the ribs; it contributes flavor and moistness. Use any size shrimp except popcorn shrimp; there’s no need to halve shrimp smaller than 26 to 30 per pound before processing.
2 | tablespoons soy sauce |
¹⁄ | teaspoon unflavored gelatin |
1 | pound boneless country-style pork ribs, cut into 1-inch pieces |
8 | ounces shrimp, peeled, tails removed and halved lengthwise |
¹⁄ | cup water chestnuts, chopped |
4 | dried shiitake mushroom caps (about ³⁄ |
2 | tablespoons cornstarch |
2 | tablespoons minced fresh cilantro |
1 | tablespoon toasted sesame oil |
1 | tablespoon Chinese rice cooking wine or dry sherry |
1 | tablespoon rice vinegar |
2 | teaspoons sugar |
2 | teaspoons grated fresh ginger |
¹⁄ | teaspoon salt |
¹⁄ | teaspoon pepper |
1 | (1-pound) package 5¹⁄ |
¹⁄ | cup finely grated carrot (optional) |
1 | recipe |
1.
Combine soy sauce and gelatin in small bowl. Set aside to allow gelatin to soften, about 5 minutes.
2.
Meanwhile, place half of pork in food processor and pulse until coarsely ground into approximate ¹⁄
8
-inch pieces, about 10 pulses; transfer to large bowl. Add shrimp and remaining pork to food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped into approximate ¹⁄
4
-inch pieces, about 5 pulses. Transfer to bowl with more finely ground pork. Stir in soy sauce mixture, water chestnuts, mushrooms, cornstarch, cilantro, sesame oil, wine, vinegar, sugar, ginger, salt, and pepper.
3.
Divide egg roll wrappers into 3 stacks (6 to 7 per stack). Using 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut two 3-inch rounds from each stack of egg roll wrappers (you should have 40 to 42 rounds). Cover rounds with moist paper towels to prevent drying.
4.
Working with 6 rounds at a time, brush edges of each round lightly with water. Place heaping tablespoon of filling into center of each round. Following illustrations, form dumplings, crimping wrapper around sides of filling and leaving top exposed. Transfer to parchment paper–lined baking sheet, cover with clean, damp kitchen towel, and repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. Top center of each dumpling with pinch of grated carrot, if using.
5.
Cut piece of parchment slightly smaller than diameter of steamer basket and place in basket. Poke about 20 small holes in parchment and lightly coat with vegetable oil spray. Place batches of dumplings on parchment liner, making sure they are not touching. Set steamer over simmering water and cook, covered, until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately with chili oil. (Dumplings may be frozen for up to 3 months; cook straight from the freezer for about an extra 5 minutes.)
MAKES ABOUT
¹⁄
2
CUP
1 | tablespoon soy sauce |
2 | teaspoons sugar |
¹⁄ | teaspoon salt |
¹⁄ | cup peanut oil |
¹⁄ | cup red pepper flakes |
2 | garlic cloves, peeled |
Combine soy sauce, sugar, and salt in small bowl; set aside. Heat oil in small saucepan over medium heat until it is just shimmering and registers 300 degrees. Remove pan from heat and stir in pepper flakes, garlic, and soy sauce mixture. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Discard garlic before serving.
1.
Brush wrapper edges lightly with water. Place heaping tablespoon of filling in center.
2.
Pinch opposite sides of wrapper. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat. Continue until you have 8 equidistant folds.
3.
Gather sides of shu mai and squeeze gently at top to create “waist.”
4.
Hold shu mai in your hand and gently but firmly pack down filling with butter knife.