Pierogi Ruskies: Potatoes. Cheese. Butter. The Polish are genius – this is dumpling heaven! A great weekend project – cook some now, freeze some for later. They cook from frozen!!

A Pierogi Ruskie recipe

I’m so excited to be bringing you this Pierogi recipe! I’d eat them every day if they didn’t tip the scales in the wrong direction. 😭

Even if you haven’t tried a Pierogi before, all you need to know is that these ones are cheesy, creamy mashed potato filled dumplings served with an intensely butter onion sauce.

In other words, it is every Cheese-Lovin’ Carb Monster’s Dream come true, and she who is the self appointed Head Priestess of this Club was literally in mind-boggling ecstasy when faced with a plate of these.

They are, to say the least, one of the most delicious things I’ve eaten this year!

Ingredients in Pierogi

Very, very few!

THE Pierogi filling

It’s essentially cheesy, buttery, creamy mashed potato. See authenticity note below the photo on the cheese, and why it was important for me to make this recipe accessible to “everyone”!

• Potatoes – Use all-rounder potatoes so they mash up fluffy and creamy. The most common potatoes at regular stores will be fine – they’re stocked because they’re great all-rounders.

  Australia – Sebago (the dirt brushed potatoes sold everywhere) are perfect, Desiree are great too. US: Yukon Gold, russet, UK: Maris piper, King Edward.

• Cheese – I use cheddar but any good melting cheese you’d happily put in your grilled cheese is fine. Give mozzarella a miss. While it melts great, it doesn’t have enough flavour.

  Authenticity note – Pierogi is traditionally made with quark, a mildly tangy European cottage cheese. Quark is not something I’ve seen frequently in Australia. Cottage cheese is probably the best substitute. But shredded cheese, as you can imagine, makes a delicious alternative – imagine it melted throughout creamy mashed potato!

  I opted to use regular cheese because I want this recipe to be as accessible as possible so many people can experience the greatness that is Pieorgis.

• Butter – Use unsalted so we can add the right amount of salt.

Pierogi DUMPLING DOUGH

• Flour – Just plain / all-purpose flour.

• Large egg – From a carton labelled “large eggs” (they should weight around 55-60g/2 oz).

• Butter – Melted into the water that I accidentally left out of the phot.

ONION BUTTER SAUCE

You could serve the Pierogis will just melted butter and you’d swoon. But it’s even better with a sautéed onion sauce which is common with traditional Polish Pierogis.

How to make Pierogi

Pierogis are easier to wrap than gyoza and potstickers. Because Asians like pleating – which can take practice to master. The Polish just press to seal. Much simpler! – I’m a big fan

HOT TIP: Got a Pierogi itch that needs scratching but homemade wrappers are out of reach? Use store-bought round Asian dumpling wrappers instead. The wrappers are thinner but it works a treat!

1. CHEESY POTATO FILLING FIRST

Make the filling first because it needs 1 1/2 hours to fully cool, during which time you’ll have the dough rolled out and cut, ready to fill!

1. Boil potatoes in salted water, starting with the potatoes in cold water. Why? Because otherwise the outside of the potatoes cook too much and start to crumble before the inside is cooked.

2. Drain potatoes.

3. Mash & mix – Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer or mash using a regular potato masher. Then mix in the butter, cheese, salt and pepper. The cheese won’t melt – it melts when the pierogis is boiled!

4. Cool – Spread out on to a tray. Cover with cling wrap, pressing so it is fully in contact, so the filling doesn’t sweat. Cool on the counter (about 30 minutes) then refrigerate until cold (1 hour+). You can do this the day before.

   The filling needs to be cold so it doesn’t sweat inside the dough (which would make the dough soggy). It’s also easier to wrap the dumplings because the potato is firm.

2. how to make pierogi dumpling DOUGH

You could use your stand-mixer but I enjoy the leisurely process of hand-kneading this dough. It’s easy to manage because it’s a small amount and the dough is soft. Plus, hand-kneading is somewhat satisfying, and you can (smugly) tell everybody fortunate enough to eat one of these – I made these myself with my own hands. (You know I do!)

1. Dry – Whisk the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.

2. Add wet – Make a well in the centre. Then add melted butter with warm water plus the egg. Mix to combine using a spatula – it will be a rough, shaggy dough.

3. Knead – Scrape out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead for 5 minutes until the dough becomes smooth. Use the bare minimum flour as needed to prevent it from sticking to your hands and the work surface. (Too much flour = drier stiffer dough = more difficult to roll out thinly).

4. Rest – Wrap with cling wrap and leave on the counter for 30 minutes.

3. MAKING THE PIEROGIS

1. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 3mm / 1/8″ thickness.

2. Cut out rounds using a 7.5 cm / 3″ cutter. Do as many as you can, then gather surplus dough into a ball, wrap with cling wrap and set aside to roll out and cut more later.

3. Filling – Place 1 tablespoon of cheesy potato filling in the middle of a round (20g, if you want to be exact!).

4. Dip finger with water and run along edge of half the circle. This will help seal securely.

5. Fold dough over to enclose the filling then press the edges together.

6. Seal firmly by pinching to make slight dents, the traditional look of pierogis.

   Place them on a lightly floured tray and continue to wrap remaining Pierogi (including rolling out the remaining dough). You should get ~30 pierogis. A nice big batch – cook some now, freeze some for later!

4. HOW TO COOK PIEROGIS

Boil like pasta! Just make sure you don’t crowd the pot. Pierogis needs space to bounce around! I cook 8 in a medium pot, and up to 12 in a wider pot. Tips below for batching cooking larger quantities.

1. Sauté onion first – Sauté chopped onion in butter until golden on the edges. Then transfer into a bowl or container and use as much or as little as you want for whatever size serving of pierogis you are making. 1 large onion is enough for 30 pierogis because they are only sparingly scattered with onion, like pictured. Cook onion will keep for 5 days in the fridge, or freezer for 3 months.

2. Boil 5 minutes – Bring ~3 litres/quarts of water to the boil with 1 tablespoon of salt. Lower 10 pierogis into the water and cook for 5 minutes, or until they are floating on the surface (they sink at first).

   ⚠️ As noted above the step photos, don’t crowd the pot else the pierogis will stick together and cook unevenly.
   ⚡️ It’s important to use salted water so you get some seasoning into the pierogis wrapper as it cooks. Makes it tastier!

3. Reserve water – Dip a jug into the water and scoop out 1 cup water. We’re going to use a bit of this water to make the sauce. The cooking water is better than tap water because it’s got starch from the pierogi dough in it which makes the sauce thicken. If you just mixed water + butter together, it stays water.

4. Scoop out or drain –  Then use a slotted spoon to transfer pierogi into a bowl. Or, you can drain in a colander if you are not using the water to cook more.

5. Butter sauce – Using a largish pan, melt 25g butter (1 1/2 tablespoons) over medium heat. Add 1/3 of the onion butter (from step 1) plus the cooked pierogis with 2 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water.

6. Toss for 1 minute, still on the stove, until the pierogis are coated in the butter sauce. You’ll see it goes from watery (when you first add the water) to thickened so it sticks to the surface of the pierogi.

   Larger batch – Just scale up the butter, onion and water. At this stage, it’s easy to eye-ball it. And I wouldn’t discourage the use of even more butter!

7. Serve – Slide onto a serving plate, scraping out every drop of butter. Sprinkle with parsley, add a dollop of sour cream. Eat and be happy!

Big-batch cooking of Pierogi

As strange as it sounds to have a whole section on how to cook and serve larger batches of pierogi, there’s actually practical factors that come into play that need to be considered! The reason is because they are quite large – bigger than Gyoza and Chinese dumplings, you can’t boil more than 10 to 12 max per batch, and they need to be tossed in the sauce on the stove.

So the recipe I’m sharing today makes 30 pierogis but provides directions to cook one batch of 8 to 10 (which is a nice amount for 2 people). Leftovers are perfect for freezing – you can cook from frozen!

But if you would like to cook all 30 pierogis, here’s some practical tips for how to do it!

boiling large batches

Pierogis need to be boiled in a single layer else they can get stuck together and the wrapping won’t cook evenly. So you’ll max out at around 12 pierogis in a large home-pot.

If you want to make and serve more, then boil in batches of 12 and spread cooked pierogis on a tray. Once you’ve boiled as much as you want, then drop all of them back into the pot for 30 seconds to reheat before tossing with the butter. Reserve a mugful of the cooking water then drain in a colander.

Large batch butter sauce tossing

For the butter sauce tossing part, you can put in as many pierogis as you can comfortably fit into a large skillet. You could even use a large pot. Just make sure you can toss the pierogis, because that’s how you get a nice coating of butter on them.

Simple method for gigantic batches

If you want to serve all 30 pierogis at the same time, an easy way to sauce them up is to make the sauce separately then douse over the pierogis.

To do this, cook the pierogis per above (ie boil then reheat). Drain well in a colander and transfer into a serving bowl. Melt 70g / 4 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter with 1/3 cup of the cooking water in a small pan on medium heat. Simmer for a couple of minutes until the butter thickens (the starch in the pierogi cooking water makes this happen).

Serving pierogis

Cooking part done, it’s time to enjoy them! A dollop of sour cream adds a lovely cooling, tangy creamy touch that pairs so well with cheesy mashed potato (proof – reader favourite Stuffed Baked Potatoes!). And a little sprinkle of parsley or chives adds a nice touch of green to an otherwise very beige plate.

And as a plate of food that is an unapologetic celebration of three of my favourite food groups – butter, cheese and potato – a perky fresh side of greens would be a nice accompaniment. Even this self-confessed Cheese Lovin’ Carb Monster needs something fresh to cut through all that richness! Try a classic light vinaigrette with leafy greens or any steamed vegetables.

Hope you love this as much as we do! Big shout out to our Chef JB for doing much of the leg-work on the research, development and testing on this pierogi recipe, then teaching me and answering my many, many questions. It’s been raining pierogis in our kitchen!!! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Pierogi Ruskies – Polish Dumplings

Recipe video above. Pierogi Ruskie's are Polish dumplings filled with cheesy, creamy mashed potatoes served with an onion butter sauce. They are even more delicious than they sound!

Traditionally made with quark which is an European fresh cheese which isn't easily found in Australia, so I've used cheddar because I want this recipe to be as accessible as possible to many people to experience the greatness that is Pieorgis!!! More in Note 2.

Excellent weekend project – eat some today and freeze some for later (they cook from frozen). Makes a nice big batch of 30 pierogis. For more dumplings of the world – head here!

Course Mains

Cuisine European, polish

Keyword pierogi, pierogi ruskies, polish dumplings

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Resting dough 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 55 minutes minutes

Servings 30 pierogis

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Pierogi dough:

• 2 cups flour , plain/all-purpose
• 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt
• 50g / 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 large egg , whisked (55-60g/2oz)

Pierogi filling:

• 2 x 250g/8oz medium potatoes , peeled and sliced 1cm / 1/2" thick (Note 1)
• 1 tbsp cooking/kosher salt – for cooking potatoes
• 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese , tightly packed cup (Note 2)
• 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Onion Butter:

• 30g/ 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 onion , finely diced
• 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt

Cooking and serving:

• 1 tbsp cooking/kosher salt – for boiling water
• 25g/ 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter , per 8 – 10 pierogis (Note 3)
• Sour cream , for serving
• Parsley or chives , finely chopped – just a pinch

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Filling:

• Boil potatoes – Put potato and 1 tbsp salt in a large saucepan. Add cold tap water so it's 3cm/1 inch above potatoes. Bring to a boil on high heat then reduce heat to medium high and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
• Mash – Drain, then pass the potatoes through a potato ricer into a bowl (or use potato masher)
• Cheese it – Immediately add butter, cheese, salt and pepper. Mix with a wooden spoon until fully combined.
• Cool – Spread out ~1cm / 1/2" thick on a tray. Cover with cling wrap, pressing so it is fully in contact. Cool on the counter (~30 min) then refrigerate until cold (1 hour+).

Pierogi Dough:

• Melt butter – Heat up the water and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat just until butter is melted, do not boil water. (Or do this in the microwave). Turn off heat.
• Mix dough – Whisk the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and then add the butter water plus egg. Mix to combine into a shaggy dough.
• Knead – Scrape out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead for 5 minutes until the dough becomes smooth (Note 3). You could also use your stand mixer.
• Rest – Wrap with cling wrap and leave on the counter for 30 minutes.

Wrapping pierogis:

• Roll & cut – On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 3mm / 1/8" thickness. Cut out rounds using a 7.5 cm / 3" cutter. Do as many as you can, then gather surplus dough into a ball, wrap with cling wrap and set aside for later.
• Fill & wrap – Place 1 tablespoon of cheesy potato filling in the middle of a round. Dip finger with water and run along edge of half the circle. Fold dough over to enclose the filling and press to seal, making slight indents (no pleats).
• Wrap remaining – Place them on a lightly floured tray and continue to wrap remaining Pierogi (including rolling out the remaining dough). You should get ~30 pierogis.

Onion butter sauce:

• In a non stick skillet, melt the butter until foamy over medium heat. Add onion and salt, then cook, stirring regularly, for 10 to 15 minutes until golden on the edges. Scrape out into a bowl, then set aside (OK to cool).

Cooking & serving pierogis:

• Batch cooking – Directions below are for cooking and serving 10. Boil pierogis in batches of 10 to 12 max, they need space to bounce around in the water, and you need space to toss them in the butter. (Note 4 for big batch cooking)
• Boil 5 minutes – Bring ~3 litres/quarts of water to the boil with 1 tbsp salt. Lower 10 piergosi into the water. Cook for 5 minutes – they should be floating on the surface.
• Reserve water & drain – Dip a jug into the water and scoop out ~1 cup water. Then use a slotted spoon to transfer pierogi into a bowl (or drain, if not cooking more).
• Butter sauce – Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/3 of the onion butter plus the cooked pierogis with 2 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water. Toss for 1 minute, still on the stove, until the pierogis are coated in the butter. (Note 4 on scaling up)
• Serve – Slide onto a serving plate, scraping out every drop of butter. Sprinkle with parsley, add a dollop of sour cream. Eat and be happy!

Notes

Recipe credits – Primarily adapted from this recipe from New York Times Cooking, with references to a whole bunch of other recipes. The main changes we made were process related.

Serving size – 4 to 5 pierogis with a side salad makes a nice meal. They are pretty rich, actually, being solely comprised of potato, cheese and butter!

1. Potatoes – Use your favourite mashing potatoes. All-rounder and floury / starchy potatoes are best. The most common potatoes stocked at regular stores should be good all-rounders.

Australia – Sebago (common dirt brushed potatoes), Desiree. US: Yukon Gold, russet, UK: Maris piper, King Edward.

2. Cheese – Traditionally made with quark which is an European fresh cheese which isn’t easily found in Australia. While cottage cheese is probably the closest substitute, I’ve used shredded cheese which, as you can imagine, is a delicious alternative when it’s melted throughout the potato. 

I use cheddar but any good melting cheese you’d happily put in your grilled cheese is fine (tasty, gruyere, Colby). Give mozzarella a miss – doesn’t have enough flavour for this recipe.

3. Kneading – When you first mix the dough in the bowl and form into a ball, the surface is rough and shaggy. It is kneaded enough when the surface of the dough ball is smooth. See video at 1.39.

4. Batch cooking – Don’t boil more than 10 – 12 pierogis max in a large pot because they need room to bounce around. To cook lots, boil 10 – 12 at a time, scoop out and spread on a tray. Boil the next batch. Then just before serving, put them all back into the boiling water for 30 seconds to warm them back up. Drain, then toss in the butter sauce with a splash of the reserved cooking water.

Butter amount – You’ll need around 1 1/2 tbsp / 25g plus 2 tablespoons of the cooking water for 8 to 10 pierogis. For all 30, you’ll need around 70g / 4 1/2 tbsp butter and 1/3 cup water. You can eyeball it. Butter is not an exact science here!

5. Make ahead – Pierogis freeze 100% perfectly and can be boiled from frozen! Just add an extra 1 – 2 minutes to the cook time. Freeze in single layers in an airtight container. To save space, you can freeze them on a tray then bundle them into an airtight container.

Life of Dozer

Coming to you in real time! This is Dozer today, at a photography studio for a Christmas special edition of Good Food Australia with the A-team: Rob Palmer (photographer), Emma Knowles (food stylist), Theresa Klein (photo chef). Who ever imaged a discount dog would experience such things!!

The post Pierogi – Polish dumplings appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Just a mere 4 years after sharing classic pork Chinese dumplings, the vegetarian version has finally landed. Yep, it’s taken me that long to make sure you never again bite into a vegetable dumpling only to find it filled with unidentifiable tasteless mush!

Don’t get worked up about wrapping dumplings! Wonky dumplings taste just as great. And you can always just seal them flat. Fast. Easy. Effective!

Vegetable Dumplings

There’s nothing quite like freshly-made dumplings. Reheated dumplings are never the same. The imperative for fresh-out-of-the-kitchen is right up there with freshly-made fish and chips, burgers and steak.

And while there’s no shortage of excellent dumpling eateries here in Sydney, the sad truth is that when it comes to vegetable (rather than meat) dumplings, they range from mediocre to just plain bad. The biggest offence is mushy, unidentifiable, tasteless fillings.

Not to mention cost. Din Tai Fung, a famous dumpling chain from Asia with branches here in Sydney, declares itself to serve the world’s best dumplings. To be fair, their signature xiao long bau (soup-filled pork dumplings) are rightfully revered and I adore them. But a serve of 6 modestly-proportioned vegetable dumplings at Din Tai Fung will still set you back $10.90.

By my maths then, today we’re making $63.60 worth of dumplings with ingredients that cost less than $10!

My team also declares these homemade ones to be better than Din Tai Fung’s. (I can say that without feeling like I’m boasting because this recipe has been a team effort – me, Chef JB and my brother!)

What you need for vegetable dumplings

Here’s what you need to make Chinese vegetable dumplings:

• Round dumpling wrapper (gow gee pastry) – see next section below.

• Dried shiitake mushrooms – The primary flavour in the filling. Rehydrated in boiling water then finely minced, it brings a good hit of savoury flavour into the filling. Readily available these days even in the Asian section of large grocery stores in Australia.

  Substitute: Fresh shiitake mushrooms don’t have the same intensity of flavour so I really encourage you to seek out dried. But if you really can’t find it, use sautéd finely chopped fresh mushrooms. I’ve popped directions in the notes.

• Cabbage – The other primary ingredient. Salted then squeezed of excess liquid, this is more about creating volume rather than flavour.

• Firm tofu – It needs to be firm tofu as custard-like soft and silken tofu is just too delicate and will disintegrate into a watery mess. This provides much-needed texture into the filling.

• Potato – The ingredient that cracked the secret of great vegetable dumplings! See above in the “What sets these vegetable dumplings apart from the competition?” box for more information.

  We just need 2 tablespoons of finely grated potato (including the liquid that leaches out while grating). It acts as the binding agent without turning the filling into an unpleasant mush which is what happens if you use starches like cornflour/cornstarch, potato starch, tapioca, or similar.

  Without the grated potato, all the finely chopped vegetables would tumble out of the dumpling. We can’t have that! We want them in our mouth!

• Green onion – For colour and freshness.

• Garlic and ginger – Aromatics.

• Sesame oil – To add a bit of richness to the filling.

• Soy sauce – For seasoning. Light or all purpose soy sauce is called for here. Don’t use dark soy sauce. Sweet soy can be substituted but skip the sugar. More on different soy sauces here.

• Salt, pepper, sugar – More seasoning! I like to use white pepper because it’s more common in Chinese cooking but black pepper is just fine too.

Dumpling wrapper (gow gee pastry)

These round dumpling wrappers made of wheat flour are even sold in large grocery stores these days, in the Asian section of the fridge alongside fresh noodles. Here’s the brand I use which is sold at Woolworths and Harris Farms in Sydney, and sometimes Coles:

How to make Vegetable Dumplings

Heads up: this section on how to make Vegetable Dumplings is quite long as I walk through making the filling, wrapping and cooking the dumplings.

I promise it isn’t hard if you don’t get too hung up about perfectly shaped dumplings. Remember – it will still taste fantastic even if yours are a bit lopsided. Beauty is only skin-deep (literally – it’s all about the fillings here!)

If you’re already a dumpling-wrapping master, feel free to skip straight down to the recipe or the recipe video.

How to make the filling

First up, the dumpling filling! Here’s how to prepare the components:

1. Wilt cabbage

• Finely slice the cabbage then chop it quite small like you’re mincing garlic.

• Toss through salt and leave for 20 minutes. This draws out excess water from the cabbage and makes it wilt. If you skip this step, the cabbage goes watery when steamed inside the filling. The cabbage is also too fluffy and voluminous which makes it impossible to wrap!

• Grab handfuls of the cabbage and squeeze out the excess water.

• Then place the cabbage into a large bowl to make the Dumpling Filling.

2. Shiitake mushrooms

• Rehydrate the dried mushrooms in a large bowl of boiling water. It usually takes around 30 minutes but the stalk can sometimes be stubborn and take 45 minutes.

• Grab handfuls and squeeze out the excess water.

• Finely slice then finely chop the mushrooms.

3. Firm tofu

• Slice the tofu into 3-4 mm slices.

• Stack the slices then cut into 3-4 mm batons.

• Then stack the batons up to cut the tofu into 3-4 mm cubes.

Be sure to use FIRM tofu, not silken / soft tofu which is too delicate. It will turn into mush!

4. Finely grated potato – for binding

The secret ingredient for the best vegetable dumplings filling! See above in the “What sets these vegetable dumplings apart from the competition?” box for an explanation for why.

• Peel the potato then use a microplane (pictured) or similar to grate the potato very finely.

• You must use a fine grater, not a box grater which will shred the potato into large strands not grate it finely. The potato needs to be grated really finely and will be watery, like pictured above, in order to work as the binder for the filling.

• Measure out 2 tablespoons of the grated potato and add it into the bowl.

Finely grated potato is the secret ingredient to the perfect vegetable dumpling filling. It absorbs water leached by vegetables and acts as a binder, without turning the filling into mush.

Note: I grate the potato just before adding into the mixture so it doesn’t turn brown/red from oxidisation. But it doesn’t matter if it does discolour because this does not mean the potato has gone off, and you can’t see the cooked potato in the end result.

5. Mix filling

Add all the above ingredients plus other remaining filling ingredients (soy sauce, seasonings, aromatics, green onion, sesame oil) and mix with a spoon until combined.

The mixture will be crumbly at this point, not sticking together and pasty. If the mixture was sticking together – like the countless times we made this with cornflour/cornstarch – then it ends up mushy once steamed. We want crumbly. We need crumbly!

How to wrap Chinese dumplings

I could spend a lot of page inches explaining how to wrap Chinese dumplings. But I won’t because there’s a recipe video below worth a thousand words instead!

Don’t get too hung up on the wrapping. I know the pleats look lovely and authentic, but if it’s too much of a challenge, just skip the pleats and seal the dumpling with a flat seam. It still tastes the same and is also much faster to make!

Along with the video, here’s a quick description and step photos explaining how to wrap dumplings:

Dominant hand – Right hand in my case; Non-dominant hand – My left hand.

1. Place a wrapper in the palm of your non-dominant hand. Dip your finger in a small bowl of water then run it along the lower edge of the wrapper, as marked in the photo above. This is for sealing.

   The dumpling seals more securely if you wet the bottom half of the wrapper as this is the side you pleat-and-seal. If you do the top rim, the pleat folds don’t seal as well. If you do the whole rim, you’ll understand quickly why you shouldn’t (spoiler: too much stickiness!).

2. Place a loosely-packed tablespoon of filling in the centre of the wrapper. The filling doesn’t shrink much so you don’t need to overstuff the dumplings.

3. Keeping the wrapper in your non-dominant hand, use your dominant hand to fold the bottom half of the wrapper over the filling but don’t let it touch the top half of the wrapper (as soon as the water edge touches anything, it wants to glue itself to it).

4. Starting from the far left, use your dominant hand to fold one pleat, pressing to seal. Repeat, folding more pleats along the edge, working from left to right until you get to the end. If this is proving too difficult for you, just fold the wrapper over without pleats and seal flat. Your dumpling will look different but it will still taste GREAT!

The filling doesn’t shrink much as it cooks so you don’t need to overstuff the dumplings.

5. Here’s a close up of me pleating. Notice how I use the thumb of my non-dominant hand to create the pleat with my dominant hand.

6. One finished, stand the dumpling with the pleats upright. Then squish it down slightly to flatten the base, and shape it into a slight curve.

   Place the finished dumplings on a tray lightly dusted with cornflour/cornstarch (to prevent them from sticking). Keep covered with a tea towel to prevent them from drying out as you wrap the remaining dumplings.

How to cook dumplings (pan-steamed)

These dumplings can be steamed, but pan-fry + steaming is my favourite method of cooking because you get the best of both worlds: crispy base plus moist tops and insides!

1. Pan fry first – Use a non-stick skillet with a lid. The lid doesn’t have to match that skillet, just any lid that as large as or larger than the skillet is fine. You’ll see in the video that the lid I use is larger. Don’t have a lid? Use a baking tray or similar. Anything that will trap the steam in to cook the dumplings!

   Heat oil in skillet. Now place 12 to 15 dumplings in the pan and cook until the base is golden brown.

2. Golden brown base – This is your goal. It doesn’t need to be as golden as pictured in step 2 above. This is just the way I like it. Crispy from edge to edge!

3. Water for steaming – Once the base is golden brown, pour in 1/4 cup of water then quickly place the lid on to trap the steam in the pan.

   During this steaming phase, the crispy golden base does go soggy. But don’t worry! It comes back to life after the water evaporates.

4. Steam for 5 minutes or until the water has evaporated. The wrapping should be semi-transparent once cooked.

5. Remove lid. At this stage, you can leave the dumplings for another 30 seconds or so until the base really dries out to resurrect the crispy base.

6. Transfer the cooked dumplings to a serving plate using a spatula and serve with a dipping sauce.

   Dipping sauce – I like to serve with soy sauce mixed with chilli paste. A mixture of soy sauce and rice vinegar is also common.

What to serve with Vegetable Dumplings

With pork dumplings, I always feel like I need to add a side of vegetables. I think this is because my mother did such a great job of brainwashing me as a kid into believing that a meal is unbalanced without a sufficient representation of vegetables.

Isn’t it great then that these little babies are jam-packed with vegetables? So, mum, I’ll just have a big plate of these for dinner, thanks!😂

OK, OK, getting serious though. If you want to fill out the meal and make the dumplings go further, try it with a side of fried rice or Supreme Soy Noodles, and steamed Chinese Greens with Oyster Sauce (like you get at yum cha, and PS it’s not just Oyster Sauce in the sauce!) For a fresh salad, my go-to are the Chang’s Crispy Noodle Cabbage Salad (get an extra-big cabbage for the dumplings!) and my leafy Asian Side Salad.

Suggestions for things to serve on the side

Fried Rice

Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce (Gai Lan)

Supreme Soy Noodles (NEW recipe – finally!)

Australia’s favourite salad? Chang’s Crispy Noodle Salad!

Asian Side Salad

Asian Slaw – healthy, crunchy Asian Cabbage Salad

Phew! That was a long post.

Now, most importantly: Tell me how you went wrapping these. And remember, don’t get worked up about perfect dumplings! It doesn’t matter what they look like. They will still taste great! -Nagi x

The RecipeTin dumpling files

Chinese Dumplings – Pork (Potstickers)

Japanese GYOZA (Dumplings)

Wonton Soup

Siu Mai (Shumai) – Chinese steamed dumplings

Chinese Steamed Pork Buns

Watch how to make it

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Vegetable Dumplings (Potstickers!)

Recipe video above. 4 years in the making, my favourite vegetable dumpling! These are a standout because you can actually taste the vegetables and it's got good texture, rather than just being a wad of tasteless, watery mush which is sadly all too common.

Don't get too hung about about the wrapping part. If the pleating is too challenging, just seal it flat. Quicker, easier, and it tastes exactly the same.

Course Appetizer, Mains

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword Potstickers, vegetable dumplings, vegetarian potstickers

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 3 minutes minutes

Soaking, wilting time etc 30 minutes minutes

Servings 30 – 35 dumplings

Calories 48cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Wilted cabbage for Filling:

• 2 cups green cabbage , finely chopped into 2mm pieces
• 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt

Filling:

• 8 dried shiitake mushroom (40 g total), medium size (Note 1)
• 3/4 cup firm tofu , finely diced into 3-4mm / 1/8" cubes (Note 2)
• 1/2 tsp garlic , finely grated
• 1 tsp ginger , finely grated
• 2 tbsp green onion , finely sliced then minced
• 2 tbsp finely grated floury potato , including juices, for binding (Sebago, russet, Maris piper, Note 3)
• 1 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil (Note 4)
• 1 tsp light soy sauce (or all-purpose, not dark soy)
• 1/4 tsp sugar (any)
• 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
• 2 pinches white pepper (sub black)

Cooking:

• 30 – 35 round dumpling wrappers (gow gee, Note 5)
• 2 – 3 tbsp canola oil
• 1/4 cup water per cooking batch

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Quick recipe (for pros):

• Wilt cabbage 20 min, squeeze. Soak mushrooms 30 min, squeeze, finely chop. Mix with remaining Filling ingredients. Wrap. Pan fry 2 min, 1/4 cup water, pan-steam 5 min.

Full recipe – filling:

• Prepare cabbage – Toss cabbage with 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl. Set aside for 20 minutes. Then grab handfuls and squeeze out excess water as best you can. Place squeezed cabbage in a bowl for mixing the filling in.
• Shiitake mushrooms – Soak mushrooms in 1 litre of boiling water for 30 minutes. Squeeze out excess liquid and finely chop into 2 mm pieces. Add to the filling bowl.
• Potato – Add grated potatoes to filling mix, including all the liquid that leached out when you grated it. We want all that starchy juice for its binding power!
• Filling – Add remaining ingredients into the filling bowl, mix to combine. It will look crumbly – don't worry, everything sticks together better when steamed thanks to the potato.

Wrapping:

• Dumpling wrappers – Take one wrapper from the packet. Keep unused wrappers covered so they don't dry out.
• Wrap dumplings – (See video at 1m 30s!) Place a wrapper in your non-dominant hand. Dip your index finger in water and run it along the lower half of the wrapper (edge closest to you). Place 1 loosely-packed tablespoon of filling in the centre. Fold the wrapping over the filling, then seal with pleats. (If this is too hard, skip the pleats and seal flat).
• Finished dumplings – Stand dumpling upright with the pleats on top, and lightly press down to flatten the base. Shape gently into a slight curve. Place on a tray lightly dusted with cornflour/cornstarch. Repeat for remaining dumplings. Keep completed dumplings covered with a tea towel to prevent them from drying out. If you're making ahead, cover dumplings with cling wrap and refrigerate. See storage notes.

Cook (pan-frying + steaming):

• Cooking vessel: Use a large non-stick pan with a lid (Note 6).
• Pan fry: Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat. Pan fry 12 to 15 dumplings for 2 minutes until the base is golden brown.
• Steam: Pour over 1/4 cup water over the dumplings in the skillet – it will steam and bubbly vigorously! Place the lid on and steam for 5 minutes or until the water in the pan has evaporated.
• Cooked! Remove the lid. The water should have been driven off, and the wrapping should be semi-transparent (indicating it is cooked). The base should be crispy again. If not, leave the pan uncovered for a bit until the base crisps up again in the oil.
• Serve: Scoop the dumplings up with a spatula and place on a serving plate. Serve with soy sauce and chili paste for dipping, or rice vinegar mixed with soy sauce. Best served fresh – I get another batch cooking as we eat the freshly cooked ones!

Steaming-only option:

• Using either a bamboo steamer set over a large wok with simmering water, or other larger steamer. Line with a fitted sheet of parchment paper with holes, and steam the dumplings for 8 minutes.

Notes

1. Dried shiitake mushrooms are better than fresh as they have a more intense flavour and won’t make the filing watery. Find them in Asian stores and the Asian aisle of large grocery stores.

To substitute with fresh mushrooms, finely chop then sauté in a little oil until the water leeches out and it’s dark brown. Cool then measure out 1 cup lightly packed. You’ll probably need around 250g / 8oz mushrooms.

2. Tofu – be sure to use firm tofu, labelled as such. Soft tofu and soft silken tofu is too delicate.

3. Potato – the secret ingredient! It binds the filling when cooked so it doesn’t crumble out everywhere while eating. Raw potato is superior to starch powders like cornflour/cornstarch, rice flour etc which make the filling unpleasantly mushy. Only 2 tablespoons makes all the difference!

4. Sesame oil – Use toasted (brown-coloured oil, standard in Australia) rather than untoasted (yellow).

5. Dumpling wrappers – Round white wrappers sold in the Asian fridge section of large grocery stores (I use Double Merino from Woolworths) and Asian grocers. They come in packs of 30 or so, so if you don’t think you’ll use them again soon, just get 1 packet. Else, if you’re a regular dumpling maker, get 2 packs as the filling is enough for up to 35 dumplings.

6. Lid – To trap the steam inside the skillet to cook the dumplings. Use one from any other pot or skillet, as long as it is the same size or larger than the skillet circumference. Alternatively use a baking tray.

7. Storing – Uncooked dumplings will keep in the fridge for a couple of days, either in an airtight container (single layers) or on a tray covered with cling wrap. They can also be frozen for 3 months. Thaw before cooking.

Cooked dumplings can be kept for 3 days. Best to reheat in the microwave or steamed again. But as mentioned right upfront, it is not the same as freshly made!

Nutrition

Calories: 48cal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 123mg | Potassium: 38mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

Life of Dozer

Dozer in guard dog mode? Not at all. Just waiting for the next person to come through the door for ear-rubs. Nobody comes inside without giving him ear-rubs!!

The post Vegetable Dumplings (Potstickers!) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Malfatti means “badly formed” in Italian. These rustic spinach ricotta gnocchi-like dumplings may look a bit wonky, but they taste incredible – the very definition of the perfectly imperfect!

Malfatti – rustically delicious!

I love being proven wrong when it comes to food.

As I dubiously fished the totally unimpressive-looking, slippery dumplings from the poaching liquid and plonked them in tomato sauce to pop into the oven, I was mentally preparing for what I could do to save the dish if it came out as bland as I was expecting. Bury in cheese and stick it back in the oven, I thought to myself. Cheese’ll save anything!

How very wrong I was about Malfatti! This is one of the most delicious things I’ve made all year. (Yes, yes, I know I’ve said that a few other recipes I’ve shared this year, but this time*, I really mean it!!) Those plump little gnocchi-like balls are delightedly savoury, ultra-soft and incredibly juicy on the inside. They’re often paired with a tomato-based Napoli Sauce like here, and finished with a shower of parmesan.

Like all addictively tasty things that come in bite-size packages, they’re dangerously difficult to stop popping them in your mouth once you start. One, two, three, five, ten …

* I really meant it the other times I declared this as well. There is room in my life for more than one “most delicious thing I’ve made all year”. I have a big appetite!!

What exactly are Malfatti, anyway?

Malfatti are traditional Italian dumplings made out of spinach and ricotta. They’re bound together with a little flour and egg, and flavoured with parmesan and basil.

Meaning “badly formed”, the name malfatti is an affectionate jibe at their rough and rustic looks. They’re also known as gnudi in other parts of Italy, which means “naked” – a reference to their appearance like pasta-less ravioli.

They are often served with a tomato-based Napoli sauce, though you also see it with other sauces such as brown butter and sage.

Here’s an up close and personal look at the inside of Malfatti. Looks good, eh?

Boiled like gnocchi, baked in the oven

Malfatti are cooked much like gnocchi in boiling water. Like gnocchi, the most common way serve them is also just like that – simply drained, and topped with the sauce.

Sometimes however you see baked versions, where the Malfatti is placed in the sauce and finished in the oven and is my preferred way of making them. Baking them “sets” the surface of the dumplings so they don’t seem soggy (they’re quite wet and slippery straight out of the boiling water). Plus, you get the benefit of a little browning on the edges of the Napoli Sauce which has a change to meld with the dumplings.

I’d be interested in opinions on this (even bold?!) statement from any Italians reading this!

Ingredients in Malfatti Dumplings

Here’s what you need to make the dumplings.

• Ricotta (dry and crumbly = good!) – The key ingredient here! Whereas ordinarily ricotta-based recipes will call for the freshest, softest and creamiest ricotta you can find, for Malfatti, we are after drier ricotta so the mixture is firm enough to shape into dumplings.

  Rule of thumb – If you can spread the ricotta like butter, it’s too wet and needs to be drained to remove excess water (just set over a colander or wrap in tea towels, see recipe notes). If you can virtually crumble it with your hands, it’s perfect!

  Emergency fix: If you decide to proceed anyway with a ricotta that you suspect is too wet and find the mixture is so loose you can’t form dumplings, just add the minimum amount of flour required to thicken the mixture (I did);

• Garlic and eschalot (US: Shallots) – For flavour and sweetness. If you don’t have eschalots, use 1/2 a red onion instead. (PS. Eschalots are the little tear-drop shaped alliums sometimes labelled as “French Onions” here in Australia);

• Parmesan – Much of the seasoning (flavouring and salt) for Malfatti. It also helps to firm up the mixture;

• Flour – Just 1/2 a cup, far less than most dumplings. Required to bind the mixture;

• Egg – The universe’s natural food glue, this is what holds the dumplings together! We use one whole egg as well as one egg yolk because one egg alone is not quite enough to make the Malfatti hold together. Bonus: An extra yolk makes them just that little bit richer and delicious!

• Basil – Just a handful, for its lovely fresh flavour. If you don’t have fresh basil, just leave it out rather than substitute with dried basil (dried basil really has no flavour)

Ingredients in Napoli Sauce for Malfatti

One of the most popular sauces for Malfatti is a classic Italian tomato sauce called a Napoli Sauce (after the city of Naples, capital of the region where tomatoes and basil are staple flavours). Here’s what you need:

• Onion and garlic – Classic foundation flavourings;

• Tomato paste – For a small boost in tomato intensity, and to thicken the sauce slightly (the sauce for Malfatti is typically thick and chunky, rather than loose and runny);

• Basil – Please pretend the basil sprig pictured here has been picked! 😂 The leaves are used in the dumplings, while we use pop the stem into the sauce to give it a small hint of fresh basil flavour.

• Crushed or diced tomato – As always, the better the quality, the better the sauce;

• Sugar – 1/2 a teaspoon, to soften the tartness of the sauce a touch. It’s a shortcut for this sauce, which we only simmer for 20 minutes. If you have the time to simmer on a very, very low heat for 1 hour or so to let the flavours really develop and the sauce to sweeten naturally, feel free to skip it. 😇

How to make Malfatti

The key thing here is to NOT get too hung about about perfectly perfect dumpling shapes. Remember, Malfatti means “badly formed”. Stick to the spirit of the name, a licence for imperfection!

Part 1: Remove water from spinach

Firstly we need to remove the excess water from the spinach otherwise it makes the Malfatti mixture too loose.

1. Sweat spinach with salt to remove water – Sprinkle spinach with a little salt and leave for 20 minutes. The salt will draw some moisture out of the spinach, which makes it easier to squeeze out the water;

2. Wring out water – Put a handful of spinach on a clean tea towel. Gather up the the corners of the tea towel and twist it firmly to squeeze out the water;

3. Roughly chop – Not too finely. We don’t want minced spinach dumplings!

4. Sauté lightly – Lastly, we sauté the garlic and eschalots, then add the spinach in and toss it through.

   Finally, cool the spinach before stirring into the ricotta mixture.

Part 2: Make the Malfatti dumplings

1. Malfatti mixture – Once the spinach is cool, add it into the bowl with the remaining Malfatti ingredients. Then gently mix until combined;

2. Form dumplings (wonky or neat!) – Use two dessert spoons to form “football” shaped dumplings. Remember the name and don’t get too hung up about perfect shapes!!

3. Boil – The Malfatti are cooked in boiling water, just like other dumplings. Bring a pot of water to the boil and carefully lower 4 to 6 dumplings in. Don’t crowd the pot, you don’t want the Malfatti bashing into each other;

4. Cook until they float (~2 minutes) – You’ll know exactly when the Malfatti are cooked because they float to the surface! Don’t worry about whether they’re fully cooked through because remember we finish them in the oven.

   Use a slotted spoon to fish them out and place onto paper towels to drain.

Part 3: Making Napoli Sauce and baking the Malfatti

The sauce is as simple as a sauté, a stir and a simmer. As the sauce takes 20 mins, I typically start the sauce while I’m sweating the spinach.

1. Make the sauce – Nothing ground breaking here! The usual sauté garlic and onion → add tomato → simmer This sauce is only simmered for 20 minutes, but long enough for it to thicken and develop some flavour. If you’ve got the time, add a bit of extra water and simmer it on super low heat for 1 hour. This will make the sauce even more delicious!

2. Baking time! – Pour the sauce in a pan and top with Malfatti. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for just 15 minutes, long enough to just give the surface of the Malfatti the faintest hint of gold blush. More importantly, it gives the Malfatti a light crust, rather than being slippery and wet straight out of the boiling water;

3. Baked Malfatti result – In the photo above, you can see how the Malfatti is very lightly browned compared to the photo in Step 2. The other benefit of baking is that you get some tasty sauce caramelisation around the edges of the pan; and

4. Finish with parmesan – Give the Malfatti a generous dusting of parmesan and sprinkle of fresh basil. Then dish it out!!

How to serve Malfatti

Initially, I was confused about how to serve Malfatti. Over pasta? Over polenta?? Slop it up with bread??

Nope. Think of it like gnocchi. So just like you do with gnocchi, serve yourself a big bowl of Malfatti just like that.

There’s a fair amount of vegetables in this dish in the form of the spinach and tomato. But if you want to add more, add a big leafy salad tossed with Italian Dressing, or a simple Balsamic Dressing.

I also would not turn down a side of garlic bread, normal or cheesy. But hey, that’s just me! 😂 – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Malfatti (Italian Spinach Ricotta Dumplings in Napoli Sauce)

Recipe video above. Malfatti means “badly formed” in Italian. These irregular spinach ricotta gnocchi-like dumplings may look a bit wonky, but they taste incredible!

Like gnudi except with the addition of spinach, this traditional Italian dish can be served straight after boiling them. But it's really worth a quick 15 minute bake to get a light golden crust on the Malfatti as well as caramelisation on the edges of the Napoli sauce. It really takes it in a deliciously different direction!

Servings: This will serve 4 very hungry people, or 5 standard servings.

Course Mains

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Italian dumplings, malfatti, spinach ricotta dumplings

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 – 5 people

Calories 503cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Napoli Sauce:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 1/2 onion , very finely diced
• 800g / 24 oz crushed tomato (or diced)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 basil stem (leaves kept for the Malfatti)
• 1/2 tsp white sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Spinach for Malfatti:

• 300g / 10oz baby spinach (~6 tightly packed cups, Note 4)
• 1/2 tsp salt

Malfatti:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic , finely minced
• 1 eschallot (large), finely chopped (or 1/2 red onion)
• 500g / 1 lb ricotta (must be dry type, not wet and spreadable, Note 1)
• 1/4 cup (lightly packed) basil leaves, finely sliced (use stem for sauce)
• 1 egg (Note 2)
• 1 egg yolk (Note 2)
• 1 cup parmesan , finely grated
• 1/2 cup flour , plain / all-purpose
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Serving:

• 1/4 cup parmesan , finely grated
• Basil leaves , small (optional)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Napoli Sauce:

• Saute garlic and onion: Heat oil in a small pot or large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook for 3 minutes until onion is softened.
• Simmer sauce: Add remaining ingredients plus the stem of basil. Bring to a simmer, then reduce stove to low and cook, stirring every now and then, for 20 minutes. It should be fairly thick rather than a loose runny sauce.

Malfatti:

• Drain ricotta, if needed: The ricotta should be the dry and fairly crumbly type rather than wet, soft and almost spreadable. If it's wet, see Note 1 for removing excess water (wet ricotta makes Malfatti hard to shape and cook!)
• Sweat spinach: Toss spinach with 1/2 tsp salt in large colander. Leave for 20 minutes. Roll up in tea towel and squeeze tightly to remove excess liquid. Roughly chop.
• Sauté garlic, eschalot and spinach: Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and eschalot, cook for 1 minute until translucent. Add spinach and cook until just wilted. Transfer to large bowl, allow to cool.
• Malfatti mixture: Add ricotta and all remaining Malfatti ingredients into the bowl. Mix well to combine. It should be too wet to roll with hands without sticking, but still firm enough to shape into dumplings.
• Form dumplings: Using 2 dessert spoons, scoop up about 1 1/2 tablespoons of mixture then shape into a football (quenelle) using the two spoons. Place on a paper-lined tray. You should get about 24-30.
• Boil dumplings: Bring a large pot of water to the boil, then carefully put 6 dumplings in. Cook for 2 minutes, they should float to the surface. Remove with slotted spoon on to paper towel lined tray. Repeat for remaining Malfatti.

Baking:

• Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F.
• Assemble: Pour Napoli Sauce into a baking dish, then top with Malfatti. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
• Bake 15 minutes or until the Malfatti has a faint blush of gold on the surface (Note 3).
• Serve! Sprinkle baked Malfatti with parmesan and basil leaves (tear large leaves). Spoon into bowls and served as-is. No starchy side is required, think of these as like gnocchi. Just add a leafy green salad with Italian Dressing or Balsamic Dressing!

Notes

1. Ricotta – The type that comes in vacuum-sealed 1kg baskets is best eg. Casa del Formaggio, Paesanella or from the deli counter at Coles and Woolworths (Australia), or good delis. Do not use Perfect Italiano or brands in small sealed tubs, these are not good enough quality for our purpose. Do not use or any “spreadable” or “smooth” ricotta, they are too loose and wet.

We need the drier type of ricotta here, the type you can virtually crumble with your hands. If the ricotta is wet and spreadable, it will be too wet and the dumplings will be too hard to shape. In this case, reach excess water. Either bundle in tea towels and set in colander overnight to drain (best for very wet ricotta), or roll up and squeeze lightly (do this a few times).

2. Egg yolk – We need a bit of extra egg to hold the dumplings together, I found that 1 whole egg was not quite enough, but 2 whole eggs made the mixture too loose. Add the leftover egg white in your scrambled eggs tomorrow morning!

3. Baking is to get a light crust on the otherwise slippery surface of dumpling. Be careful not to overcook as they will dry out.

4. Spinach – Sub with about 200g/7oz frozen spinach, thawed then squeeze out extra water very well.

5. Make ahead / storage – Malfatti bake can be assembled to the point prior to baking, ie. dumplings sitting in the tomato sauce. It can then refrigerated and baked when ready to serve. Cooked Malfatti (ie. after baking) will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Best reheated in the microwave.

6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 503cal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 151mg | Sodium: 1601mg | Potassium: 1050mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 6852IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 623mg | Iron: 5mg

More meatless Italian

Pasta alla norma (Eggplant pasta)

Creamy Baked Pumpkin Risotto

Pesto Pasta – with plenty of pesto sauce!

Eggplant Parmigiana

Mushroom Pasta

Easy Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi (from scratch)

Bruschetta

Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

Fettuccine Alfredo

Italian Recipes

Life of Dozer

When Dozer came shoe shopping. I live in a VERY dog friendly area!!!

(PS In case you re wondering, he is anti stilettos and pro sneakers. Something about me not being able to play with him in heels. 🤷🏻‍♀️)

The post Malfatti (Italian spinach ricotta dumplings) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Siu Mai (shumai) is the first thing you grab off the trolleys at Yum Cha. And now you can get your fix on demand with this easy to follow recipe! These Chinese steamed dumplings have a classic juicy pork and prawn filling, enclosed with wonton wrappers.

If you’ve ever wondered how to make Chinese dumplings, today is the day you’ll discover that it’s totally doable by any home cook! You don’t even need a bamboo steamer!

Siu Mai  (Shumai – Chinese Steamed Dumplings)

It’s so unsatisfying going to Yum Cha* with just two people. I mean, Yum Cha is all about ordering as many different types of dumplings you can, sprinkled with a few crunchy deep fried things (hello Spring Rolls!), some sort of fluffy steamed bun (Pork Buns all the way for me), and I suppose we should order something green (Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce is our standard) and fried rice makes a mandatory appearance, always.

So when you go with only 2 people, you have to be very selective and careful about how you spend your dumpling credits.

But Siu Mai always makes the cut!

* Called Dim Sum over in the US 🇺🇸

Don’t be daunted by the folding technique. Watch the video and look at the step photos. You’ll get the hang of it in no time!

What you need to make Siu Mai

Here’s what you need to make Siu Mai. If you’re in Australia 🇦🇺, you can get all of these ingredients at large Woolies, Coles and Harris Farms.

Just a few notes on some of the ingredients:

• Fish roe is for decorative purposes only. Found at some Asian stores, good seafood shops OR buy one sushi topped with flying fish roe and use that – you only need a small amount, one sushi is enough! That’s what I did. 😇 Substitute: finely diced steamed carrot!

• Wonton wrappers aka Wonton Egg Pastry – about 8.5cm / 3.5″ squares OR rounds if you can find them. Rounds are harder to find so I just use squares. No need to cut out rounds. Look for egg (yellow) pastry, there are also white wontons (used for Wonton Soup type wontons). Substitute Gyoza wrappers (ie white round pastry);

• Dried shiitake mushrooms have an earthier, more intense flavour than fresh. They need to be rehydrated in boiling water for 20 minutes or so, then wring them out and finely chop. Sold in Asian aisle of large grocery stores or Asian stores. Sub fresh finely chopped and sautéed in a bit of oil, or leave out.

How to make Siu Mai

Don’t be daunted by the thought of stuffing / wrapping the Siu Mai. Firstly, if it’s a bit wonky and lopsided, so what? It will still TASTE just as good.😇

Secondly, you will get the hang of it after a couple, it’s actually not that hard. The technique used is to use your forefinger and thumb to form a “O” then use that as a “hole” into which you stuff the filling.

Excess flappy bits

The purpose of Step 5, so eloquently labelled as “fold down excess flappy bits”, is because we’re using square pastry for a round dumpling. Just a dab of water, then fold the pastry down and it sticks perfectly.

So if you managed to track down round egg pastry, then Step 5 isn’t applicable to you.

How to Steam Chinese Dumplings

Here’s how to cook Siu Mai. I’ve used a bamboo steamer here which is the traditional way to cook them, as you see at Yum Cha / Dim Sum restaurants. The bamboo adds a subtle fragrance that is authentically Chinese.

But you can steam Siu Mai in any steamer – you can even use a microwave steamer!

This is a photo of the dumplings before and after. You can see the pastry becomes soft and slippery, and that it holds its shape nicely once cooked.

Sauce for Siu Mai

There’s no official dipping sauce for Siu Mai. You’ll find dumpling joints provide a selection of soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar or white vinegar and some kind of Chilli Paste, then you make your own.

I usually do:

• 3 parts soy sauce

• 1 part vinegar

• As much chilli as I think I can brave.

I always go overboard with the chilli. I boast that I can handle it. Then two bites in, my mouth is on fire, I’m sweating, silently cursing (and trying my very hardest not to let my friends see how much I am suffering), and discreetly guzzling ice water.

It’s all part of the dumpling ritual.

What to serve with Siu Mai

Siu Mai is a Yum Cha / Dim Sum dish so it’s intended to be served as part of a larger banquet. If you’re inspired to try to make your own Yum Cha banquet, here are some of the dishes in my Yum Cha recipe collection:

Yum Cha / Dim Sum favourites

Chinese Steamed Pork Buns

Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce (Gai Lan)

Chinese Dumplings – Pork (Potstickers)

Fried Rice

Spring Rolls!

Chinese Ham Bone Rice Soup – Congee (3 ingredients!!)

Singapore Noodles

How to cook white rice – easily and perfectly

Char Siu Pork (Chinese BBQ Pork)

Having said that though, it is obviously just as enjoyable as the star attraction for a meal!!

To serve this as a meal, try it with:

• Fried Rice or Steamed Rice

• For some greens, try Steamed Chinese Greens with Oyster Sauce, a Vegetable Stir Fry. If fresh vegetables are wanting, Ginger Smashed Cucumbers or Chinese Lettuce with Creamy Sesame Sauce are great alternatives.

Of course, you can just consume as I usually do. Straight up, neat! – Nagi x

PS And because my mother will be cranky if I don’t let you know this – there is a Japanese version of Shumai too, they’re smaller and topped with peas and here is the recipe on my mother’s website, RecipeTin Japan.

Watch how to make it

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Siu Mai (Shumai - Chinese Steamed Dumplings)

Recipe video above. Siu Mai is the first thing you grab off the trolleys when you descend upon your favourite Yum Cha. And now you can get your Siu Mai fix on demand!  These Chinese steamed dumplings are filled with a classic pork and prawn filling. Serves 2 - 3 as a main meal, or more as part of a larger spread. Also see Japanese Shumai (smaller, topped with peas!)

Course Banquet, Finger Food, Mains, Starter

Cuisine Asian, Chinese

Keyword Shumai, Siu Mai

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Servings 20 - 24 pieces

Calories 69cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 3 dried shiitake mushrooms , soaked in boiling water, finely chopped (Note 1)
• 350g/ 13oz pork mince (ground pork) , fatty (Note 2)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2.5 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp light soy sauce (Note 4)
• 1.5 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (aka Shaoxing wine, sub Mirin or dry sherry) (Note 5)
• 150g/5oz prawns/shrimp , peeled and deveined, chopped 0.5cm / 1/5" (Note 3)
• 2 tbsp white part of green onions , finely minced (Note 6)
• 20 - 25 wonton wrappers / egg wrappers 8cm/3.5" squares or rounds (Note 7)

Garnish:

• 50g/1.5oz flying fish roe (Note 8 for alternatives)

Instructions

Filling:

• Place pork, salt, soy sauce, rice wine, sugar with the pork meat/mince in a large mixing bowl. Mix vigorously with a spoon or use your hands until it becomes pasty (initially it will be crumbly) - about 30 seconds.
• Add mushrooms, prawns and green onions, mix until just dispersed (don't crush the prawn meat).

Making Siu Mai (process steps and video helpful!):

• Form an "O" with your forefinger and thumb.
• Place a wonton wrapper over the "O". Push in 1 heaped teaspoon of Filling and push down into the "O" hole.
• Use a butter knife to smear more Filling into until level with edge of wonton.
• Place on work surface and push down to flatten base and use fingers to shape into a round.

Steaming Dumplings:

• Line a 30cm/12" bamboo steamer (or stove steamer) with baking paper with holes in it (Note 9)
• Fill a wok big enough to hold steamer with about 2 cups of water (Note 10). Bring to rapid simmer over medium high heat.
• Place Siu Mai in steamer (20 - 25 fits). Place lid on, place on wok over simmering water.
• Steam 8 minutes, or until internal temperature of dumplings is 75°C/165°F. (If yours are bigger due to larger wonton wrappers are bigger, they will take longer).
• Remove steamer from wok. Remove lid and place a tiny bit of roe in the middle of each dumpling.
• Serve immediate with dipping sauce!

Siu Mai Dipping Sauce:

• Provide soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar or normal white vinegar, Chinese chilli paste (or Sriracha or other chilli). Let people mix their own to their taste (I do: 3 parts soy, 1 part vinegar, as much chilli as I think I can handle).

Notes

1. Dried shiitake mushrooms - sold in Asian stores and Asian aisle of some grocery stores. Soak for 20 min in large bowl with boiling water. Squeeze out excess water, then finely chop.

2. Pork - fatty is better because fat = flavour and keeps the filling juicy. I like to get it from a butcher and ask them specifically, rather than packets at grocery stores (which tend to be lean). If you want to impress me, get a piece of skinless pork belly and pass it through a mincer or cut into 2.5cm/1" cubes and pulse in food processor to make your own.

If using your own ground pork belly rather than mince, add 1 small egg white and 1 tsp cornflour into the Filling mixture with the pork to help the mix bind.

CHICKEN could be used too but I highly recommend using a fatty cut (usually chicken mince is lean meat) to ensure filling stays juicy. Ask your butcher to ground chicken thighs with skin on if you can.

3. Prawns (shrimp) - if peeling raw whole ones, you'll need 300g/10oz. Otherwise, use raw peeled one (thaw frozen). Smaller is better if you can, otherwise just chop away (as I do, because I'd rather do that than peel loads of small prawns).

Seafood allergy? Skip it and use more pork!

4. Soy sauce - use Light or normal soy sauce. Don't use dark soy sauce (will stain filling dark colour and flavour is too strong). If you have Dark Soy, bottle will be labelled as such.

5. Shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine) - key ingredient in Chinese cooking for that extra depth of flavour and complexity in sauces and fillings. If you can't consume alcohol, sub chicken stock/broth.

6. White part of green onions - also pale green part is ok. Sui Mai doesn't have visible green bits in it.

7. Wonton wrappers - 8cm/3.5" squares or rounds. Sold in Asian section (fridge) of large grocery stores (Coles, Woolies, Harris Farms) and Asian stores. SUB round white gyoza wrappers.

Proper Chinese Yum Cha / Dim Sum restaurants make it with round wrappers, strangely not even sold in Asian stores here in Sydney. It's the same wrappers as the square wonton ones, just cut round.

Don't bother cutting rounds, totally waste of time! Just use the square ones, then use a bit of water to fold the edges down. End result looks EXACTLY the same!

Gluten free option - see if you can find Tapioca white dumpling wrappers (round), they will work beautifully for this! The white dumpling wrappers are the classic wrappers used for Chinese dumplings at Yum Cha / Dim Sum - the ones that become a bit see through once steamed.

8. Flying fish roe (aka tobiko) - tiny little bright orange fish eggs used to garnish Siu Mai. Sold at Asian stores - or buy a couple of fish roe sashimi from the sushi shop and use the roe! SUB finely chopped carrot. It's just visual - too little for flavour!

9. Steamer paper liner with holes in it ("perforated paper liner") - required so they don't stick but steam gets through. Can buy from Asian stores, but I always make my own. Fold sheet of baking/parchment paper in half, quarters, then keep going to form pointy thin triangle. Line pointy end in middle of steamer, then cut the end off (this shapes the paper round). On the folded edge of the triangle, snip out tiny triangles, and snip middle off. Unfold - voila! Steamer liner!

10. Wok size - just needs to be big enough so steamer can sit in it. Mine is JUST big enough - the steamer literally sits 1 cm / 2/5" from top of rim!

11. Microwave steamer (with water) will work too but you lose about 25% juiciness (because you're not just cooking with steam, the microwave is also cooking the meat). 5 minutes on medium heat or until internal temperature of dumplings is 75°C/160°F. Note: If your dumplings are bigger because wonton wrappers are bigger, they will take longer.

12. STORING - 100% perfect for freezing raw! Best to cook from frozen: 11 minutes steaming on stove, 7 minutes microwave steamer on medium.

Cooked wontons can be kept in the fridge for a few days, reheat in steamer or microwave covered for 1 minute on high.

13. Nutrition per dumpling.

Nutrition

Calories: 69cal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 165mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

Life of Dozer

Sydney is finally experiencing some serious rain – good news for our bushfire crisis! Keep the rain coming please! 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

The post Siu Mai (Shumai) – Chinese steamed dumplings appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.