Chicken Dumplings with Spicy Peanut Sauce

This is such a crazy but satisfying combination – fragrant, potsticker dumplings with lashings of hot and spicy peanut sauce.

1 shallot, roughly chopped 2 cloves garlic

1 lemongrass stalk, outer leaves removed, sliced

1 thumb ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

1 red chilli, roughly chopped ¾ cup coriander leaves

500 grams skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and roughly chopped

25–30 dumpling wrappers

Spicy Peanut Sauce, to serve (see recipe below)

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives, to garnish

Place shallot, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, chilli and coriander in a small food processor and whiz to combine. Add the chicken and pulse to form a chunky chicken paste. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to overnight.

Have a small bowl of cold water ready. Place a dumpling wrapper in the palm of one hand, dip a finger in the water and run it around the edge of the wrapper.

Place a heaped teaspoonful of filling in the centre of the wrapper then fold it gently into a half moon shape. Starting at the centre pinch the top together, then you can just squeeze the edges together to seal.

To cook, heat a teaspoon of oil in a non-stick frying pan and cook dumplings in batches of about 10 at a time, bottom-side down over a medium high heat for 2 minutes or until the bases are golden brown. Add ¼ cup of water and immediately cover with a lid.

Cook for about 5 minutes more until the water has evaporated, then remove the lid and cook the dumplings for a minute more on one or both sides until golden. Serve immediately with the Satay Peanut Sauce and garnish with chives. Makes 25–30