Pork and cabbage dumplings

MAKES ABOUT 40 “These are a staple on the yum cha trolley, and probably one of the most widely enjoyed Chinese foods among Westerners,” says ArChan Chan. Pictured p106

6 dried shiitake mushrooms 2 tbsp dried shrimp 285 gm wombok (Chinese cabbage), finely chopped

2 tbsp canola oil

225 gm minced pork

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp minced ginger

1 tsp caster sugar

1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine

1 tbsp sesame oil

⅛ tsp ground white pepper

30 gm finely chopped spring onion DUMPLING SKINS 200 gm (1⅓ cups) bread flour 100 gm (⅔ cup) plain flour

1 Soak dried shiitake in 250ml (1 cup) water to rehydrate (6 hours or overnight). Strain and reserve liquid. Soak dried shrimp in 3 tbsp water to rehydrate (30 minutes). Finely dice shrimp and shiitake. 2 Mix cabbage and 1 tsp salt, then set aside until soft (30 minutes). Drain then squeeze out any excess water. 3 Heat canola oil in a large frying pan over high heat, add shrimp and shiitake and sauté for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.

4 Mix pork with soy sauce and 1 tsp salt, stirring until sticky, then gradually add up to 3 tbsp of reserved shiitake soaking liquid. Continue mixing until meat mixture has absorbed all the liquid. Add ginger, sugar, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, pepper and spring onion, then add cabbage and mix well. Store in fridge for at least 3 hours to allow flavours to develop.

5 To make dumpling skins, combine flours and 1 tsp salt in a bowl, then add 180-200ml tepid water and mix until well combined. Knead in bowl for 5 minutes.

6 Turn out onto a clean bench and knead dough by pushing it away and rolling it back, then turning it 90 degrees, pushing away and rolling back, and so on, for another 5 minutes. Roll dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and rest for 15 minutes.

7 After resting, knead dough for a further 5 minutes until smooth.

Roll dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and rest for another 30 minutes.

8 Roll dough into four cylinders and cut each cylinder into 10 evensized pieces. Roll each piece into a thin round. Cover rolled-out skins with a clean damp cloth. 9 Hold a round of dough with your left hand, dampen the edge with a little water and add 1 tsp of filling. Pleat the dumpling by pushing the dumpling skin with the index finger of one hand and pressing to secure the pleat with the index finger of the other hand. You should be able to achieve 7-8 pleats.

10 Repeat with remaining dough and filling, covering dumplings as you make them so they don’t dry out.

11 Pour water into a large saucepan to a depth of about 3cm and bring to the boil. Lightly oil a large bamboo steamer to prevent sticking and line with baking paper or individual dim sum papers.

12 Working in batches, add dumplings to steamer in a single layer, then cover and steam until cooked through (6-8 minutes). Serve hot.