I wrote a bit the other day about using a wok for stir frying Chinese food. I am also a fan of the steamer -another essential item in Chinese cooking. I use it for steaming all kinds of vegetables -especially carrots which I steam whole, keeping some of the greenery attached depending on how much will fit into the steamer.
I also used the steamer at Chinese New Year to make siu mai -steamed pork dumplings. Super easy to make and even easier to cook.
Minced pork, 2 teaspoons of ginger, 2 teaspoons of garlic, 2 tablespoons yellow onion, 1 tablespoon finely chopped water chestnuts, pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce and 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar. If you want, you can add minced shrimp to the mixture. Play around with the proportions of ingredients until you get it how you like it. Some people like a lot of crunchiness (add more water chestnuts and onions), others like it smoother etc.
Take all of the above and mix to a consistency where you can shape the pork mixture into balls. Put on some plastic gloves and use your hands. Wrap each ball in filo pastry and then pop into the steamer. I like to lay each dumpling atop a leaf of chinese cabbage -it looks pretty and stops the pastry from sticking like glue to the steamer.
It should take about 10 mins at full-steam.
It is a bit fiddly using filo sheet pastry rather than the dumpling type available in supermarkets, but I prefer it. The filo is nowhere near as heavy and it makes the dumplings look more delicate.
the steamer - cousin to the wok
I wrote a bit the other day about using a wok for stir frying Chinese food. I am also a fan of the steamer -another essential item in Chinese cooking. I use it for steaming all kinds of vegetables -especially carrots which I steam whole, keeping some of the greenery attached depending on how much will fit into the steamer.
I also used the steamer at Chinese New Year to make siu mai -steamed pork dumplings. Super easy to make and even easier to cook.
Minced pork, 2 teaspoons of ginger, 2 teaspoons of garlic, 2 tablespoons yellow onion, 1 tablespoon finely chopped water chestnuts, pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce and 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar. If you want, you can add minced shrimp to the mixture. Play around with the proportions of ingredients until you get it how you like it. Some people like a lot of crunchiness (add more water chestnuts and onions), others like it smoother etc.
Take all of the above and mix to a consistency where you can shape the pork mixture into balls. Put on some plastic gloves and use your hands. Wrap each ball in filo pastry and then pop into the steamer. I like to lay each dumpling atop a leaf of chinese cabbage -it looks pretty and stops the pastry from sticking like glue to the steamer.
It should take about 10 mins at full-steam.
It is a bit fiddly using filo sheet pastry rather than the dumpling type available in supermarkets, but I prefer it. The filo is nowhere near as heavy and it makes the dumplings look more delicate.
