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The Dim Sum Special

Who doesn't love these savoury dumplings with their myriad fillings? Try these at home, and thank the Chinese for introducing these yummy bites to the world!

Cod Fish Dumplings
Ingredients
For the filling:
. 300 gm cod fish meat, roughly chopped
. 200 gm prawn, cleaned, chopped
. 10 gm chicken stock powder
. 15 gm sugar 
. 20 gm potato starch
. 50 ml onion infused oil
. 30 ml sesame oil
. 20 gm minced garlic
. 20 gm minced ginger
. White pepper powder, to taste
. Salt, to taste
For the wheat starch skin (wrapper): 
. 200 gm potato starch
. 400 gm wheat starch, plus extra
. 500 ml hot water 
. 50 gm shortening
. Pink food colouring
To garnish: 
. 5 gm fish roe
. Few coriander leaves
Method
Combine the ingredients for the filling well. 
In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients for the dough. Pour in boiling water, and stir with wooden chopsticks. Add shortening and colour at the end. 
Sprinkle wheat starch over a kneading surface and use a rolling pin to roll the wheat starch wrappers at least 3 ½" wide. Scoop a spoon of cod fish mixture onto a wrapper. Fold over the filling into triangle shapes.
Place on a bamboo dim sum basket, steam for 8-10 minutes until cooked. Garnish with fish roe and coriander leaf.
 

"Yuan Bao" Scallops Dumplings
Ingredients
For the filling:
. 300 gm sea scallops, roughly chopped
. 300 gm shrimp, peeled, roughly chopped
. 15 gm sugar
. 15 gm chicken stock powder
. 30 ml onion infused oil
. 30 ml sesame oil
. 20 gm potato starch
. White pepper powder, to taste
. Fine salt, to taste
For the wheat starch skin (wrapper):
. 200 gm potato starch
. 400 gm wheat starch
. 500 ml hot water 
. 50 gm shortening
. Yellow food colouring
To garnish:
. Black fish roe
Method 
Mix all the ingredients for the filling well with a wooden spoon; cover and set aside.
In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients for the dough. Pour in hot boiling water, and stir with a wooden chopstick. Add the shortening and colouring last. 
Take a piece of wheat starch dough and flatten with a "har gao" skin knife. 
Line up the dumpling wrappers on a work surface. Place two teaspoons of filling in the centre of each wrapper. 
Lightly moisten the edge of each with water and pinch together to surround the filling and form a half-moon. 
Pleat edges to secure the seal.
Place into a dim sum basket and steam for 8-10 minutes. Garnish with black fish roe.
 

Spinach Mushroom Dumplings
Ingredients
For the filling:
. 300 gm Beijing mushroom, diced 
. 300 gm king mushroom, diced
. 200 gm spinach, minced 
. 200 gm carrot, diced
. 30 gm onion, diced                                                                                                   
. 10 ml vegetarian oyster sauce
. 30 gm potato starch
. 10 gm sugar
. Salt, to taste
For the wheat starch skin (wrapper):
. 200 gm potato starch  
. 400 gm wheat starch
. 500 ml hot water 
. 50 gm shortening
. 200 gm spinach, chopped
Method 
In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients for the wrapper together to form the dough. Pour in boiling water, and stir with a wooden chopstick. Add the shortening and chopped spinach last. 
Take a piece of wheat starch dough and flatten with a rolling pin. 
Place all the diced mushrooms, spinach, carrot and onion in boiling water to blanch, then strain. 
Heat up a wok with cooking oil, fry the vegetables and combine with the seasoning. Set aside in a chiller for 30 minutes.
Place a wrapper on a flat surface. Spoon two teaspoons of the mushroom mixture onto one half of the wrapper. Brush the edges with cold water then fold over to enclose the filling. Press the edges together and pleat to seal. 
Place the wrapper on a tray lined with baking paper. Repeat with remaining wrappers and mushroom mixture.
Place a large bamboo steamer lined with baking paper over a large saucepan or wok of simmering water (make sure it doesn't touch the water). Using a metal skewer, pierce holes in the baking paper. 
Steam the dumplings, in batches, for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with soy sauce.
 

Squid Ink Lobster Dumplings
Ingredients
For the filling:
. 200 gm shrimp, peeled, deveined
. 400 gm lobster meat, cut into ½-inch segments
. 50 gm minced bamboo shoots, water chestnuts
. 10 gm chicken stock powder
. 20 gm sugar
. 20 gm potato starch
. 30 ml onion infused oil
. 30 ml sesame oil
. Fine salt, to taste
For the wheat starch skin (wrapper):
. 200 gm potato starch  
. 400 gm wheat starch
. 500 ml hot water
. 50 gm shortening
. 1 tsp squid ink
Method 
Mix all the ingredients for the filling and set aside.
In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients for the dough. With wooden chopsticks, stir in the boiling hot water, shortening and squid ink.
Sprinkle wheat starch over a wooden cutting board or other appropriate kneading surface. 
While the dough is still hot, start kneading until it becomes smooth. If the dough is sticky, you may need to add more wheat starch. 
Cut the dough into four sections and roll each section into an eight-inch cylinder, using the palms of your hands. Cut each cylinder into eight pieces. Cover with plastic to keep the dough moist while you flatten each piece. 
To make the wrapper into a near-perfect circle, sandwich the piece of dough between two pieces of parchment paper and flatten it using the bottom of a pan. Then you can use a rolling pin to roll them out to at least 3 ½" wide. 
Fold eight narrow pleats, where each pleat overlaps the previous pleat halfway. Use a small spoon to place a teaspoon of filling into the centre of the wrapper.
Press the edges of the dough together, forming a half circle. 
Put it on your working surface, pressing the bottom of the dumpling, and repeat the same steps for the remaining wrappers.    
Using a steamer, cook the dumplings on high heat for 7 minutes. Remove the steamer from the heat and let them sit for 3 minutes. Serve dumplings hot.
Steamed Chicken Siew Mai
Ingredients
For the filling:
. 600 gm chicken meat, cut into small cubes
. 8 gm chicken stock powder (without MSG)
. 20 gm sugar
. 20 gm cornstarch
. 5 ml sesame oil
. 3 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and finely chopped
. Fine salt, to taste
. White pepper powder, to taste
For the dumplings:
. 20 round wonton wrappers
. 5 gm black fish roe
. 2 coriander stalks
Method
Combine the chicken, chicken stock powder, sugar cornstarch, sesame oil, mushrooms, salt, and pepper in a big bowl and mix well.
Take a wonton wrapper and place a heaped teaspoon of the filling in the centre. Gather up the sides of the wrapper and mould into a ball, leaving the centre open.
Brush the top of the wrapper with some water. Fold the excess wrapper down and pinch the wrapper around the filling firmly to prevent it from opening up and separating when cooked. 
Oil the bottom of a bamboo steamer and line it with parchment paper. 
Place the dumplings in the steamer, cover with a lid and place over a pan of boiling water (making sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the steamer). 
Steam the dumplings until cooked, 6-8 minutes.
Top each siew mai with black fish roe, and corian-
der leaves (optional).
Serve.
 
Deep-Fried Shrimp Dumplings
Ingredients
For the filling:
. 600 gm medium raw shrimp 
. 8 gm chicken stock powder (without MSG)
. 30 gm yellow chives, chopped
. 20 gm cornstarch
. 5 ml sesame oil
. 20 gm sugar
. White pepper powder, to taste
. Fine salt, to taste
For the dumplings:
. 1 L frying oil
. 20 square wonton skins
. 50 gm mayonnaise sauce
Method
After peeling the shrimp, mash on a chopping board.
Combine the shrimp, chicken stock powder, and the other ingredients for the filling in a bowl and mix well.
Spoon one heaped teaspoon of the filling onto the middle of a wonton wrapper. 
Brush the edges with water. 
Pinch the middle point on top and make pleats on both sides. The tighter the dumpling is wrapped, the better.
Heat the frying oil in a wok about 180°C and fry till golden brown.
Serve with mayonnaise sauce.