Recipe: Dim Sum - Setting Up a Steamer, Steamed Dumplings, Wheat Starch Dough, Flour Dough, and Variations

DIM SUM - STEAMED DUMPLINGS
Excerpted from Dim Sum: The Art of Chinese Tea Lunch by Ellen Leong Blonder

When most people think of dim sum, they probably think of dumplings first. Coax a waitress to lift the lids from the stacked steamers on her cart and you'll be tantalized by translucent wheat starch dumplings with myriad fillings-delectable mouthfuls of pork, shrimp, scallops, or vegetables. Most dumplings are steamed, their wrappers cleverly twisted and pleated into fanciful shapes. The most common, ha gow, is instantly recognizable by its delicately pleated exterior. Siu mai shows off its filling above a ruffled collar. Other dumplings are folded into triangles, crescents, and twisted circles.

SETTING UP A STEAMER

Most steamed dishes are cooked over rapidly boiling water; the plate of food is kept elevated on a stand above the water level. The pot must be large enough to allow steam to circulate around the plate, and the pot should have a tight-fitting lid. A wok with a high, domed lid or a wide pasta pot can work well as a steamer.

If you plan to steam a lot, invest in a multitiered metal or bamboo steamer from Chinatown. Aluminum or stainless steel steamers have a bottom section to hold water, two tiers with perforated bottoms for steam to circulate through, and a tight lid. Advantages of a metal steamer are that the bottom section can double as a pot, and it is the best choice for steaming buns.

Bamboo steamer baskets are meant to fit snugly over an open wok filled with boiling water. The bottom of each tier is made from bamboo slats; the sides are fashioned from several layers of split bamboo lashed together. The ingeniously woven top holds in steam remarkably well; it is used instead of a wok lid. Advantages of bamboo steamers are that they impart a wonderful, subtle scent; they work as well as metal steamers for steaming buns; and they are pretty enough to hang on the wall or double as baskets. They also seem to improve with age; mine have lasted many years.

To steam foods, add water to the pot or wok to a depth of about 1 1/2 to 2 inches. If you are using a steamer, fill the bottom section two-thirds full with water.

Bring the water to a boil. Place the pan or plate of food on the stand in a pot or wok and cover it with a lid. If using a steamer, place the plate of food on a tier and stack the steamer together. Steam the food over high heat. Replenish the pot with boiling water as necessary between batches, and check the water level from time to time for dishes that require long cooking times.

WHAT'S IN A DOUGH?

Most of the dumplings in this book use one of two basic dumpling doughs, and they're quite different even though they're both derived from wheat. The flour dough is just all-purpose flour and water-essentially a pasta dough. The gluten in the flour gives it resilience, so it can be rolled very thin or stretched without tearing, and it is easily pinched closed. It is sturdy enough to withstand pan-frying, deep-frying, and boiling. The dough remains opaque, and you may vary its color and flavor by adding egg yolk, curry powder, or pur ed spinach or carrots.

The other basic dumpling dough is made with wheat starch and a bit of tapioca flour. This dough is more fragile and tender than flour dough, and it is prone to splitting open during steaming if it is not carefully pinched closed. Still, this is the dough that becomes a translucent jewel case when steamed, and its lightness will not overwhelm a delicate filling.

The wrappers carried by many supermarkets are made from flour dough, and though they may be labeled with different names, the primary difference is how thinly they are rolled. A one-pound package will contain about 20 spring roll wrappers, 40 to 60 potsticker wrappers, or at least 80 thinner siu mai wrappers. Square wonton wrappers are too thin to use in place of potsticker wrappers, but they work as siu mai wrappers; you may trim them into circles with a cookie cutter or use them as is.

A fanciful array of dumpling shapes and colors contributes as much to their appeal as the variety of fillings within. Traditionally, certain fillings go with certain folds; ha gow, for instance, are immediately recognizable by their shape. Still, I've had "ha gow" filled with pea shoots, so feel free to experiment with different combinations.

Once you have shaped and filled the dumplings, take care to pinch the edges together very tightly to seal in the filling and keep the dough from breaking open during cooking.

WHEAT STARCH DOUGH

When you want translucent steamed dumplings, this is the dough to use. Make fillings ahead so they can cool while you make the dough. Knead the dough as soon as you can handle it; the boiling water must reach every bit of starch. The dough cannot be made ahead and refrigerated, as it becomes more prone to splitting open during steaming. The dough will appear somewhat mottled and opaque when it is first removed from the steamer, but it becomes magically translucent as it cools.

Makes twenty-four 3 1/4-inch wrappers

1 1/4 cups wheat starch plus 1/4 cup tapioca flour, or 1 1/2 cups wheat starch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon peanut or vegetable oil

In a medium bowl, combine the wheat starch, tapioca flour, if using, and salt. Add the boiling water and the oil and stir with chopsticks or a wooden spoon. While the dough is still very hot, turn it out onto a board dusted with 1 tablespoon of wheat starch. Knead until smooth, adding a little more wheat starch if necessary. The dough should be soft but not sticky.

Divide the dough into thirds. Use your palms to roll each portion into an 8-inch cylinder. Cover loosely with a slightly damp paper towel to keep the dough from drying out. The dough is now ready to cut and press or roll out as needed.

Note: You may use all wheat starch, but the addition of tapioca flour seems to help sealed edges stick together better. Tapioca flour is sometimes labeled tapioca starch.

To make round dumpling wrappers, wheat starch dough can be sandwiched between squares of baking parchment end then pressed flat using downward pressure on the flat side of a cleaver blade or the flat bottom of a pan. The result will be an almost-perfect circle. Afterward, if you still want your circles larger or a little thinner, roll them out lightly with a rolling pin before peeling away the parchment.

FLOUR DOUGH

These all-purpose flour-based wrappers are a dim sum staple. Although packaged potsticker wrappers and siu mai wrappers are easy to come by, homemade wrappers will be more elastic, with a bit more body, and the edges will not require moistening before sealing. Spinach, carrot, or curry add flavor and color for even greater versatility. The same dough, made with a bit less water and cut into large squares can be used for spring rolls.

Roll, shape, and fill one dumpling at a time until you are adept enough to work very quickly, because the rolled-out dough becomes overly elastic when it rests too long.

Makes twenty-four 3 1/4-inch wrappers

3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting the board

TO MAKE THE FILLING
In a medium bowl, mix 3/4 cup flour with 1/3 cup water until combined. Turn out onto a generously floured board and knead for 3 to 4 minutes, or until smooth. The dough should be fairly stiff. Form the dough into a 9-inch cylinder. Then cut it in half crosswise. Dust the dough with flour, cover it loosely with plastic wrap, and let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.

On a lightly floured board, use your palms to roll each cylinder out to about 12 inches. The dough is now ready to cut and roll as needed. Keep the unused portion loosely covered with plastic wrap or an overturned bowl as you work to prevent it from drying out.

Unlike wheat starch dough, flour dough needs to be rolled out with a rolling pin. I think a slight variation in the circles is part of the charm of handmade dumplings, but for more uniform dumplings, you may use a cookie cutter to cut 3- to 31/4-inch circles out of rolled-out dough. A tuna or bamboo shoot can with both ends cut out makes a good 31/4-inch cutter.

VARIATIONS

EGG DOUGH
To make a slightly yellower dough, lightly beat 1 large egg yolk with enough water to make 1/3 cup. Mix with the flour and proceed as above.

SPINACH DOUGH
This green dough works for steamed, boiled, and pan-fried dumplings, and its color contrasts beautifully with a variety of fillings, especially bright orange shrimp in siu mai.

Place 1 cup (2 ounce raw) packed spinach leaves (no stems) with 1 tablespoon water over low heat until just wilted. Without squeezing the spinach out, place it in a measuring cup with enough water to make 1/3 cup. Transfer to a blender and blend to a thick puree. Transfer the puree to a bowl, mix in 3/4 cup flour, and then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead it until the spinach is distributed throughout the dough. Proceed with recipe.

CARROT DOUGH
Carrot dough is best for steamed or pan-fried dumplings; boiling, however, diffuses both its flavor and color.

Boil a peeled and chunked medium carrot for 8 minutes, or until soft. Weigh out 1 ounce carrot and add water to make 1/3 cup. Pur e in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, mix in 3/4 cup flour, and then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead it until the carrot is well blended in the dough. Proceed as on page 22.

CURRY DOUGH
While curry dough is good for boiled and steamed dumplings, it's superb for potstickers because pan-frying enhances both the flavor and aroma of the curry. Stir 1 1/4 teaspoons curry powder into the flour before adding the water.

Excerpted from Dim Sum by Ellen Leong Blonder
Copyright 2002 by Ellen Leong Blonder. Excerpted by permission of Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.