Chinese dumplings recipe

Traditional steamed Chinese dumplings, in soft, satiny dough, filled with tiny pockets of tender pork and Asian greens.

This is one of those recipes you think you're never going to be able to make until you try it. It's actually really easy. It's also a great recipe for getting older kids into cooking different cuisines: making up the dumplings is a fun challenge. Plus it's more fun when you're working in a team. You will need to be able to steam the dumplings. Traditionally they're cooked in a bamboo steamer set over a wok, but a metal steamer pan will work too. Ensure you oil the bottom of a metal steamer where you are placing the dumplings, to prevent the sticking to the bottom. Otherwise, if you're using bamboo, place each dumpling on a cabbage leaf or a piece of baking paper.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• Salt and white pepper
• 25g pork, finely chopped
• 2-3 Chinese cabbage leaves, finely chopped
• 2-3 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
• 1 egg, beaten
• 16 pancakes, from a 200g pack of Chinese dumpling pastries

To garnish:

• 1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
• 1-2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped

For the dipping sauce (optional):

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp rice vinegar
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• pinch of dried chilli flakes or 1 fresh chilli, finely chopped

Method

1. Put the cornflour, soy sauce and sesame oil into a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and white pepper. Stir until just mixed, then stir in the pork, cabbage, spring onions and egg. Mix well.
2. Put a heaped teaspoon of filling on each pancake. Dip your finger into cold water, in a small bowl, and moisten the pancake edge. Fold it over to make a crescent-shaped parcel, press together and make small folds around the edge to seal well.
3. Cook the dumplings in 2 batches: arrange them in 1 layer in an oiled steamer, then cover and steam for 20 mins.
4. Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds and spring onion. Make a dipping sauce by mixing the soy sauce, rice vinegar sesame oil and chilli together in a small bowl.

Top tip for making Chinese dumplings

Tenderise the pork by squashing it to a paste on a board with the back of a large knife blade. Don't overfill the dumplings - you need them to stay sealed as they cook to get the best texture on the filling. Over-stuffing them can cause them to split open.

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