Ease of Preparation: Easy
Yield: 20 dumplings
Ingredients:
- 5 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 5 fresh water chestnuts, peeled (or canned)
- 10 ounces (284 g) lean ground pork
- ¼ cup (60 ml) minced scallions
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) sesame oil
- ¾ teaspoon (4 ml) sugar
- ½ tablespoon (7.5 ml) minced fresh ginger
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt
- ¼ teaspoon (1 ml) ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) cornstarch
- 1 egg white, beaten
- 20 round won ton wrappers
- 4 Napa cabbage leaves (can be replaced with parchment paper)
3 tablespoons (45 ml) tobiko, for garnish (optional) - ½ cup (120 ml) dark soy sauce, for dipping
Method:
Add dried mushrooms to a bowl and pour over cold water to cover. Let soak until soft – about 1 hour.
Drain mushrooms and pat dry with a paper towel.
Remove stems and discard.
Chop mushroom caps finely.
Peel water chestnuts and chop finely.
In a large mixing bowl, combine mushrooms, water chestnuts, pork, scallions, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, garlic, salt, and white pepper.
Mix until smooth and uniform.
Add cornstarch and egg white, and mix thoroughly.
Using one wrapper at a time, place roughly 1-2 tablespoons (15-30 ml) of filling into the center of the won ton wrapper.
Gently close the wrapper around the filling, leaving a small opening at the top.
With the excess wrapper at the opening of the dumpling, make small pleats in the wrapper using your fingers, which will help push down the filling and seal it in.
Repeat until all the filling has been used.
Line the bottom of a bamboo steamer basket with cabbage leaves.
Place dumplings side by side in steamer basket, leaving an inch of space between each one.
Fill a wok with an inch or two of water, and bring to a boil.
Place steamer basket in the wok, making sure the water does not touch the bottom of the basket. Put lid on steamer and steam over high heat for 10-12 minutes, or until pork is just cooked.
Remove basket with care.
Top up water in wok as necessary. Bring to a boil again, and repeat steaming process with leftover dumplings.
Once all the dumplings have been cooked, garnish the top of each piece with a small dollop of tobiko.
Serve dumplings hot with dark soy sauce on the side.