Succulent and bursting with flavour, you can enjoy these little bites any time of the day. NICKY NG, executive head chef of Mitzo Restaurant & Bar, shares his recipe.
Succulent and bursting with flavour, you can enjoy these little bites any time of the day. NICKY NG, executive head chef of Mitzo Restaurant & Bar, shares his recipe.
INGREDIENTS.
For the Sichuan sauce:
300ml light soya sauce 100ml chilli oil* 100ml chilli sauce 100ml black vinegar 100g granulated sugar 2 star anise 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns* 4 stalks parsley, chopped 25g garlic cloves 25g ginger, thinly sliced.
For the dumpling wrapper:
600g plain flour 250ml water 5g salt 10g vegetable shortening*.
For the filling:
600g pork belly, minced 100g prawns, roughly chopped 75ml sesame oil 1 tbsp cornstarch 1 dash of pepper 1 tbsp chicken seasoning powder 2 tbsp granulated sugar 3 tsp salt.
*Chilli oil and vegetable shortening are available in the condiments and baking aisles of major supermarkets; Sichuan peppercorns are available at the food section of Yue Hwa, 70 Eu Tong Sen Street.
DIRECTIONS
To prepare the Sichuan sauce:
1 Combine the soya sauce, chilli oil, chilli sauce, black vinegar and sugar in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. When it comes to a simmer and the sugar is melted, add the star anise, peppercorns, parsley, garlic and ginger. Simmer for 20min, then strain the mixture and discard the ingredients. Set aside to cool.
To make the dumpling wrapper:
2 Place the flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add a third of the water. Start kneading the dough, and gradually add more water. Once all the water has been added, mix in the salt and the vegetable shortening. Knead until smooth and chill for 30min.
To make the filling:
3 Mix all the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Freeze for 5-10min.
To wrap the dumplings:
4 On a countertop lightly dusted with flour, roll the dough into long tubes. Cut them into pebble-sized pieces. To test that the dough is ready, it should cut away easily, and not be too stretchy or bounce back when you pinch it apart. With a rolling pin, flatten the dough portions into 2mm-thick circles.
5 Place 1 tbsp of filling on a dumpling wrapper.
6 Fold the wrapper in half to enclose the filling, pinching the edges together to seal.
7 Place the dumpling on your palm and pinch the two ends together. The flat edge should fold upwards and flatten against the rounded side of the dumpling.
8 Cook the dumplings in boiling water for 5min. Serve hot with the Sichuan sauce on the side.
Tap to see Chef Ng making these dumplings.
