dumplings… or should i say jiaozi...

growing up, dumplings were always the best thing about some of the soups that my mum used to make. chicken and vegetable soup with fluffy dumplings was a comforting dream of a dish. i still occasionally indulge myself but all too often chicken stock and leftovers get turned into a healthier miso broth which is served with noodles.

however, i have a new plan – chinese dumplings! in honour of the recent chinese new year celebrations i have been looking east for inspiration and i made up a couple of batches of jiaozi. both were scented with ginger and spring onion but half were a combination of pork mince and prawn while the others were prawn and wood ear mushroom. both were served in broth made from good homemade prawn stock and both were delicious.

i’m now planning an afternoon making up several batches of dumplings which can be frozen and then quickly served in broth, steamed or shallow-fried. my cooking mojo is back, with a bang, and it’s all thanks to dumplings!

jiaozi (makes c20 dumplings – 2 main courses, 4 starters)

prawn and mushroom dumplings:

50g dried chinese wood ear mushrooms

150g raw prawns, cleaned and roughly chopped

1 large spring onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1 tablespoon rice wine

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

2 teaspoons cornflour

18-25 wonton or gyoza wrappers

broth:

500ml prawn stock*

½ small chinese leaf cabbage (or baby spinach/ pak choi)

1-2 tablespoons chinese rice vinegar and light soy sauce, to taste

2 spring onions, sliced

soak the mushrooms in boiling water until soft. discard any woody bits and break into small pieces. mix with the remaining dumpling ingredients. place a teaspoon of mixture in the centre of a dumpling wrapper, brush the edges with water and bring them together to seal the dumpling around the filling, trying to avoid air bubbles.

put the stock in a pan and bring to the boil. add the dumplings one at a time and cook for 5 minutes until they float to the surface. add the chinese leaf, vinegar and soy sauce, cooking for 2 minutes. serve in warm bowls and garnish with spring onion.

* to make this, use old prawn heads and shells (i freeze these every time i shell raw prawns) – melt some butter in a pan, add a diced carrot and a diced onion. when they are soft add the prawn shells and cook for 5 minutes over a medium heat. add the water and simmer for 15-20 minutes. strain and cool, removing the solid fat as it cools.

alternative dumpling filling:

150g pork mince