Five Dumplings

It's a good thing that dumplings are small because Lee Anne's goodies will make your willpower vanish as you reach for 'just one more'. ~ Roger Mooking, Musician and Celebrity Chef

True confession. I have two massive obsessions in life, collecting cookbooks and eating dumplings. Both started sometime early in my adolescence and only intensified as I aged and cured. The limits of how far I would travel for either knows no boundaries and certainly there is no excess too great in order to obtain just one more. I attribute both of their roots directly to my dearly departed father Real. He was a classicist with an unbridled passion for literature and books combined with a mastery of language unmatched.  He learned to speak, read and write fluently in Chinese and Arabic in less than two years through an aggressive immersion deep into their native cultures. Well, at least as immersed as one could be based in Chicago.

The Arabic Years

The 'Arabic Years' were spent sharing plates of kibbeh, hummus and pickled turnips in the smoke-filled dingy back rooms with Lebanese taxi drivers teaching my father the finities of street Arabic between fares. During the 'Chinese Years', we visited many dim sum palaces in search of truth and enlightenment deep within the often hidden, underground populations of Chicago's two Chinatowns. My father's unabashed penchant for answering anyone who looked Chinese in perfect Chinese opened many secret doorways to hidden worlds of immigrants largely out of view from the general American public.

It was in the skilled hands of Chef Jimmy of Moon Palace that I experienced my first real profound dumpling revelation, a moment in time I can and will never forget.

Moon Palace

I arrived promptly at seven to meet my father for dinner at his new favorite restaurant. The unimpressive facade of Moon Palace perfectly concealed the life-changing moment I was soon to experience. I remember being annoyed that the dumplings took so long to arrive at the table. 15 minutes had passed as I finished my first strong Mai Tai and started to order the second from a waitress who obviously had not been in the country too long. Between excruciating pantomimed gestures and broken English, I managed to secure a second drink. The table was laid with the usual array of Chinese sauces and spicy condiments on top a rubberized table cloth with sets of cheap bamboo chopsticks snuggly wrapped in bright red paper. A quick survey of the dining room revealed only three tables with customers at various stages of their meal. Why was the food taking so goddamned long?

Impatiently I lifted my second cocktail just as the aluminum steamer arrived. On the tray lay thin slivers of freshly cut ginger root. I slowly lifted the lid as a fragrant burst of pork and ginger scented reality hit me directly in my face. I knew instantly I met authenticity and a pure tradition that was squarely at odds with the prefabricated half-moon shaped dumplings most low-end Chinese eateries seem to all buy from the same damned supplier. I closed my eyes, took one bite and let the seductive drain of fatty juices trickle down my throat in ecstasy. Perhaps a minute or more passed as I sat in quiet revelation. I actually think my father thought I had passed out from the Mai Tais - I was a bit of partier in my formative chef years. From that moment forward, every dumpling I would ever eat had a new bar to measure against.

Fried Chicken Dumplings

It wasn't until this past weekend when I leafed through a dumpling book purloined from my mother's cookbook collection that I had my second dumpling orgasm.  The book, 'Dumplings All Day Wong' written by Lee Anne Wong, should be part of everyone's collection. You are probably already familiar with Lee Anne as she is apparently a celebrity chef and tv personality so please forgive my coming to the table so late.  I do not get out much and I haven't owned a TV in more than 17 years.  Popular culture runs laps around me without my even noticing. Lee Anne's book will take you on an edible journey from classic pork and chive dumplings to a constellation full of so many imaginative stars like those pretty Korean fried chicken dumplings you will want to make all at once. For my lunch Saturday, I settled on five that were inspired either completely or in part by her.

1. The classic pork and Dungeness crab dumpling from my friend Jimmy at Moon Palace. He never gave me the recipe but after eating at minimum 5,000 orders I feel fairly confident I am close. Here is the recipe for both the filling and the skins.
2. Crispy shredded Halibut collar dumpling ~ Sweet and Sour Sauce
3. Lamb Satay Shumai ~ Peanut Sesame sauce
4. Peking Duck Dumplings ~ Hoisin sauce
5. Korean Fried Chicken Dumplings ~ Spicy Gochujang sauce

Two Favorite Dumplings

Here are my favorite two favorite recipes. The Korean dumplings are lifted directly from her book with only a few small edits. The halibut collar dumplings were inspired by a shrimp dumpling that was similar. Please go and buy Lee Anne's amazing book and make up your own combinations.

Korean Fried Chicken Dumplings

A spicy dumpling reminiscent of fried chicken wings, only super-sized and better.

Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 Tablespoon mashed ginger
• 1 Tablespoon mashed garlic
• 1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 2 Tablespoons gochujang
• 2 Tablespoons soy

Filling

• 1 Tablespoon mashed ginger
• 1 Tablespoon mashed garlic
• 1 Tablespoon soy
• 1 Tablespoon gochujang
• 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 egg white
• 3/4 pound ground dark chicken meat

Assembly

• 30 gyoza wrappers (available at most Asian grocery stores)
• 2 quarts frying oil
• scallions for garnish

Sauce

1. Melt butter and sesame oil together
2. Add ginger and garlic.
3. Add rice wine vinegar, honey, gochujang, and soy.

Filling

1. Mix ginger, garlic, soy, gochujang, sesame oil, scallions, cornstarch, egg white, and chicken meat together.

Assembly

1. Lightly wet the edges of a gyoza wrapper with water.
2. Put a tablespoon of filling in the center and fold over gyoza to make a half moon. See notes.
3. Crimp edges and repeat till all the filling is used up.
4. You can freeze dumplings at this point or cook them.
5. Heat frying oil to 350 degrees in a large pot.
6. Drop dumplings in one by one and cook till golden brown. Open your first one when you think it is done. The trick is to get good brown color with having the chicken fully cooked.
7. Toss dumplings in sauce and arrange on a plate.
8. Garnish with chopped scallions.

I am a visual learner. YouTube has an endless supply of great videos such as this one for how-tos on forming dumplings. Here is the first one that came up in a search.

Shredded Halibut and Chive Dumplings

An easy to make quick "dumpling"

Filling

• 14 ounces halibut meat (I used the collar because they are fatty and inexpensive)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons soy
• 2 Tablespoons sake
• 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 Tablespoons chopped chives

Sweet and Sour Sauce

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon ketchup
• 1 Tablespoon soy
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 1 Tablespoon water (to thicken)
• pinch sea salt

Assemble

• kataifi
• 1 egg (lightly beaten)
• 2 quarts frying oil

Filling

1. Put halibut meat into a food processor and pulse till it is a rough paste.
2. Add sea salt, sugar, soy, sake, cornstarch and chives.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1. Bring to a boil brown sugar, ketchup, soy, rice wine vinegar, and pineapple juice.
2. Whisk in cornstarch mixed with water, and stir till thickened, about 30 seconds.
3. Season with sea salt.

Assemble

1. Mix kataifi with beaten egg.
2. Form 1 inch balls with halibut paste.
3. Roll in kataifi strands and put on a tray.
4. Heat oil to 350 degrees.
5. Drop halibut balls in one by one and cook till golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes.
6. Drain on a paper towel and serve immediately with sauce.
7. Freeze any extra dumplings uncooked.

Kataifi is a middle eastern dough that feels like finely shredded phyllo, though it is made completely differently. Lots of fun to use in sweet and savory creations and can be found in Middle Eastern grocery stores or online.

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