Chicken dumplings
Living in Melbourne we are definitely not deprived of good Chicken Dumplings. The Melbourne restaurant scene having many menus with dumplings being a staple. An abundance of delicious little parcels of joy just waiting to be devoured. The flavour combinations are endless with options such as duck and water chestnut, prawn and ginger or maybe something more traditional like pork and Chinese cabbage.
I am very passionate about my Italian background but I am also a massive fan of Asian cuisine. Over the last few years I have happily jumped on the dumpling banwagon. I’ve also been known to drag Joe across the other side of town and be willing to wait 2 hours for a table so I can get a dumpling fix!
As parents it can be hard to find time for yourself let alone time for you and your husband. One of the things since becoming a mum that I have always held a high priority for is date nights. Two reasons; the first being to be able to have some one on one time together. Even though we always find ourselves talking about the kids and saying we miss them. Secondly I love exploring new restaurants and trying different dishes to get inspiration for my own cooking.
My top 3 favourites in Melbourne for a dumpling fix (or for the best Asian food fix)
We are so very lucky to have my mother in law who happily accepts the mammoth task of taking on 3 kids under 7. When we do get the opportunity to go out you will likely find me at one of the above places stuffing my face with dumplings, kingfish sashimi and noodles! I’m drooling right now! However in reality when your at home with the kids and dreaming of this then option number two is date night in!
What is date night in you ask!!
Date night in is exactly what the three words imply, a night in. Only a lot more exciting than a usual night in. For us this is usually done on a Saturday night. This entails cooking one of our favourite dishes that I would usually eat out such as dumplings, pad Thai or a curry. then once the kids are fed, bathed and in bed; Out comes the red wine, maybe an Aperol Sprits or a red wine. We set up the coffee table with the food and we cuddle up on the couch and watch Netflix. its my favourite time of the week.
You can find out more about Me and what I love here!
Chicken Dumplings
Here Im going to show you how I make one of my favourite date night in dishes. Chicken dumplings. This recipe came about after I had these at Chin Chins in Melbourne. A few years later my husband bought me the cook book for our anniversary and I remember being so excited when I flicked through and saw the chicken dumplings recipe. If you love asian food I highly recommend getting yourself the 2 volumes of the Chin Chin cookbooks. You will not be disappointed.
Ingredients List for Chicken Dumplings
- Coriander: This gives the filling a beautiful freshness
- Garlic: I use red garlic also known as Spanish garlic as it has a really nice flavour.
- spring onions: only the white part of the spring onion, finely sliced into the dumpling mixture. Then use the green part of the spring onion for garnish, if you slice the green part on a diagonal they look very pretty
- Dried Shiitake mushrooms: These can be purchased from the asian section of your supermarket or from asian grocers. You only need 3 for the recipe but they add a nice texture as well as a rich meaty flavour.
- Corn kernels: using corn in the dumpling mixture gives the dumplings texture but also to add some sweetness.
- A few green beans are also sliced very thinly and added to the filling for some crunch.
- Oyster sauce: is a thick, black sweet and salty sauce used for stir fry and rice dishes. this gives the filling an extra boost of flavour.
- Soy sauce: this adds a lovely saltiness to the filling
- Gow gee wrappers: in the past when people have seen my dumplings they often ask me how do I find the time to make them when Its so time consuming having to make the wrappers. Do I make my own wrappers? Hell No!! because firstly I don’t have the time and secondly they are so easily available these days and of such a high quality theres no need to make my own. I love buying them from asian grocers as they come in a big bundle of 60 but you can also get them from supermarkets in the fridge section where they keep the fresh pasta.
Ingredients list for the dressing
- Kecap Manis: is a rich, thick sweet soy sauce which is used in the dressing for the dumplings. You can get this at Asian grocers or in the Asian section of your supermarket.
- Chinkiang black vinegar: This is used in the dressing which is drizzled over the dumplings after cooking. You can substitute this vinegar for balsamic vinegar.
- Sesame oil: Also used in the dressing. Derived from sesame seeds it gives the dressing a nutty flavour.
- Ginger: provides the dressing with a bit of heat.
So there you have it! gather these ingredients together and you are all set for making the most delicious, moist and juicy chicken dumplings.
Make a big batch
The biggest tip I have when making dumplings is if your going to take the time to make them, make a big batch. The recipe makes approximately 60 dumplings. I cook half the batch and the other half I place in containers using baking paper to seperate the dumplings and freeze them. Then you have dumplings on hand for when the craving strikes.
Cooking your chicken dumplings
There are many different ways to cook your dumplings; steamed, fried, boiled or in a broth. In this recipe the dumplings are delicately steamed. I used a bamboo steamer with two baskets.
When steaming dumplings, you’ll need to line the base of the bamboo steamer to stop the dumplings from sticking.
Take a square piece of baking paper, make sure its a little bit larger than your steamer, and fold it in half, point-to-point, to make a triangle.
Fold the triangle in half 3 more times then cut tiny little triangles along the folded edge to make air holes.
Holding the pointed end of the triangle at the centre of the steamer (to measure its radius), trim the wide end to perfectly fit your steamer. Open it up and press gently into the base of the steamer, before adding the dumplings.
Cook the dumplings in batches for 6-8 minutes or until cooked through. Be mindful not to over crowd the steamer basket as you will end up with a big clump of dumplings. Instead take the time, be patient and cook them in batches. I place no more than 5 dumplings in the steamer at a time.
To Serve
To serve the chicken dumplings I like to use bowls. I pile on 4 or 5 dumplings, drizzle over a generous amount of the dressing and garnish with the spring onion and coriander. Then you dig in!!! Whether you stuff the whole dumpling in your mouth or take small bites to make it last longer you can taste the sweetness, the saltiness the pop of the corn kernels and the robust flavour of the mushrooms.
I hope these chicken dumplings will become a family favourite as well as a date night in favourite!
Want more to satisfy your Asian food fix! You can check out my article on Pork Dumplings. You may also like my Vietnamese Crispy pork bahn mi rolls or for a quick weeknight meal try my Singapore Noodles.
Enjoy xxx
As always, I love hearing your thoughts and feedback! You can leave a comment below or email me.
Chicken dumplings
Ingredients
- 2 coriander roots very finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 500 grams chicken mince
- 3 shiitake mushrooms soaked in boiling water, drained and very finely chopped
- 2 spring onions whites only, finely sliced, reserve the green parts for serving
- 6 green beans trimmed and very finely sliced
- ½ corn cob kernals removed
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 60 gow gee wrappers
For the dressing
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp kecap manis
- 2 tbs chinkiang black vinegar Substitute with balsamic if you dont have this
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- ½ small knob ginger finely chopped
Instructions
- Combine the dressing ingredients with 1 tsp of water. set aside for later.
- In a large bowl add the coriander, garlic, chicken mince, mushroom, spring onion whites, beans, corn, sugar and sauces and use your hands to combine the mixture. Ensure the ingredients are combined very well.
- Place 1tsp of the mixture into the centre of a gow gee wrapper, brush the edges with water and seal into a half moon. place on a tray lined with baking paper and repeat until all the mixture or all the wrappers have been used.
- Account for approximately 4 dumplings oer person and freeze the remaining dumplings in containers. using baking paper to separeate the dumplings.
- Line your steamer basket with baking paper, allowing a few millimetres gap around the edge to allow steam to escape. Alternatively cut inscisions in the baking paper. Place the dumplings in a single layer over the paper.Steam the dumplings for 8 minutes or until cooked through.
- Arrange dumplings on serving dish and srizzle with the vinegar dressing and spring onion.
Notes
Take a square of baking paper, make sure its a a little bit larger than your steamer, and fold it in half, point-to-point, to make a triangle.
Fold the triangle in half 3 more times then cut tiny little triangles along the folded edge to make air holes.
Holding the pointed end of the triangle at the centre of the steamer (to measure its radius), trim the wide end to perfectly fit your steamer. Press gently into the base of the steamer, before adding the dumplings. *This recipe can also be halved. *Cook for a few extra minutes if cooking dumplings from frozen.
