Steamed Spinach Dumplings @senseicat

It is such a treat to go to a restaurant for dim sum and sometimes a hole in the wall nestled in China town is equally fun experience to a fancy white linen table cloth place.

I took it upon a challenge to see if I could prepare home made steamed spinach dumplings with a couple of other friends. One of my mom friends is Chinese and being a perfectionist in the kitchen is to everyone's advantage.

I highly recommend gathering some friends to make this dish together. The social aspect of cooking is one of my most enjoyable memories.

This recipe makes 24 dumplings.

Filling:

10 oz spinach leaves, washed and dried
6 oz extra firm tofu, crumbled
1/2 cup minced garlic chives
1/4 cup finely diced carrot
4 dried shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, finely diced (I always prefer fresh)
2 Tablespoons of dark soy sauce (coconut aminos is a great gluten free substitute)
2 teaspoons of rice wine
2 teaspoons of rice vinegar
1 teaspoon of Sriracha
1 teaspoon of sugar
3 Tablespoons of corn starch
1 Tablespoon lightly toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

To make the filling, bring a small pot of water to boil. Add the spinach leaves, stirring to submerge. Cook the leaves for 30 seconds, and then transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain the spinach leaves and firmly squeeze any excess liquid from the cooked spinach. Chop the spinach into small pieces using your knife or pulse in the food processor.

Combine the chopped spinach with the remaining ingredients for the filling. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Working on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 1 inch thick rope and divide the dough into 4 pieces. Divide each piece into 6 more pieces, for a total of 24 pieces of dough. Keep the dough covered to keep moist.

Using a small rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a 4 inch circle about 1/16th inch thick. You may roll out all the wrappers at once if you keep them lightly floured and covered.

Place 1 Tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper. Using a pastry brush or your finger, lightly wet the edges of the wrapper and bring them together to make a point in the center and carefully seal the 3 edges that have formed. Press the edges together firmly to seal, making sure there are no holes or breaks in the wrapper. Place the formed dumplings on a lightly floured tray and keep covered and refrigerated until you are ready to cook them.

Place the formed dumplings into a steamer lined with lightly greased parchment or waxed paper punched with holes, ensuring the dumplings are not touching each other in the steamer/steamer basket. Keep the remaining dumplings covered to keep the moisture in while waiting to steam. Cook and steam dumplings for 7 minutes, until they are cooked and translucent. Serve with your preferred dipping sauce.

Dough:

1 cup wheat starch
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup boiling water
2 Tablespoons oil

Directions:

Mix wheat starch, tapioca starch and salt together in a large pot and pour in boiling water.

Stir to moisten ingredients using chopsticks.

Cover pot and allow to rest 10 minutes.

Knead until a smooth dough forms, adding oil. Set aside and keep covered.

Roll portions of dough into a long roll and cut into walnut size pieces. Roll each piece in hand until smooth. Press out dough to form a 3" circle or use a tortilla press.

Pleat half of circle to form a pouch. Put in 2 teaspoon of filling, cover, and pinch ends together.

Gently curve dumpling to form a crescent.

Place on bamboo steamer on top of the paper or inside a regular double boiler steamer for 15 minutes.

Hope you enjoy this deliciousness @senseicat