Making Chinese Dumplings is harder than it looks.
After a communal dumpling-making session during a Crazy Rich Asians theme dinner I can testify to this. At Philadelphia’s Saté Kampar restaurant's dinner based on the popular book and film, communal eating is key to the experience and is kicked off by the dumpling making.
Owner/chef Angelina Branca created the dinners to showcase the foods and flavors of her Malaysian homeland as depicted in the book. The meals feature shared food which in that culture reflects an expression of love and caring. Making dumplings in particular is symbolic of family bonding, bringing the elders and the children closer by teaching the children who are expected to carry on family traditions.For the dumplings, Chef Branca brought to our table wrappers, filling made with pork, mushrooms and chives and a bowl of water. She proceeded to demonstrate the proper technique of crimping the edges to seal in the ingredients. This was harder than one would think when we attempted to imitate her. The results? Imperfect yes, but totally delicious.
The romantic comedy by Kevin Kwan is the current selection of Cook the Books and also the basis for my submission to Novel Food #35. While the book is wildly popular, I'm not one of those fans, feeling that it's just too over-the-top. However others tell me they feel that in chronicling the lives of outrageously rich Asians, he delivers a tale filled with guilty pleasures, brisk repartee and wretched excess. I felt that the theme dinner at Saté Kampar showcased the region's food in a much more delectable way and thus it inspired this post.
Following the dumpling making, came Malaysian style saté grilled over coconut shell charcoal and served with peanut sauce. We then tasted nasi lemak, Malaysia's national dish made with coconut rice, peanuts, anchovies, cucumbers, egg and sambal.
Among the most memorable dishes of the feast were the rojak buah, a Malay fruit and vegetable salad with pineapple, jicama, green mango, and cucumber tossed in a spicy fermented shrimp paste and laksa, that takes three days to make. Chef Branca uses chicken and shrimp to make the broth and tempers it with sambal before adding the noodles and various toppings, such as shrimp, tofu puffs, and bean sprouts.
Completing the feast was carrot cake or chai tau kueh, which is stir-fried steamed daikon (called white carrot) and rice flour cake with egg, bean sprouts, and soy caramel.
It’s true that the book boasts amazing gourmet dishes such as “Giant South Sea Scallop Consommé With Washington State Ginseng Vapors and Black Mushrooms” but the traditional dishes at Saté Kampar top them. Here is a dumpling recipe inspired by the dinner and by a pivotal scene in the book.
Pan Fried Pork Dumplings
Pork and chive filling
1 lb ground pork
3 cloves garlic finely minced
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cooking wine or rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp white pepper
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 large egg
1 ½ tsp sesame oil
1/3 cup chopped scallion
2 tbsp hot oil
40-50 dumpling wrappers
Dipping sauce
2 tbsp vinegar
1 inch piece of ginger shredded
Preparation
In a mixing bowl, combine ground pork, a small pinch of salt, egg, soy sauce, white pepper, oyster sauce, sesame oil, minced ginger, green onion and stir for 2-3 minutes until getting a paste texture. The filling becomes quite sticky. Set aside for 1 hour or cover with plastic wrapper and refrigerate overnight.
Place a dumpling wrapper on a lightly floured work surface and spoon about 1 tbsp of the filling in the middle. Wet the edge with a little water and crimp together forming small pleats to seal the dumpling. Repeat with remaining dumpling wrappers and filling.
To pan-fry the dumplings - Brush 1 tablespoon of netural oil in a hot pan. Working in batches, place the dumplings in the pan pleated side up. Cook over medium heat until the bottom becomes browned. Swirl in 1/2 cup of water and then cover with the lid immediately. Continue cooking until all of the water is evaporated. Turn down the heat and cook until the bottom of the dumpling becomes crispy and golden brown. Serve with the sauce.
This is my contribution to the February/March cycle of Cook the Books hosted by Claudia of Honey From Rock. Anyone can participate by reading the current selection, taking inspiration from it and cooking/posting about an inspired dish. This also is my contribution to Novel Food #35. Hosted by the lovely Simona of briciole, Novel Food is a voyage of literary discovery featuring literary-inspired dishes contributed by event's participants.
