Spring is wild garlic season: make the most of this wonderful foraging ingredient by adding it to the filling of Chinese steamed dumplings, it’s delicious.
Makes 14 dumplings.
INGREDIENTS
For the wrappers:
150 gr corn starch
70 gr plain flour
175 ml boiling water
½ tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pinch of salt
Alternatively you can use shop bought wrappers from a specialist Chinese supermarket.
For the filling:
50 gr chopped chestnut mushrooms (about 2 mushrooms)
70 gr chopped water chestnuts
150 gr chopped wild garlic
3 tablespoons soy sauce
½ tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pinch sugar
½ tablespoon corn starch
For the dipping sauce:
1 chopped fresh chilli or ½ teaspoon dry chilli flakes
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Paper muffin cases
Steamer
Rolling pin
METHOD
If you are not using shop bought wrappers, here’s how to make them at home. Prepare the wrappers by mixing the flour, corn starch and salt together then add the boiling water; mix well with a spoon and when the dough is starting to cool down and is safe to handle, knead by hand.
Keep kneading for 3-5 minutes then add the oil; knead another couple of minutes then leave the dough to rest on a board covered with a wet tea towel for 15-20 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the filling: mix the chopped mushrooms, wild garlic and water chestnuts with the soy sauce, corn starch sugar and oil.
On a board, cut a piece of the dough and roll into a cylinder, then cut into 3 cm pieces. Roll out each piece to make a 10 cm thin circle, then add one teaspoon of the filling in the middle and fold over. For neater edges, you can trim them with a glass or mug (or a cookie cutter). Seal the edges of the dumpling pinching them with your fingers (but don’t wet the edges, as I discovered it disintegrates the dough) and place each dumpling inside a paper muffin case (this will prevent the dumplings from sticking to the steamer).
Depending on the size of your steamer, place 6-8 dumplings in the steamer tray and cook for 10-12 minutes.
Because the dumplings will stick to their paper cases once they start cooling down, take them out of their cases when cooked (use kitchen tongs to prevent burning your fingers).
Serve the dumplings with their dipping sauce (mix together the soy sauce, chopped chilli, sugar and vinegar).