Shrimp and Chive Dumplings

Shrimp and Chive Dumplings (韭菜虾饺)
Makes about 16 dumplings

Ingredients:

12 oz. peeled and deveined shrimps (medium to big size)
1 oz. chives (cut into very short pieces)
1 teaspoon egg white
1/2 teaspoon tapioca starch (菱粉)
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
3 dashes white pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon oil
Wonton skin
Some cooking oil for pan-frying

Soy-Vinegar Dipping Sauce:

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar

Method:

Clean and rinse the shrimps with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. Mix the soy-vinegar dipping sauce and set aside.

Cut the shrimps into small pieces (about 3-4 pieces per shrimp), add chives and mix well. Marinate the filling with the rest of the ingredients for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Lay a wonton skin on a flat surface. Dab your index finger with some water and trace it along the four outer edges of the wonton skin. Add a teaspoon of the filling and fold the wonton skin towards the middle. Dab some water to the wonton skin to seal tight. The dumplings should look somewhat round. Repeat the same until the filling is used up.

Heat up a pan on medium to low heat and add some oil. Transfer all dumplings into the pan and cover it with its lid. Pan-fry the dumplings on one site until golden brown and then turn over to pan-fry the other site. (Add more oil to the pan if required.) Repeat to make sure that both sites are equally done. Dish out and serve immediately with soy-vinegar dipping sauce.

Cook’s Note:

You can use regular potsticker/dumpling wrappers but they are round in shape (hence smaller and harder to fold). If you use wonton skin like I did, buy those wonton skins which are not yellowish, but pale white or grayish white in color.