Prawn & Pea Dumplings (Home-Made!)

Dim Sum is definitely a family favourite and since being in lockdown it has definitely be

come one of the many things we have missed, so my sister and I decided to bring it a little closer to home (Plus we so happened to have the ready-made dumpling pastry and prawns stashed away in the freezer!).

We also are very lucky to be in possession of a bamboo steamer that Dim Sum is traditionally steamed in. If you have never cooked in a traditional bamboo steamer before, I would highly recommend you trying it. There is something very special about the aroma of the dumplings being steamed in the bamboo basket as opposed to just boiling them or frying them.

Of course, it should be known that this recipe is not a traditional dumpling filling;

however after trying it, I would definitely like to think it should be. My sister and I used prawns, peas, celery and ginger for the filling. At this point you are probably thinking, celery? But trust us, it really works well!

This was all thrown in a food processor, with a little cornflour, soy sauce and sesame oil. Once the mixture was roughly blended, we had reserved a couple of tablespoons of tiny, whole prawns to fold into the mixture. Just for some additional texture.

When the mixture is cooked in the dumpling, the texture of the celery resembles that of bamboo shoots, along with the sweet, mashed prawns finished with a pop of colour from the peas. It’s definitely a combination that should be pitched to ‘Din Tai Fung’ (If you know, you know…)

Dim Sum chefs can train for years and years to perfect a flawless looking and tasty dumpling. It all starts from the pastry to the technique they use. It is a real art; as you may have had the luxury of seeing it freshly made in front of you at your favourite Chinese restaurant. Therefore it must be said that what you are about to see has not been made by a Dim Sum chefs but by two hungry ladies with a real craving for Dim Sum, great determination and the patience of a saint.

The dumpling pastry is by ‘Winner Foods’ which can be found in the frozen section of any Chinese food supermarket. The rounds of pastry come ready rolled, so all you need to do is defrost the pastry, add your filling, fold it half and pinch the sides together with a fork.

We did opt for using a 'glue' to stick the edges together, which consisted of a little flour and water mixed together till it forms a paste. This is completely optional though.

We then placed around 3-4 in our bamboo steamer (lined with a small square of grease-proof paper to stop it from sticking to the bamboo) for around 5-6 minutes. They did not take long at all.

Whilst the dumplings were cooking, we also made a quick dipping sauce consisting of a few tablespoons of chilli oil, soy sauce, a couple of dashes of sesame oil, finely chopped spring onion and a little rice wine vinegar.

So here is the full recipe:

For the filling:

• 150g of small prawns

• 50g of small prawns (reserved to fold into the blended mixture for texture)

• 100g Frozen Peas (ideally defrosted)

• 1 Stick of Celery

• 1 thumb sized piece of Ginger (peeled and grated)

• 1 Tablespoon of Cornflour

• 2 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons of Sesame Oil

• 1 pack of ‘Winner Foods’ Dumpling Pastry (Fully defrosted- Overnight in the fridge)

• 1 tablespoon of plain flour mixed with a little water to create a 'glue'

For the Dipping Sauce:

• 3 Tablespoons of Chilli Oil

• 3 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce

• 1 Teaspoon of Sesame Oil

• 2-3 Spring Onions (Finely Chopped)

• 2 Teaspoons of Rice Wine Vinegar

1. In a food processor (Or you can finely chop all the ingredients), put the 150g of prawns, celery, peas, ginger, cornflour, soy sauce and sesame oil in and blend till roughly chopped (Or smooth depending on your preference).

2. Take the mixture out of the food processor and fold in the remaining 50g of whole small prawns.

3. Take one sheet of your dumpling paper and on one side, add around a tablespoon of the filling. Fold the dumpling in half, spread a little flour and water 'glue' around the edges and press down the sides with a fork.

4. Place it in a grease-proof lined bamboo steamer or alternatively, place it in a pan of boiling water.

5. The dumplings should take around 5-6 minutes in the steamer and the pastry will turn translucent once it is ready.

6. If you opted for a boiling pan of water, the dumplings will sink to the bottom once they are added in and will rise to the top of the water once they are cooked.

You can either serve the dipping sauce on the side or toss all the dumplings into the dipping sauce and serve immediately.

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