Fresh Prawn Dumpling (鲜虾水饺)

“Make happy dumpling with your happy children at home!”

I like to make either wanton or dumpling as one of the soup dishes for dinner. Filled with meat and prawn in each dumpling. Usually, I make the dumpling for the family by my own. Or, I should say by mum, instead. I was there to help out.

We made this dumpling dish together, with mum. First, place 1 spoon of meat mixture in the centre of the dumpling skin. Add 1 prawn, and wet finger tips with some water and wipe around the edge of the skin.

Just fold the dumpling by half.

Use finger tips to lightly pinch the edge of the skin to make it stick. With a little help of the water at the edge of the skin, the dumpling will be sealed tightly.

Simple dish, but many steps to make the filling. However, it’s not difficult to do it!

Ingredients
1 packet of vacuum-packed dumpling skin (round-shaped)

Filling:
300 gram of minced pork meat
2 water chestnut, finely diced
Minimal amount of spring onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
1 teaspoon of white sesame oil
Pinch of salt and white ground pepper
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1 cup of shrimp, shelled (about 12 – 15 pcs)

To fry the dumpling: (Fried dumpling 炸水饺)
1 cup of cooking oil

OR

To make soup base: (Dumpling soup 水饺汤)
1 cup of soy bean, pre-soaked, for at least an hour
1 chicken stock cube
1 pot of water, 70% filled (about 1000ml)
Another pot of water (to pre-boil dumpling)

Method
1) Briefly chop minced pork, water chestnut and chopped parsley to combine well. Place ingredients in a large bowl, add in light soy sauce, salt, pepper, sesame oil and cornstarch. Mix all ingredients well.

2) Wrap the meat mixture with 1 sheet of round dumpling skin: Place 1 tablespoon of pork mixture in the center of the dumpling skin. Add 1 prawn before wrapping it, with ‘tip’ of water around the edge of dumpling skin in order to make it stick.

To fry:
1) Heat wok with oil over high fire. When oil is heated, add pinch of salt to the oil. Reduce heat to medium fire. Place no more than 5 dumplings at a time in the wok, and fry till golden brown. Drain fried dumplings on kitchen towel. Serve.

To make soup:
1) Boil a pot of water, put the dumpling and boil till cooked. Set aside.

2) Boil another pot of water over high heat. When water boiled, put soy bean and chicken stock cube. Reduce fire to simmer for an hour, or until bean is cooked and soften.

3) Place cooked dumplings into the soup right before heat off. Serve hot.