With Chinese New Year past, there is still a craving for steamed dim sums, so why not try your hand at incorporating a traditional Asian dish into your restaurant’s menu?
The American Diabetes Association explains that authentic Asian cuisine comprises of a balance of vegetables, proteins and grains with an emphasis on the health properties that this mixture brings. Grains are a large part of any dish, in the form of rice or noodles mostly, whereas meat comes second to nutritious veggies.
If you’re looking to cook some Asian-inspired meals to spice up the menu of your restaurant, then a Convotherm combi-steamer oven can help you achieve delicious dumplings. You can easily recreate this traditional Chinese dish with a simple recipe we’ve put together for you below.
These dumplings are the perfect blend of meat or vegetables, but can be easily customised to tastes. Wow your customers with this delicious and wholesome meal.
Dumplings are easier to make than you think, especially with a Convotherm combi-steamer.Steamed Dumplings
Steaming is a great way to keep your vegetables packed with nutrients. WebMD explains that cooking vegetables too long and with too much water can leech essential nutrients out so that they’re less healthy.
These traditional Chinese steamed dumplings usually have shrimp inside. Of course, chefs should feel free to substitute it with pork or any other meat. There are some versions available that are just filled with vegetables and ginger – these will cater to your vegetarian customers. This recipe is pulled from two traditional recipes, from The Woks of Life and Taste, to give you the best result.
For the filling:
- 250 – 300g of your meat or vegetable of choice
- 1 tsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp salt or soy sauce
- 1/4 cup bamboo shoots, finely chopped
- 2 small green onions, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- Optional: 1 tsp sugar
Mix everything together, excluding the bamboo shoots, until sticky. Add the bamboo then cover and place in the fridge to cool while you prepare the rice wraps. Here, you can either buy pre-made rice wrappers or even wonton papers, but they’re not hard to make, and nothing will impress your customers more than freshly made dumplings, skin and all.
For the wraps:
- 1 cup wheat starch
- 1/2 cup corn or tapioca starch
- 1/3 cup boiling water
- 2 tsp oil
Mix the two starches together, and slowly add the water (must be boiling) while stirring rapidly. This will create a semi-translucent mixture, where you can then add the oil. Once the dough is barely cool enough to touch, roll into a long, even rod and cut into 18 even pieces.
While you roll one dough piece out into a flat circle, cover the rest with a damp towel to prevent them from drying out.
The trick is to roll these balls into a circle that is large enough to accommodate a small lump of filling, while being able to enclose the filling without the skin being too thin to rip. The Woks of Life suggest a 3-inch diameter circle. That’s just over 7.5 centimetres. Practice makes perfect, of course, and once you’ve got the hang of them, you’ll be able to create them at a much quicker pace with ease to meet the hungry demands of your paying customers.
Once you’ve got that, add a spoonful of filling and close shut in a clamshell shape. Add some fancy folds to make them look authentic.
To cook:
This is where the Convotherm’s magic comes in. The Convotherm combi-steamers features HumidyPro – five different steaming options which retain moisture while every component of your meal is cooked to perfection without compromising on nutritional value.
They also feature an Advanced Closed System (ACS), where even heat transfer and automatic humidity adjustments cook your dumplings perfectly despite the large batch volume to deliver consistent cooking results.
That is crucial for delicious dumplings, as you don’t want to overcook your meat nor do you want to dry out your skins. Even the Convotherm mini series offer two different steaming options so that your small restaurant can impress everyone with your traditional dumplings.
Convotherm combi-steamers and ovens take away the hard work of cooking your dumplings perfectly. Contact Moffat today to get one for your kitchen.
