Gremolata Kitchen
Year of the Tiger Dumplings with Hot Golden Sauce
By Gremolata Kitchen
Serving Size: 60 Dumplings
Class: Advanced (under 2 hours)
This recipe comes from Vanessa Yeung, who graduated with the Award of Culinary excellence from The Stratford Chefs School.
Dumplings, one of the most popular foods eaten during Chinese New Year, represent wealth and fortune. Year of the Tiger-born people are thought to be brave, dynamic, unpredictable and self-assured. I wanted to translate these qualities into the Year of the Tiger Dumpling with Hot Golden Sauce by substituting the traditional pork and Nappa Cabbage usually found in dumplings with bison, Chinese Broccoli leaves and Shiitake Mushrooms. Just like the unpredictable, adventurous year ahead, this dumpling looks like an ordinary dumpling on the outside, but once you bit into it, you’ll be surprised by the full-forward, assertive flavours. The accompanying sauce isn’t the traditional soy or ginger vinegar variety either; it’s sweet, savory, and as spicy as the year to come!
Ingredients:
For the Dumplings…
1 lb ground bison
2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
4 teaspoons of chili sauce such as sirachi
1 teaspoon sesame oil
4 leaves of Nappa Cabbage, use mainly the tender tops of the leaves, shredded
1 ½ cups Gai Lan (Chinese Broccoli) leaves, shredded
10 shitake mushrooms, stems removed and diced
3 green onions, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ cup water
60 round dumpling wrappers
¼ cup warm water
2 tbsp. cornstarch
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ cup water
For the Golden Sauce…
1 cup mango, diced
1 ½ cup papaya, diced
1 cup pineapple, diced
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 cup onion, finely diced
1 clove of garlic minced
3 or less Thai chilies, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 ½ tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon salt
Juice of 2 limes
¼ cup orange juice
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
Directions:
For the Dumplings…
Heat a sauté pan with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add the ginger, garlic and green onions to the pan. Cook for 30 seconds. Then add the mushrooms and cook until tender.
Add the Nappy cabbage and Gai Lan leaves next. Add a ¼ cup of water help steam the vegetables. When the greens have wilted remove the mixture from the pan and place in a shallow bowl or plate. Allow greens to cool in fridge. Vegetable mixture must be cooled completely before mixing it with the raw ground bison.
In a bowl mix the place the ground bison and mix with the hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, chili sauce and sesame oil. Add the cooled vegetable mixture to the meat. Set aside in the fridge for an hour.
Mix the water and cornstarch together.
Take a dumpling wrapper and place 1 tsp of the mixture and place it in the centre. On one side rub a finger that has been dipped in the cornstarch water. Pinch sides together at the centre of the arc, leaving the sides open. Make 4 pleats on one side of opening at each end. Pinch to seal the dumpling.
Place finished dumplings on a cornstarch dusted baking sheet.
Heat a non-stick skillet with vegetable oil. Enough to coat the pan. When hot add the Potstickers. Allow to brown on the bottom. Flip dumpling over to the over side and allow to brown. Once browned on all sides, add water to just thinly cover the bottom of the pan. Quickly cover pan and allow to steam.
Once water has evaporated, remove and enjoy with the Golden Sauce.
For the Golden Sauce…
Heat a saucepan with the vegetable oil. Add the onions, ginger and garlic to the pan. Cook for 1 minute. Do not brown the onions.
Add the mango, papaya, pineapple and chilies. Stir to combine. Add the lime and orange juice and honey. Cook for 10-15 minutes on medium heat, until the fruits have softened.
Add the salt, cilantro and sesame seeds. Remove from the pot and transfer to a container. Allow it to cool. Ideal to serve the sauce at room temperature.
Cook Smart Tip:
Make the dumplings ahead of time and place them on a cornstarch dusted baking sheet. Place the entire baking sheet in the freezer. Remove the dumplings from the freezer when frozen and place in a re-sealable bag. Cook the dumplings from frozen and in the same manner as if from fresh.
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