Pork Mushroom Dumplings

Prep Time: 80 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 to 6

Tied up with a length of shallot, these “golden bag” dumplings from Kristina Cho, author of the award-winning cookbook Mooncakes & Milk Bread, look like little presents – what better way to celebrate the Lunar New Year? She explains that for the filling you should look for Chinese garlic chives, which are different from the chives you find in most markets. Chinese garlic chives are less intense in flavour, but if you can’t find them, finely chopped shallots will also work (don’t substitute regular chives, which will make the flavour too sharp). Also, when choosing shallots to tie up the parcels, look for thin, tender ones that will be flexible enough to tie into a knot.

If you want to make these in advance to streamline prep for a Lunar New Year feast, you can freeze them either before or after frying them. If cooking them from frozen, do not defrost them and add an extra minute or so to the cook time. To reheat cooked dumplings, simply place them in a 180°C oven for about 10 minutes.

Ingredients

8 dried shiitake mushrooms
250 g pork mince
1 cup (90 g) chopped Chinese garlic chives, or 3/4 cup (60 g) chopped shallots
2 Tbs. oyster sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
15 square 15-cm spring roll wrappers
15 10-cm lengths of shallots, dark and light green portions only
Vegetable oil for frying
Sweet chilli sauce for serving (optional)

Directions:

Place the mushrooms in a small heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Place a plate or bowl on top of the mushrooms to keep them submerged. Set aside until the mushrooms are hydrated and tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Drain the mushrooms and pat them dry. Trim the stems and discard. Finely dice the mushroom caps and transfer to a medium mixing bowl.
Add the pork, garlic chives, oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt and white pepper to the bowl with the mushrooms. Stir until well combined. You can use the mixture immediately or you can store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before assembling.
Place about 1 1/2 Tbs. of the filling in the centre of one of the spring roll wrappers. Gather the corners of the wrapper up and twist them around the filling to form a bundle. Tie a piece of shallot around the twisted wrapper to secure it. Place the bundle on a baking sheet and repeat to form the remaining bundles.
Pour oil to a depth of about 5 cm in a saucepan or deep skillet and heat until it registers 182°C on a deep-frying thermometer. Place a wire rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet.
Working in batches, carefully add the bundles to the oil and fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain the oil temperature around 182°C. As they are done, use a skimmer to transfer the bundles to the wire rack.
Let cool slightly before serving. Serve hot, with sweet chilli sauce alongside for dipping, if desired. Serves 4 to 6.
Courtesy of Kristina Cho, founder of Eat Cho Food and author of Mooncakes & Milk Bread

Pork Mushroom Dumplings