Steamed Japanese Pork, Shrimp and Scallop Dumplings
Background
When it comes to healthy eating, the Eastern World could teach the
other side of the globe a few lessons. While many living in the Western
World are eating processed foods and fatty foods, those in places like
China and Japan are eating heart healthy lean foods and staying slim.
We would all do well to have a few of their recipes under our belts, so
to speak. These Japanese steamed dumplings are filled with pork and
shrimp and will go great with some steamed fish and steamed rice. You
can freeze the uneaten portion and enjoy them again some other time.
Steamed Japanese Pork, Shrimp and Scallop Dumplings (Shu Mai
dumplings)
Ingredients:
40 wonton wrappers
100g of minced scallops
200g (about 25) of minced medium sized shrimp
100g of fresh ground pork
4 fresh minced shiitake mushrooms
4 minced green onions
2 peeled and minced garlic cloves
85g of minced bamboo shoots
2 teaspoons of minced gingerroot
1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper (use less pepper if
preferred)
2 teaspoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of sesame oil
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of rice wine (sake, or Nihonshu)
3 tablespoons of chicken broth
2 to 3 tablespoons of cornstarch
1/2 cup of so of frozen green peas (you’ll need about 40)
Procedure:
Combine together well the scallops, shrimp, ground pork, minced
mushrooms, green onions, garlic, bamboo shoots, gingerroot, salt and
pepper, sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, sake, chicken broth and
cornstarch. Do not combine them so much that they turn into mush. The
mixture should still have a bit of a firm texture after blending.
It's time to start building your dumplings.
Place a wonton wrapper on a cutting board or a counter and fill with a
couple of teaspoons of the above mixture. Using your hands, grab the
edges and corners pulling them over the mixture to form into a round
dumpling (practice makes perfect on this one). If you have any trouble
getting the edges to stay in place, make a little flour and water paste
and put a dab on the edges to make them stick. As you make them, store
them under a damp paper towel or cloth so they stay moist while you are
making the other ones.
Brush a little oil on the rack of a food steamer and bring a cup or two
of water to a boil in it.
It's time to place the Japanese dumplings into the steamer. Be careful
of the steam, and don't try to cram all the dumplings in at once. You're
going to have to place them in the steamer so that they don't touch each
other, and keep steaming batches until they are all done. Cover the
steamer. It will take about 15 minutes to steam them. Serve them with
teriyaki sauce and hot mustard.
