Steamed Shrimp & Mushroom Dumplings Recipe for Chinese New Year Recipe
Gently steamed dumplings with shrimp and shiitake mushrooms are a wonderful appetizer or meal to help celebrate the start of the Chinese (Lunar) New Year.
I have several regrets about the years that I lived in Vancouver, all of them revolving around food adventures that I missed out on. How is it that I skipped the Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) celebrations in a city that’s home to the third largest Chinatown in North America? That’s days of noodles (for longevity), dumplings (for good fortune) and shrimp (for laughter). And, of course, the traditional dragon and lion dances, rich in colors and splendor, to ward off the evil spirits.
My kids and I made these dumplings and then proceeded to eat every single one. For me, it’s impossible to resist gently steamed pockets of shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, sesame oil and soy sauce. The flavors are simply phenomenal.
This is not an appetizer or meal that you whip up in a matter of minutes. It takes some time to fill and shape the dumplings, but much of the enjoyment comes from the ritual actions of filling, pinching and pleating. For shaping the dumplings, you can simply pinch together the seams, or you can take a little extra time to pleat the edges with your fingers.
Dunk the dumplings in a simple sauce of soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and chili garlic paste. Chili-garlic paste can be found in the Asian section of most supermarkets.
There are a few choices of kitchen tools for steaming the dumplings. From top to bottom, they are:
The recipe:
The dumplings:
In a medium bowl, mix together the shrimp, water chestnuts , green onion, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil and chili garlic paste until well combined.
Working with one dumpling wrapper at a time (keep the others fresh under a damp towel), spoon 1 1/2 teaspoon of the shrimp mixture into the middle of the wrapper.
Using your finger and some water, lightly wet the outside of the dumpling wrapper. Bring the two sides of the wrapper up to meet in the middle. Squeeze the edges together to seal. Crimp the edges if you wish.
Lay each dumpling on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch. Cover with a damp towel so that the dumplings don’t dry out.
Using a steaming tool of your choice (see options above), bring about 1/2 inch of water to a bowl in the bottom of the steaming vessel (i.e., in a pot of wok). Be sure that the water is not going to touch the steaming basket.
Line the steaming basket with cabbage leaves to prevent sticking. Place as many dumplings in the steaming basket without letting the dumplings, about 6 to 10.
Cover the steaming basket and place it over the boiling water, and reduce the heat to medium. Steam for 8 to 9 minutes. Check the water halfway through. If it is getting too low, refill with hot water.
Place the dumplings on a serving dish and place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining dumplings, and additional water.
The sauce:
In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and chili garlic paste.
Serve with the dumplings as a dipping sauce.
Other recipes for Chinese New Year:
- allParenting’s Chinese Beef & Bok Choy Noodles (recipe by Cookin’ Canuck)
- Cookin’ Canuck’s Spicy Stir-Fry Bok Choy with Ginger & Soy Sauce
- Jeanette’s Healthy Living’s Florence Lin’s Baked Coconut Sticky Rice Cake
- Steamy Kitchen’s Vegetable Spring Rolls (Egg Rolls)
- Closet Cooking’s Chinese Hot and Sour Soup
- Steamed Shrimp & Mushroom Dumplings for Chinese New Year
- From the kitchen of Cookin Canuck. www.cookincanuck.com
- Ingredients
- The dumplings:
- 1/2 lb. uncooked shrimp, peeled and chopped
- 1/4 cup water chestnuts, finely diced
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
- 2 oz. shiitake mushroom, stems removed, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp chili garlic paste
- Approximately 30 round dumplings wrappers
- Napa cabbage leaves
- Cornstarch
- The sauce:
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp chili garlic paste
Instructions
The dumplings:
In a medium bowl, mix together the shrimp, water chestnuts , green onion, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil and chili garlic paste until well combined.
Working with one dumpling wrapper at a time (keep the others fresh under a moistened towel), spoon 1 1/2 teaspoon of the shrimp mixture into the middle of the wrapper.
Using your finger and some water, lightly wet the outside of the dumpling wrapper. Bring the two sides of the wrapper up to meet in the middle. Squeeze the edges together to seal. Crimp the edges if you wish.
Lay each dumpling on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch.
Using a steaming tool of your choice (see options above), bring about 1/2 inch of water to a bowl in the bottom of the steaming vessel (i.e., in a pot of wok). Be sure that the water is not going to touch the steaming basket.
Line the steaming basket with cabbage leaves to prevent sticking. Place as many dumplings in the steaming basket without letting the dumplings, about 6 to 10.
Cover the steaming basket and place it over the boiling water, and reduce the heat to medium. Steam for 8 to 9 minutes. Check the water halfway through. If it is getting too low, refill with hot water.
Place the dumplings on a serving dish and place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining dumplings, and additional water.
The sauce:
In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and chili garlic paste.
Serve with the dumplings as a dipping sauce.
Notes
Calories 66 / Total Fat 0.7g / Saturated Fat 0.1g / Cholesterol 23.0mg / Sodium 127.4mg / Total Carbohydrates 10.3g / Fiber 0.5g / Sugar 0.4g / Protein 4.5g / WW (Old Points) 1 / WW (Points+) 2
2.0
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