Chicken Dumplings

Ingredients

For the wrapper

• 400g / 14 oz bread flour

• 200g / 6.8 fl oz water

• 2.9g / ½ tsp salt

For the Filling

• 400g / 14 oz ground chicken

• 150g / ⅓ pound spinach

• 25g / 1.5 Tbsps soy sauce

• 27g/ 1.5 Tbsps oyster sauce

• 1.4g / ¼ tsp salt

• 13.6g / 1 Tbsp sesame oil

• 4g / 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder, optional

• 2g / 1 tsp five-spice powder (see page 19)

• 10g / ⅓ cup diced basil

• 60g / ¼ cup chicken stock

For the dipping sauce

• 6g / about 2 cloves garlic, grated

• 3g / 1 tsp grated ginger

• 8g / 2 Tbsps diced scallions

• 5.4g / 1 Tbsp chili flakes

• 4lg / 3 Tbsps oil

• 50g / 3 Tbsps soy sauce

• 16g / 1 Tbsp Chinese black vinegar (see page 16)

Directions

Make the dumpling wrapper dough

1. Add the salt to the water and stir to dissolve. Pour the solution into the flour in batches and mix simultaneously. Feel the moisture level of the flour to adjust the water ratio as needed.

2. Gather the flour until a rough dough forms; then knead the dough until smooth. When kneading by hand, if the dough feels tight and stubborn, cover and rest it for 15 minutes and then knead it again. Repeat the rest and kneading process until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.

§ Chef's Secret: A proper resting period allows the gluten to expand and absorb water in the dough, making it more flexible and easier to work with. If you own a KitchenAid, use the hook attachment and let it run on medium speed for 10 minutes without resting.

3. Once the dough is smooth, shape it into a short log, cover it with a damp towel or a plastic film, and rest it for 30 minutes.

Make the filling

1. In a big mixing bowl, add the ground chicken, soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, sesame oil, five-spice powder, chicken bouillon powder, and julienned basil. Mix until all the seasonings are well combined.

2. Add the chicken stock to the filling in batches and stir it in one direction for about 5 minutes, and set it aside.

& Chef's Secret: The stirring will gelatinize the protein, which helps the filling absorb the liquid and leads to a juicy and tender result.

3. Add the spinach to boiling water, blanch for 15 seconds, cool it down under running water, squeeze the water out, and dice it finely.

4. Add the spinach to the filling and mix thoroughly. Set the filling in the fridge.

Divide the dough and wrap the dumplings

1. After the dough has been rested for about 30 minutes, roll it into a long, even log, about 32-35 inches.

2. Divide the strip into 50 pieces, 12 grams each. There is no need to use a scale; just go by the feeling.

3. Sprinkle some flour to prevent the dough pieces from sticking to each other. Then cover them with plastic wrap so they don't dry out.

4. Put one piece of dough on the working surface with the cut cross section facing vertically, and then flatten it into a small round pancake. Hold a rolling pin with one hand and roll the edge of the dough back and forth while the other hand rotates the dough. Repeat that motion until you have a round wrapper with a thick middle and a thinner edge. (You will fold and pinch the edge when wrapping the filling to close the dumpling. You don't want the edge to be double the thickness and doughy)

5. To fold a classic half-moon shape dumpling, put some filling in the middle. Pinch the corner to create the first pleat. Then, with the help of your other hand, repeat the following actions: stretch the edge slightly, fold, and pinch to create more pleats until you reach the end. Half-moon shape dumplings take a lot of practice to be perfect; if you are a beginner, please check page 337 to find an easy folding method.

6. Thoroughly sprinkle the tray with flour before setting the dumplings aside to prevent sticking. Then continue to fold the rest.

& Meal Prepping Tip: Dumplings are freezer-friendly. Make a big batch and freeze it for up to 3 months. Pan- without fry the dumplings whenever you want defrosting by following the same method, though it will take a bit longer.

Pan-fry the dumplings and serve

1. Add a general amount of oil to a frying pan and swirl it to cover the bottom. You don't need to wait for the pan to get hot; directly add the dumplings one by one and pan- fry over medium-low heat without the lid for 2-3 minutes or until the bottom becomes golden brown.

2. Pour in ¼ cup water and put on the lid. Let the steam cook the dumplings for 6-8 more minutes or until the added water is gone.

• Chef's Secret: Don't worry that the dumpling will lose the crust due to the added water. Once the water is fully evaporated, the bottom will be crispy again.

3. While waiting, make the dipping sauce. Add the grated garlic, ginger, diced scallions, and chili flakes into a bowl. Heat 3 Tbsps of oil until smoking hot and then pour it onto the aromatics to activate the fragrance. Add the soy sauce and Chinese black vinegar, and then mix well.

4. Serve the dumplings with the dipping sauce.