Shu Mei (Dumplings) Recipe

Ingredients:

DUMPLINGS

2 lb Turkey, ground
1 1/2 tsp Cornstarch (cornflour)
1 1/2 tsp Sherry, dry
3 tbsp Light soy sauce
1 tbsp Ginger, grated
-or finely chopped
6 Green onions, chopped
6 Garlic cloves,
-crushed, minced
-or pressed
1 tbsp Brown sugar
1 tbsp Sesame oil
1 package Wonton wrappers
Peanut oil

DIPPING SAUCE

1 1/2 cup Fish sauce (You may
-want to dilute this
-with water, depending
-on its strength)
1 cup Vinegar
1 cup Sugar
6 Garlic cloves, finely
-minced or pressed
1 tbsp Ginger, finely
-minced or grated
1 tbsp Red pepper, crushed

Instructions:

Make the dipping sauce by mixing together all of its ingredients.
Store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

Stir together everything but the wrappers and the peanut oil. Mix
vigorously by hand until it begins to bind together. (About 1 minute
or so.)

Place about 1 1/2 - 2 T of filling in the middle of a wonton wrapper.
Fold the sides up around the meat so that you have a little bag or
cup. Press the bottom flat so that the bag doesn't fall over.

Oil racks of the steamer with peanut oil. Place dumplings in racks.
Steam for 15 to 20 minutes in covered rack over boiling water. Serve
hot with dipping sauce.

NOTES:

* Steamed dumplings (meatballs) -- This recipe is an adaptation of
the one in "The Frugal Gourmet" by Jeff Smith. The bigger the batch,
the better. There are never leftovers. Yield: makes 35-40.

* These little gems would probably go just fine with a favorite
hoisin or chili dipping sauce.

* The steamer racks I recommend are the Chinese bamboo ones. You can
stack them quite nicely (I find that three racks work well) and they
sit at just the right height above the boiling water in a wok. The
real advantage is that water will not condense on your food if you
use a bamboo steamer.

* The dipping sauce is an adaption of one served at the Phoenix
Vietnamese restaurant in Saint Paul Minnesota; it was originally
served with egg rolls, but works splendidly with these dumplings.

* The original recipe calls for ground pork, but I find ground turkey
preferable. The flavor is lighter and the calories far fewer. Pork is
fine, though, and even hamburger could be used in a pinch.

Kathy Marschall

Servings: 1