Pan-Fried Dumplings On-Demand

Over the past week, I discovered the joy of Instagram-ing. And this was the first photo I took. 

You see, I've never had a smartphone until last Wednesday (10 April 2013 for the record). Up till that morning, I was using a basic Nokia C2-01 which has since been "demoted" to host my Singapore number, which in turn had been kept on an ancient Nokia Supernova model that needs to be charged too often. JL could probably guess it - the reason I've been delaying the smartphone upgrade was because I was waiting for an iPhone that fits my hand comfortably. And to hold a photo-frame close to my ear is completely out of the question. Samsung Galaxy users, what were you thinking?!

By Wednesday night, I thought, "Wow! I didn't just get upgraded to an iPhone... I got a new CAMERA!". Instagram along with its selection of filters is awesome under low-light condition. I haven't really played with it long enough - can one control the white balance on the iPhone 5? In any case, this will keep me occupied for a while before the heart itches for a new camera lens.

Thanks to the new phone, I spent the whole afternoon setting up the contact list and installing free apps. When it was time for dinner, I wasn't too keen to cook. Thankfully there were some dumplings standing by in the freezer. I made those a couple of weeks ago. And just the day before, I got some lovely Himi udon from the Japanese fair at Isetan supermarket. It really pays to have a well-stocked pantry!

Crunchy Pork and Shrimp Dumplings
Makes 30

Ingredients:
25g black fungus, softened in water and roughly cut 
200g mince pork
300g prawn meat, roughly cut
2 garlic cloves, minced
2cm knob young ginger, minced
2 stalks spring onion, finely cut
2 stalks cilantro, finely cut
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine 
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
1 packet gyoza skins

Method:
Put all the ingredients in a large bowl. Using a pair of chopsticks or a fork, break the egg yolk and stir to mix all the ingredients thoroughly. 

To make the dumplings, hold the one skin in your non-dominant hand, place a teaspoonful of filling in the center. Dip your index finger in the water, run it along the circumference of the skin, fold up the edge of the skin (think "front half and back half"). For the front edge, fold about three pleats - starting from the middle towards the right - sealing the pleats firmly onto the back edge. Repeat with another three pleats from the middle towards the left. Work as fast as you can to prevent the dumplings from drying up (and cracking).

Arrange the dumplings - leaving some space between each one - on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet suitable for your freezer. Freeze the entire batch for at least 30 minutes, after which the dumplings can be stored in Ziplock bags. 

These dumplings can be steamed, pan-fried or boiled in a broth.

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This is my usual setup when making dumplings: the filling, the stack of gyoza skins covered in a damp double-layer towel, a bowl of water for sealing the skins, a baking sheet lined with parchment paper on which I will freeze the dumplings after. A teaspoonful of filling is sufficient for a dumpling. You don't want it too full as it may tear the skin when you wrap it.

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I had some extra filling - just a tiny bowl. So it became my lunch the following day. I only had to soften some dry rice noodles in water, heat some oil to stir-fry the filling before adding the noodles to it. 

To make pan-fried dumplings, here's how. Also, here's a more conventional recipe for the filling. Enjoy!

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