PAN-FRIED CHICKEN AND CABBAGE DUMPLINGS

Pan-Fried Chicken and Cabbage Dumplings image

These pan-fried dumplings are among the best selling items at Nom Wah Tea Parlor in New York City.

Provided by Wilson Tang

Categories Appetizer snack Chicken Chive Green Onion/Scallion Cabbage Ginger Peanut Free Dairy Free

Yield Makes 20 dumplings and 2 cups sauce

Number Of Ingredients 18

Ingredients

For the dumplings:
10 ounces skinless chicken breast, ﬁnely chopped
6 ounces medium yellow Napa cabbage (approximately ⅕ cabbage), shredded
2 slices fresh ginger, ⅛ to ¼ inch thick, diced
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon chicken powder (such as Lee Kum Kee)
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
20 Shanghai-style circular wrappers
2 tablespoons neutral oil
For the dumpling dipping sauce:
¾ cup light soy sauce
1 cup rice wine vinegar
3½ tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Steps:

To make the dumplings:
In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, cabbage, ginger, and scallions until the mixture resembles a fine paste. Add the salt, sugar, chicken powder, white pepper, cornstarch, and toasted sesame oil and continue to stir for 3 to 5 minutes, until well incorporated.
Dampen a towel under which to keep the rest of the dumpling wrappers while you work.
Prepare a parchment-lined baking sheet on which to store the already prepared dumplings.
Place 1½ teaspoons of filling in the center of each dumpling wrapper. Fold the dumpling into a half-moon shape. Hold the dumpling, seam-side up, between your thumb and index finger. Use the index finger and thumb of your other hand to pinch a section of the dumpling edge and pull it toward the web of the holding hand to make a small pleat. Repeat around the edge of the dumpling until you have between 6 and 8 pleats.
DO AHEAD: After shaping, dumplings can be kept in the refrigerator for up to four days or frozen for up to three months.
Set up a steamer: Fill a wok with enough water to come up to the lower rim of a steamer but not so much the waterline is above the food bed. (If you do want to DIY it, just use a plate in a pot. Fill a pot with ½ an inch of water. Then make a sort of tripod out of tinfoil by forming three golf ball- sized balls and placing them in the bottom of the pot, making sure their tops rest above the water- line. Rest the plate on the tinfoil, cover, and steam.) Bring water to a boil. Working in batches, add the dumplings, making sure to leave 1½ inches of space between each (they expand as they cook), and steam for 12 to 13 minutes. Let rest for a minute or so to tighten slightly. If you need more water- water tends to evaporate-add boiling, not cold, water so as not to stop the steaming.
Heat the neutral oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the dumplings, pleat to the side, and pan-fry until golden brown, approximately 1 minute per side.
To make the dipping sauce:
Place all ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk together until well mixed and the sugar dissolved.
DO AHEAD: Dumpling Dipping Sauce can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to three days.