Dumplings

People say, "I've become my mother." To me, that's the highest compliment - I wish I could cook as well as her. As a kid, dumpling day was particularly festive - mom rolling out thin round dough with one hand, all the chopping and mixing, the air filling with the aroma of the filling and our mini "couches" of dumplings lined up on a floured bake sheet ready for a swim in boiling water and a dunk in her amazing dipping sauce.

With winter upon us, I thought it would be nice to have some dumplings in the freezer for those nights where I didn't feel like cooking. My friend C graciously offered her home for our dumpling party. With the fabulous company and many bottles of wine, everyone made plenty of dumplings to boil, fry and take home. And yes, C, you get an A+ and are now a certified Asian woman.


Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice wine
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp corn starch
- black pepper
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 1 oz fresh ginger (peeled and finely grated)
- 2 scallion stalks (root and tips trimmed off, minced)
- 4 napa cabbage leaves (finely chopped)
- 5-6 dried shitake mushrooms (reconstituted and minced)
- 1/2 lb shrimp (peeled, deveined, minced)
- 2 packs of dumpling wrappers (I prefer the white round kind)



Mix all ingredients (except wrappers) in a large bowl. Set up your wrapping station: clean plate, small bowl with water, floured baking sheet, teaspoon. Take a wrapper and put in on the clean plate. With the spoon, put a marble size of filling in the center. Dip your finger in the water bowl and trace the edge of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half and pinch the center of the arch together. From the middle, pleat the wrapper in the back while pressing it to the flat front until the dumpling is completely sealed and resembles a small couch. Line up the dumpling on the floured baking sheet.

To boil a fresh dumpling, put fresh dumplings in boiling water, stir so they don't stick and cook for 3 minutes. Strain and stir in some sesame oil so they don't stick.

To fry a fresh dumpling, heat oil in a skillet, cook each side until golden brown.

To boil a frozen dumpling, separate and put frozen dumplings into boiling water. Stir so they don't stick. When water comes to boil, pour in a cup of cold water. Do this 3 times. When the dumplings float, remove from water. Strain and stir in some sesame oil so they don't stick.

To fry a frozen dumpling, heat oil in a skillet. Gently add frozen dumpling (swish in oil before finally placing so it doesn't stick). After one side is browned, add 1/2 a cup of cold water and allow water to steam off. Once water is fully evaporated, brown the rest of the sides of the dumpling.

Dumpling sauce: thinly sliced ginger, 1 part black vinegar (or rice vinegar) and 1 part soy sauce.