Making Chinese Dumplings

So, I woke up this morning feeling rough and fancied some broth and dumplings (my standard remedy). However, there was pretty much nothing in our cupboards and I really could not be bothered to visit the shops! Lazy? YES

So I've always assumed that making dumplings was very fiddly and needed lots of unusual ingredients but I 'googled it' just to see. I was surprised to find that they sounded very simple. We had everything in that I would need, so I had a go.

It turns out that all you need to make the dumpling wrappers, is plain flour and water - that's it!I used 200g flour as this makes enough for two people and I was feeling greedy! The amount of water wasn't specified as you just have to add small amounts until it gets to the right consistency.

 

Keep adding water until you get a non sticky dough.

Cover the dough and leave for 30minutes.

Knead for a few minutes.

Take small pieces of dough and roll them into balls. 

Then roll out into disks about 8cm wide and as thin as you can without them becoming too delicate.

Make sure you use flour to stop them sticking to surfaces.

Add a spoon of your filling.

Dip your finger in water and put a small amount of water around the edge of the disk.

Fold in half.

Pinch the edges together - it doesn't matter how. Make sure that there are no gaps.

These dumplings need to be cooked in salted water with a little oil. 

Cook them in small batches, otherwise they stick together. 

If you're cooking lots of them you'll need to change the water every now and again, otherwise the flour thickens the water. I cooked mine in the beef broth I'd made so they absorbed the flavours.

The verdict: they really are quite easy to make and I was happy with mine for a first attempt. I learned a few important lessons to remember next time.

• make sure the corners/edges don't get too thick otherwise they get doughy once cooked
• I made mine too big - 8cm disks would have been better
• apparently, using some rice flour (150g plain flour & 50g rice flour) makes for a more fine texture

I enjoyed making these little dumplings, they tasted almost as good as the ones from the shop, they weren't too tricky and they were definitely a lot cheaper than buying them in. 

Happy faces all round.