I dare say these are the best dumplings in the whole book. The standout flavour in this dish comes from the more fatty chicken cuts – so if you’re into lean cuts of chicken, a heads-up, you’re not going to like these dumplings. But there’s method to my madness: like adding more oil to any dish before serving, the additional oils released from the chicken fat while it’s cooked carry through the flavours of the marinade and the ginger to burst on your tastebuds. The meat should be chopped roughly so you get a nice firm texture to bite into. Keep an eye out for young ginger, because old ginger can really pack a punch.
Chicken and ginger jiaozi
Makes 24 dumplings
Preparation time: approx. 1 hour
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
Filling
300g fatty ground chicken
5 tbsp (40g) grated fresh ginger
2 2/3 tbsp (40ml) oyster sauce
4 tsp (20ml) light soy sauce
2 tsp (10ml) Shaoxing rice wine
2 tsp (10ml) sesame oil
Pinch of ground white pepper
Black vinegar and tamari, for serving (makes 150ml)
5 tbsp (75ml) Chinese black vinegar
¼ cup (60ml) tamari
1 tbsp (13g) superfine sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp (6g) minced green onion, white part only
Roasted Sichuan chilli oil, for serving (makes 1 cup)
1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
3 star anise
2 tbsp (10g) Sichuan peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1⁄4 cup (14g) crushed red pepper flakes
Pinch of salt
Bang bang sauce, for serving (Bumpling’s signature sauce, makes 300ml)
2 tbsp (30ml) Chinese sesame paste or tahini
3 tbsp (45ml) light soy sauce
2 tbsp (30ml) Chinese black vinegar
2 tsp (9g) superfine sugar
Pinch of Chinese five-spice powder
1⁄2 cup (120ml) roasted Sichuan chilli oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1⁄4 cup (60ml) chicken broth or stock
24 round dumpling wrappers (bought or homemade)
Julienned cucumber (sliced into short, thin strips), for serving
Sliced green onion, for garnish (optional)
Chopped roasted peanuts, for garnish
Method
For the black vinegar and tamari, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Cover and keep refrigerated until required (if you can, make this a day in advance to allow the flavours to infuse).
For the chilli oil, combine the vegetable oil, cinnamon, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns and bay leaves in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until the oil becomes fragrant, about 25 minutes. It is very easy to burn your spices at this point, so check in every now and then, and adjust the heat as required.
Meanwhile, in a medium heatproof bowl, combine the red pepper flakes and salt. Once the oil mixture is fragrant, increase the heat to high and cook for an additional minute. Carefully strain the oil through a fine sieve into the bowl containing the red pepper flake mixture and stir well. The oil should sizzle and change colour immediately. Let it cool to room temperature before transferring to a jar to infuse further.
For the filling, combine ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix vigorously in one direction until the mixture binds. Cover and let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
For the bang bang sauce, combine all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and whisk until well mixed. Before using, you can thin the sauce with additional chicken broth, if desired.
Working with one dumpling wrapper at a time, place one level tablespoon (15g) of filling in the centre of a wrapper and shape into a half-moon. Cover loosely with a clean, damp tea towel and repeat the process to form the remaining dumplings.
Cook the dumplings in a pot of boiling water until cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the water using a slotted spoon. Serve in bowls topped with some of the black vinegar and tamari, roasted Sichuan chilli oil and bang bang sauce, plus cucumber, sliced green onion (if using) and roasted peanuts.
This is a lightly edited extract, reprinted with permission from This Is a Book About Dumplings by Brendan Pang, Page Street Publishing Co, 2020.
