Dumplings are one of my favorite food items to eat! They're a nice bit sized and can be filled with anything yummy. I usually go to a restaurant to enjoy them but would love to learn to make them at home.

So I'm looking forward to checking out a new book DUMPLINGS ALL DAY WONG [Page Street Publishing, August 2014, $19.99 US] by author Lee Anne Wong

Lee Anne Wong is a renowned Asian chef, a finalist on season one of Bravo’s Top Chef, and a judge on The Food Network's Chopped, who in "Dumplings All Day Wong" provides the basics of creating delicious Asian dumplings any time for any occasion, perfect as a snack, appetizer, or entrée.

“My book focuses on the Asian style of dumplings,” says Lee Anne. “The further you get into the book, the more you will begin to realize that your possibilities are truly endless. As with all styles of cooking, once you master the techniques and basic recipes, you’ll have the ability to build your own dumpling arsenal.”

"Dumplings All Day Wong" includes chapters which cover choosing the right dough and folding techniques, as well as focusing on delicacies such as Shumai, Har Gow, Wontons, Soups and Baos.

Some of the savory original recipes include:

• Sweet Corn Tamale Dumplings with Sesame-Avocado Sauce
• Chicken Pad Thai Wontons with Spicy Peanut Sauce
• Edamame and Sweet Pea Gyoza with Wasabi Cream

With "Dumplings All Day Wong" you easily make tasty, unique dumplings with Chef Wong’s most coveted recipes and techniques. Ready to try? Here's a recipe you can try at home now.


1 1/2 lb (680 g) ground pork
1/2 lb (75 g) garlic/Chinese chives, chopped 1/4" (3 mm) thick
1/4 cup (55 g) ground fatback
1/4 cup (60 ml) low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup (60 ml) shao xing rice wine
2 tbsp (28 g) ginger, finely grated or minced
2 tsp (10 g) sugar
1 tsp (5g) salt
60 round dumpling skins
Chopped scallions for garnish

Soy Ginger Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup (60 ml) soy sauce
1/4 cup (60 ml) rice, black, or chinese red vinegar
1/2 cup (120 ml) water
1 tbsp (15 g) granulated sugar
2 tbsp (28 g) ginger root, finely julienned


Directions

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the pork, garlic chives, fatback, soy sauce, shao xing, ginger, sugar, salt and white pepper. Mix the ingredients until the filling is well combined.

• Fill and form each dumpling with a 1/2 tablespoon of pork filling. Choose your cooking method:

Cooking

Boiled: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the dumplings in small batches for 2-3 minutes. Drain, serve immediately with soy ginger dipping sauce.

Steamed: Steam on greased parchment paper over a boiling water bath until the filling and dumpling skins are cooked through, about 4 minutes.

Pan-fried: In a small container, mix 2 cups/475 milliliters of water and 2 tablespoons/12 grams of flour until the flour has dissolved into the water and the mixture is cloudy. Heat a small nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon/15 milliliters of vegetable oil to the pan and place the dumplings in the pan, lined up next to each other and cook until the bottoms turn golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup/25 grams of flour/water mix to the pan; it will react with the hot pan and steam and splatter a bit so as soon as you add the flour/water mixture, cover the pan with a tight-fitted lid. Cook the dumplings covered until almost all of the water has evaporated and a thin golden crust begins to form in the bottom of the pan. Remove the lid and cook until all water has evaporated. Carefully removed the dumplings from the pan, serve immediately.

Deep Fried: Preheat a large pot of deep fry oil to 350°F/175°C. Carefully drop the dumplings one by one into the hot oil, frying in small batches being sure not to overcrowd the oil. Cook the dumplings for 2 minutes, until the filling is cooked and the exterior is golden brown. Drain to a paper towel. Repeat with remaining dumplings until all are cooked, making sure the oil temperature returns to 350°F/176°C before frying the next batch. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.

To make the dipping sauce, mix all the ingredients until the sugar dissolves. Refrigerate and allow to macerate for at least one hour.