By Joyce Dodson Piotrowski
It was the summer of 1965 in Taipei, Taiwan when I learned to make my first dim sum. Truth be told, I didn’t even know what dim sum were. My teacher was another army wife, Eugenia Su-Brown, and she was probably teaching me her only dish. Eugenia was a concert pianist who grew up in a wealthy Hong Kong family with live-in cooks. I believe that Eugenia had never had to cook anything. Nonetheless, we spent the afternoon making
jiaozi. You probably know them as pot-stickers.
That afternoon was an introduction to a kind of food that has fascinated me for 40 years. Those jiaozi led me to tea houses in Hong Kong, Taipei, San Francisco, New York and Philadelphia where I spent many happy hours with friends and family sipping tea and choosing from the hundreds of dishes offered from the passing trolleys. They were the impetus to eat from street vendors who gathered in Taipei’s night time restaurant district.
The baked, steamed or fried dumplings, turnovers and buns were so good that I had to learn how to make them. That in turn led me to out of the way grocery stores and importers. Each new dish was like a jewel added to my collection. There were the everyday dim sum that could be counted on as old favorites and the seasonal ones that appeared only at The Lantern Festival or The New Year or the Spring Festival.
The term dim sum translates literally to dot heart, but a Chinese friend says that the real meaning is “little favorite close to the heart”. I have to admit that I have a lot of little favorites. The puffy, white steamed pork buns (
cha shao bao) filled with bits of pork simmered in hoisin sauce erupt like volcanoes as they cook so that rivulets of red juice entice one to bite into the juicy centers. The incredible fried taro dumplings (
wu gok) that cook into three separate layers of crust, one flaky, another firmer and cooked and the third sweet and creamy, and inside these layers the juicy filling of pork, shrimp and chicken. They are rivalled by the
har gow glistening, smooth-skinned steamed dumplings filled with shrimp, the filling glowing pink through the translucent dough begging to be dipped in the ginger flavored rice wine vinegar and their brothers, the steamed pork dumplings (shao mai) that I dip in gingery soy sauce. But then my attention turns to the baked pork buns (as big as hamburgers with a shining brown, egg glaze on the airy yeast dough and a generous filling of roast pork with Chinese BBQ sauce.
I could feast for hours on curried beef turnovers (
ga lei gok) made with a puff-pastry-like dough and filled with a gingery curried beef mixture. And how could I forget jiaozi, my first love? Those little crescents that are steamed and soft on top and crusty-brown on the bottom.
In fact, jiaozi played another role in my life. Just before the birth of our third child, my husband and I were invited to the home of an eighty-year-old man who had once been Chiang Kai-Shek’s attorney general on the mainland. For one of several courses, his chef made ginger and chicken dumplings, his specialty, and I was so taken with them that the chef just kept sending out more. I must admit to being embarrassed at my consumption as the host urged me on saying they would insure an easy delivery. I would like to believe they worked. But I also believe that they had an influence on my son, he eats and cooks Chinese food with passion.
There are, in fact, hundreds of other types of dim sum; noodles, meat dishes, chicken feet, duck webs, meat or fish wrapped in rice paper and deep fried. There is sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves and then steamed and there are many steamed seafood dishes to name just a few. But my heart’s favorites will always be the little dumplings and stuffed breads.
Eugenia Su-Brown’s Pork Filled Jiaozi
Flour and Water Dough
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup boiling water
Pork Filling
- 1/2 cup grated Chinese cabbage (or regular cabbage)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces lean ground pork
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 green onion minced (green and white parts)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil for steam-frying
- 1/3 cup water for steam-frying
Place the flour and salt in a stainless steel bowl. Pour the boiling water over the flour and stir until it forms a dough. When the dough is cool enough to handle, knead it until very smooth and elastic. Shape in a long even log (about 12 inches long.) Cut the dough in half and then in quarters. Cut each quarter in half and then cut each of these pieces in 3 equal pieces. This will produce 24 equal pieces. Cover with a cloth and then plastic wrap to keep soft but dry.
Use a four sided grater or your food processor to grate the cabbage. Place it in a bowl and sprinkle on the salt. Mix well with your hands. Place in a sieve and allow to drain for 30 minutes. Place the cabbage in a dish towel and squeeze it dry. Peel a 3 inch piece of ginger and grate on your four sided grater to make 1 tablespoon of grated ginger. Mix the cabbage with the pork, ginger, green onion, soy and sugar.
Roll a piece of dough into a 2 1/2 inch circle. Place 1 teaspoon of pork filling in the center. Pinch the edges of the dough together to seal. This is usually done by pleating one side onto the other. By pleating one side the dumpling forms a crescent. Place on the counter so that the bottom flattens. If your dough dries out too much, or you use flour for rolling, you may need to use a little water to seal the edges together.
When all of the dumplings are filled, place in the refrigerator until an hour before serving. Heat a flat skillet over medium heat. When hot, add 2 tablespoons of oil. Place the dumplings in the skillet, forming a circle. Add the water and cover with a tight lid. Cook for 15 minutes, checking after 10 minutes to make sure that the bottom is not burning.
Serve hot with dishes of soy-ginger sauce and vinegar sauce.
Note: These dumplings may be made very spicy by adding a tablespoon of hot bean paste to the filling and replacing the vegetable oil with hot chilli oil for the steaming.
Happy Childbirth Chicken and Ginger Jiaozi
makes 24
These are made exactly the same as the pork dumplings above except for the filling.
Chicken and ginger filling
- 1 recipe flour and water dough cut in 24 pieces
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast minced fine
- 3 tablespoons grated ginger
- 1 clove garlic mashed
- 2 green onions minced (green and white parts)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Make the dough using the recipe above. Combine all of the ingredients for the filling. Roll the dough and fill the dumplings exactly as described in the recipe above.
You may steam-fry the dumplings as in the pork recipe, or you may place each dumpling on a small square of parchment paper and then steam them in a bamboo steamer. If using the steamer baskets, place 3 cups of water and a copper penny in a wok. Place over medium heat. When the water begins to boil, place the steamer baskets over the water and cover with the lid. Twist a wet tea towel and wedge it around the bottom of the basket to keep in the steam. The copper penny will make noise as long as there is enough water to boil. If it stops making noise, add 3 cups of hot water, over the towel. The dumplings will be finished in 8 minutes.
Serve hot with a dipping sauce made of half soy sauce and half vinegar with some minced green onion floating in it.
Steamed Pork Dumplings
makes 24
I have found that while this recipe tastes best when I use Chinese roast pork, the flavoring ingredients are so intense that if I use uncooked pork tenderloin cut in thin slices it works almost as well. These may be done several hours ahead and reheated.
Filling
- 1 pound Chinese Roast pork (buy at Chinese market))
- 2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- 1/2 teaspoons 5 spice powder (from Chinese market)
- 2 tablespoons oil for frying
- 2 tablespoons rice wine
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Dough
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 3/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon oil
If you are using Chinese roast pork, slice thin and cut the slices in half. If using raw pork tenderloin, remove the silver skin and then slice thin, cut each slice in half. Mix the hoisin sauce, honey, soy, oyster sauce, garlic and 5 spice powder with the pork. Marinate at least 10 minutes. Mix the rice wine with the sesame oil and cornstarch and set aside. Heat a wok, add 2 Tbs oil and stir-fry until the pork begins to brown. Add the cornstarch mixture and cook until thick. Allow to cool a little.
Sift the flour and baking powder together. Dissolve the sugar in the water and add the oil to it. Stir the flour into the water and make a dough. Work quickly. Be sure to have the filling ready.
Shape the dough in a log and cut into 24 equal pieces. (see first recipe) Pat a piece of dough into a 3 inch circle. Place a heaped teaspoon of filling in the center. Gather the edges of the dough over the filling and pinch closed. Place in a paper muffin liner. Repeat with remaining dough.
Place the buns in a steamer basket about 2 inches apart. Place your wok on a medium heat, with 3 cups of water and a copper penny. When the water is boiling, place the steamer baskets in the wok. Twist a wet tea towel and wedge it into the wok at the base of the basket. The penny will make noise. If the noise stops, add more hot water through the towel. Steam the buns for 15 minutes.
NOTE: This dough can be filled with any cooked meat in place of the pork. It goes very well with chicken and beef and vegetarians can use pressed bean curd or a combination of mushrooms and bamboo shoots. These are not authentic but they are good eating.
Baked Pork BBQ Buns
makes 24
This dough is a sweet soft yeast bread. In San Francisco, I would always buy a dozen to take home. They never lasted an hour at the house. When I make them I double the recipe so I can freeze some to serve as a first course with a stir-fry dinner.
Dough
- 2 packets rapid-rise yeast
- 1 3/4 cups warm water
- 6 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
Filling
- 1 pound Chinese Roast Pork sliced very thin (Chinese grocery)
- 1/2 pound Chinese sausage (lop cheung from Chinese grocery)
- 1 tablespoon minced shallots or red onion
- 1/4 cup diced water chestnuts
- 1/4 cup cilentro leaves
- 1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Hoisin sauce (from Chinese grocery)
- 1/4 teaspoon five spice powder (from Chinese grocery)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Egg Wash
Make the yeast dough. Dissolve the yeast in the water following the directions on the packets. Mix the flour, sugar and salt. Add the water and knead until smooth. This may be done in a mixer or by hand. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover. Allow to rise double in a warm place.
Mix all of the filling ingredients together.
When the dough has doubled in bulk, punch down and divide the dough into 24 pieces. Pat into a 3 to 4 inch circle. Place a heaped tablespoon of filling in the center. Pinch the dough closed over the filling. Place on a greased baking sheet with the pinched side down. Repeat using all of the dough. Cover the buns with a cloth and place somewhere warm to rise.
When the buns are ready to bake, brush them with the egg wash. Then go back a few minutes later and brush them again. Place in a 350 degree oven and bake for 25 minutes.
NOTE: The filling for the steamed pork buns can be used in this one. However this is more typical. The sausage is cured and does not need cooking.
Taro Root Dumplings
makes 24
I know that this is a long recipe but the finished product is such an unexpectedly delicious thing! The taro root will cook to a blue gray color. It can be found at Oriental markets. While sweet potato will work, the taste is different. There is taro root flour available at Chinese grocers. It is mixed with hot water to make a thick paste and then worked with as if it were the mashed taro root. These cakes can be made ahead by a day or two and fried when you are ready to serve them.
Dough
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh taro root or sweet potato
- 1/3 cup lard or other shortening
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch or more as needed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Filling
- 1/2 pound lean pork diced fine
- 1/2 pound chicken breast meat diced fine
- 1/4 pound raw shrimp peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil for stir-frying
- 1 green onion cut in 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons dry Chinese mushrooms soaked in hot water
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/4 teaspoon ground Szechuan pepper
- oil for deep frying
Peel and slice the taro root 1 inch thick. Place it in a bamboo steamer and cook until mealy and soft. Or you can place the slices on a glass pie plate, add one tablespoon of water and cover with plastic wrap before microwaving at 50 percent for about 7 minutes. In both cases, test for softness and cook longer if necessary. Mash with a mixer or food processor. Then smooth add the shortening, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon sugar. If the dough is too soft, add more cornstarch.
Make the filling. Dice all of the meat in 1/4 inch dice. Marinate the mixed meats and shrimp in 1 tablespoon soy, 1 tablespoon rice wine,and 1 teaspoon cornstarch. Remove the mushrooms from the water they are soaking in and cut off the stems. Dice the caps in 1/4 inch dice. Cut the green onion in 1/4 inch pieces. Place in a small bowl the 1 tablespoon soy, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 2 teaspoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons rice wine, 2 tablespoons water and 1/4 teaspoon Szechuan pepper. Heat a wok until very hot. Add 1/4 cup vegetable oil and stir-fry the meat mixture until cooked through, about 90 seconds. Add the vegetables, and toss well. Stir the mixture in the bowl and pour over the meat and vegetables and cook until thickened.
Divide the taro dough into 24 pieces. Pat each piece into a 3 inch circle. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center. Fold in half and pinch the edges together. Chill until serving time.
Heat at least 4 inches of vegetable oil in a deep heavy pan or in a deep fat fryer. Oil should be 375 degrees. Deep fry 3 or 4 at a time. Do not crowd. The outside crust will seem to disintegrate and become fuzzy. This is good. Fry until golden, about 3 minutes. Lift gently from the oil and serve hot.
Chicken in Transparent Wrapper
makes 18
This dough is used for the steamed shrimp dumplings and pork dumplings. It becomes glistening and transparent when steamed allowing the beauty of the filling to show through. These can be made a day ahead and re-steamed at serving time to warm them.
Transparent dough
1 cup wheat starch (flour with no gluten from Chinese grocer)
1 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon lard or vegetable oil (lard was originally used) chicken filling
1 pound boneless chicken breast, ground or minced fine
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 green onions, minced
1/4 cup frozen green peas (I like petit pois)
Place the wheat starch in a heat-proof bowl and pour in the boiling water. Stir well. Add the vegetable oil and when cooled enough, knead with your hands. The dough will feel soft and rubbery like Silly Putty. Cover with a damp towel.
Mix the ground chicken with all of the remaining ingredients. Chill for an hour or more to make the mixture more firm. Mold the chicken mixture into little sausages 2 inches long and about 1/2 inch thick.
Roll out the transparent dough between sheets of plastic wrap. Cut the dough in pieces about 1 1/2 by 2 inches. Wrap each chicken sausage with a piece of dough so that the meat sticks out of the ends. Place on 2 inch squares of aluminum foil.
Place the sausages in a steamer basket about 1 inch apart. Place your wok on a medium heat, with 3 cups of water and a copper penny. When the water is boiling, place the steamer baskets in the wok. Twist a wet tea towel and wedge it into the wok at the base of the basket. The penny will make noise. If the noise stops, add more hot water through the towel. Steam for 6 minutes.
Steamed Shrimp Dumplings
makes 24
These “little favorites” remind me of pink pearls. They are always very small and when professionally made, look as if they came from a mold, the pleats are that tiny and perfect. Mine are never quite so pretty. These can be made a day ahead and re-steamed at serving time to warm them.
Transparent dough
1 cup wheat starch (flour with no gluten from Chinese grocer)
1 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon lard or vegetable oil (lard was originally used)
Shrimp filling
1/2 pound raw, peeled shrimp
1/2 cup minced water chestnut
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons rice wine or dry sherry
2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 green onions minced very finely
1 tablespoon minced cilentro leaf
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Place the wheat starch in a heat-proof bowl and pour in the boiling water. Stir well. Add the vegetable oil and when cooled enough, knead with your hands. The dough will feel soft and rubbery like Silly Putty. Cover with a damp towel.
Mince the shrimp by chopping with a cleaver until you can no longer see individual pieces, or place in a food processor and pulse until ground. Place in a bowl and mix with the remaining ingredients. Chill.
Cut the dough into 24 pieces. Roll into 2 1/2 inch circles between plastic wrap or oil a formica surface and a rolling pin and roll out.
Place 1 teaspoon of filling in the center. Pinch the edges of the dough together to seal. This is usually done by pleating one side onto the other. By pleating one side so the dumpling forms a tight crescent. Place on the counter so that the bottom flattens.
Place the dumplings in a steamer basket about 1 inch apart. Place your wok on a medium heat, with 3 cups of water and a copper penny. When the water is boiling, place the steamer baskets in the wok. Twist a wet tea towel and wedge it into the wok at the base of the basket. The penny will make noise. If the noise stops, add more hot water through the towel. Steam for 8 minutes. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
Dipping Sauces
There are many sauces that can be used when serving dim sum. You may want to purchase some Duck Sauce (an apricot flavored sweet and sour), Chinese mustard, Hoisin, and plum sauce. Here are a few more.
Chile Oil Vinegar
1 cup rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons grated ginger
2 teaspoons minced green onion
2 teaspoons red chilli oil
Mix all of the ingredients. This may be made without the chilli oil to use with seafood.
Ginger Soy
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 teaspoon sliced green onion, green part only
Mix all of the ingredients. 
