These delicious pouch dumplings are so easy to make and will impress everyone. I love to make dumplings, especially when it comes to those store bought wrappers. It's amazing how many ways you can fold a simple square or round of dough, which is perfect for people like me who love to play with their food and always involves a bit of crafty handwork while making food.
One of my favorite dumpling shapes has to be this elegant and easy to make pouch shape, basically you wrap these up like you wrap up a gift. Always secure the inner edges of the pouch together by simply dabbing some water all around the center lump of filling. After gathering the edges together , a deliberate pinch from all sides of the wrapper in towards the center just above the filling will seal off the pouch. The dumplings will stand sealed on their own, tie it with some greens is purely ornamental. I've used ribbons of cucumber. I might as well make good use of cucumber it in decorating my dumplings by using a vegetable peeler. I make very thin strips of cucumber ribbons and then wrap them around the pinched part of each pouch to make a finished looking dumpling.
You can fill these pouch dumplings with any kind filling you want. A quick dousing of dark soy sauce and hot chili oil make a delicious finish for these dumplings, since the shrimp and veggies filling is mild in flavor.
Ingredients:
1 packet small size shrimp
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Salt to taste
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons green peas
1 teaspoon white pepper optional
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
Wrappers:
1 packet dumplings wrappers, square shaped
Directions:
In a bowl, mix all the filling ingredients together.
Lay out a dumpling wrapper. Spoon a rounded tablespoon of the filling into the center of the wrapper, then lightly dab the area around the filling with water. Gather the outer edges of the wrapper together and pinch the dumpling in the area just above where the filling sits, then set the dumpling aside.
Use a vegetable peeler to peel out very thin ribbons of cucumber and soak them in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes until they are malleable and limp, blot them with a paper towel,then wrap the ribbons around each dumpling to create a pouch-like look, then place them on a steamer or strainer of a rice cooker lined with parchment paper to avoid sticking. I use rice cooker to make dumplings as it is very easy.
Fill a rice cooker half full with water and bring to a full boil. Place strainer on top of rice cooker, then cover it and steam for 10-15 minutes.
