The art of stuffed noodles dates back to the days of Marco Polo and his family, who were Venetian travellers that journeyed toward Constantinople. However a war blocked their return, so they travelled eastward and reached the eastern capital Kaifeng, Shangdu in C.1266. This was the summer capital residence of the great emperor of China, Kublai Khan, grandson of Ghengis Khan. Read more
Sìchuān is a style of Chinese cuisine originating from the Sìchuān Province. The flavours of this delicious cuisine are bold and robust and Sìchuān pepper is a key ingredient. Sìchuān pepper does not come from the same family as black pepper or chilli, it comes from plants of the genus Zanthoxylum in the family Rutaceae. his pepper is a warm – hot spice, that can cause a numbing or tingling sensation on consumption due to the presence of hydroxy-alpha sanshool.
These spicy dumplings are delicious and best served with a tangy dipping sauce to contrast the spiced pork and peanut filling.
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Sìchuān pork & peanut dumplings
- Total Time: 29 minute
- Yield: Yield 36 dumplings, freeze leftover filling 1x
Ingredients
100g pork mince
100g veal mince
1 cup Chinese cabbage, finely chopped
1/2 cup bean sprouts
2 fresh shitake or 1 dried mushroom, soaked if required
2 spring onions
2 tbsp Sìchuān sauce (Doubanjiang or broad bean chili paste)
1 tbsp soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp Sìchuān pepper, finely ground
1/2 cup salted peanuts, lightly roasted
36 wonton wrappers – round or square
1–2 tbsp peanut oil for pan-frying
Dipping sauce
2 tbs Chinese black vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
Instructions
- Very finely chop the cabbage, bean sprouts, mushrooms and spring onions or pulse them in a food processor until they are very fine. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add garlic, ginger and the ground pork and veal together. Add the tbsp Sìchuān sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and Sìchuān pepper, finely ground and mix well. Stir in the lightly roasted, salted peanuts.
- Place one teaspoon of the filling onto a circle of each wonton wrapper. Moisten one edge with water and bring the edges together, pinch and crimp the dumplings closed, forming a small pasty or moneybag shape. Repeat with the remaining filling mixture and wrappers.
To steam
- Place prepared the dumplings into a lined bamboo steamer, cover them with a lid, and steam for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove the dumplings from the steamer and serve with the combined dipping sauce ingredients.
To panfry
- Heat a large frypan, add a peanut oil and fry batches of the dumplings until the bottoms are slightly golden brown, about 5 minutes . Add enough water so that it reaches halfway up the sides of the dumplings. Cover with a lid so the dumplings steam until all the water has evaporated, about 5-9 minutes.
- Remove the dumplings from the pan and serve with the combined dipping sauce ingredients.
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 10-15 mins
- Category: Dumplings
- Cuisine: Sìchuān
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