Recently, I have been craving Sichuan-style dumplings with chili sauce, but they are only available with meat filling at most of the Chinese take-out places, so I thought I would try making some with mushroom filling.
Not everything in this recipe is made from scratch. I wanted to share a recipe that is easy to make and does not require weeklong preparations in advance, and if you ask me, life is too short to make your own dumpling wrappers:) I have thus been taking shortcuts whenever this could be done without affecting the final result too much.
Notes
The sauce is not authentic Sichuan chili sauce but made the way I like it. It has more vinegar than most other recipes, and it does not have star anise as I do not like that flavor very much in the sauce. You are of course free to add some if you like.
The Japanese chili oil I used for the sauce was made with sesame oil as the basis, and the sesame flavor goes particularly well with the other flavors in this recipe. If your chili oil is not made with sesame oil, add a few drops of sesame oil to the sauce, if you have some at home.
I tried to find that kind of chili oil that comes with lots of roasted chili bits in the bottom of the jar, but the only chili oil available at the grocery store nearby, was a clear Japanese chili oil. I added some dried chili flakes I had at home, but be careful with that, as just a tiny amount can make the oil super spicy. If you have one of those chili oils with roasted chilis in the bottom, or if you have a jar of roasted chili paste, make sure to add some of the chili to the sauce. It looks nice and the oil-soaked roasted chilis are not so spicy.
I’ve included two kinds of dumpling filling, one with chicken and one with mushrooms, in the recipe below. If you make both kinds of dumplings, you will need a double portion of the sauce.
If you make the mushroom filling, please be aware that the salt will drive out water from the mushrooms, so you might need to press out any surplus moisture from the filling, as it is difficult to work with if it is too wet.
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Recipe: Dumplings in spicy sauce
20
dumplingsIngredients
- Spicy dumpling sauce
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chili oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped (approximately 1 heaping teaspoon)
Dried or raw chili flakes
Garnish: cilantro + toasted sesame seeds
- Mushroom dumplings
2 large portobello mushrooms (or 3 smaller ones) finely chopped
1 teaspoon corn starch
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon egg mix (mix the white and the yolk with a fork)
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
Salt and pepper
Dumpling wrappers (20 pcs)
- Chicken dumplings
7 oz ground chicken
3 finely chopped spring onions (only the green part)
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon corn starch
1 tablespoon egg mix (mix the white and yolk with a fork)
Salt and pepper
Dumpling wrappers (20 pcs)
Directions
- Sauce
- Mix all the ingredients and put aside so the sauce is ready to be poured over the hot dumplings later.
- Dumplings
- Mix all the ingredients of the filling of your choice
- If you make mushroom filling, please be aware that the salt will drive out water from the mushrooms, so you might need to press out any surplus moisture from the filling, as it is difficult to work with if it is too wet.
- Use a finger to add a little water to the edge of the wrapper. This will help glue the sides of the wrapper together.
- Fold one half of the wrapper over the other and press the edges together. It is easiest to work your way from one end to the other, making pleats along the way.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Cook the dumplings. I cooked 10 at a time, but in a large pot, you could probably cook 15-20 at a time without risking that they stick together or get stuck at the bottom. The dumplings are done, when they are floating and feel lighter. For the mushroom dumplings, it only took about a minute. The chicken dumplings I made needed a little more time.
- Serve the dumplings in the spicy sauce and sprinkle with cilantro and toasted sesame seeds.
