Garden Dumplings
CBC Life | Posted: March 15, 2021 12:30 AM | Last Updated: March 15, 2021
Two-toned handmade dough takes these chicken dumplings to the next level.
Makes 32 dumplings
Get ready to impress with this two-toned dumpling dough!
These garden dumplings feature a well-balanced, herb-forward chicken filling. They pair perfectly with a tasty scallion sauce.
This recipe was the Technical Bake for Botanical Week on Season 4 of The Great Canadian Baking Show.
Ingredients
Green Dough
- ½ cup (125 ml) water
- 4 cups (90 g) lightly packed spinach
- 1 ½ cups (200 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp (5 ml) sesame oil
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vegetable oil
- ¼ tsp (1 g) salt
White Dough
- 1½ cups (200 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup plus 1 tbsp boiling water
- ¼ tsp (1 g) salt
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 tsp (5 ml) sesame oil
Filling
- 2½ cups (170 g) finely chopped Napa cabbage
- ½ tsp (3 g) kosher salt
- 9 oz (250 g) ground chicken thighs and legs
- 5 tsp (25 g) chicken fat/schmaltz
- ½ cup (22 g) roughly chopped cilantro
- ½ cup (35 g) finely chopped green onion
- ½ cup (32 g) finely chopped Chinese chives
- ⅓ cup (10 g) roughly chopped dill
- 1 tbsp (5 g) minced ginger
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) light soy sauce (not sodium-reduced)
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) Shaoxing wine
- ½ tsp (3 g) granulated sugar
- white pepper and kosher salt to taste
- 5 tsp (25 ml) vegetable oil for frying
Green Onion and Oil Sauce
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 green onion, finely chopped
- ½ tsp (3 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) light soy sauce
- 2 tsp (10 ml) black rice vinegar
Preparation
Green Dough
Bring ½ cup (125 ml) water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add spinach and blanch until wilted.
Immediately transfer spinach and water to a blender and purée. Press through a fine sieve, scraping the solids from underneath and reserving with the liquid.
Place flour in a large bowl; divide into two mounds. Using a fork, make a well in one mound and drizzle in ½ cup (125 ml) reserved spinach liquid; mix well.
Add sesame oil, vegetable oil and salt to the other mound. Stirring with a fork, begin to bring the two mounds together to form a shaggy dough. Knead until dough comes together.
Turn out onto a work surface; knead for 3 - 5 minutes or until smooth. Divide in two and roll each portion into a 7-inch log. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill.
White Dough
As with green dough, place flour in a large wide bowl; divide into two mounds. Using a fork, make a well in one mound and drizzle in ½ cup plus 1 tbsp (140ml) boiling water. Mix well.
Add sesame oil, vegetable oil and salt to the other mound. Stirring with a fork, begin to bring the two mounds together to form a shaggy dough. Knead until dough comes together.
Turn out onto a work surface; knead for 3 - 5 minutes or until smooth. Divide in two and roll each portion into a 7-inch log. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill.
Filling
Toss cabbage with ½ tsp (2 g) kosher salt in a bowl and let stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Squeeze out liquid and discard. Transfer cabbage to a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate.
Roll Out Dough
On a lightly floured work surface, flatten and roll out one spinach log into a 4½ x 7-inch rectangle. Then place one white dough log in centre. Fold green dough over white dough to encase, pinching and smoothing seam and rolling together until log is 8 inches long. Trim ends. Repeat with remaining dough logs.
Cut each log into 16 pieces. Toss one dough piece in flour and flatten into 3 ½-inch-wide round.
Lifting the top half of the dough with one hand, beginning in the centre of the round, roll out toward the bottom edge with increasing pressure, rotating the dough round clockwise as you roll to create a thinner edge than middle. The green edge should be paper-thin.
Your final circle of dough should be a 4½-inch round. Dust with flour if needed. Arrange on counter, uncovered, without overlapping or dough rounds will stick together.
Repeat with remaining dough (one dough log = 16 dumplings).
Fill and Shape
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Starting with your first dough, spoon 1 tbsp (15 g) of filling into centre of dough.
Gather dough up like a sack and pinch together lightly around filling to resemble a leafy cabbage head. Place dumpling on prepared pan and repeat with remaining dough and filling.
Cook
Heat 5 tsp (25 ml) oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange dumplings so they are not touching and cook until lightly browned on bottom. Add ⅓ cup (79ml) water and cover tightly with lid or with foil and a sheet pan on top to seal.
Cook until dumplings are cooked through, about 6 - 7 minutes. Remove lid/foil and continue to cook until any remaining water is evaporated and bottoms are deep golden brown, 1 - 2 minutes.
Dipping Sauce
Heat 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Combine green onions and sugar in a small bowl. Pour hot oil overtop and let cool. Stir in remaining ingredients.