Recipe: Shumai

One of our favorite things of all time are steamed dumplings.  Love them!  Because it is January (eat healthy post-holidays and all that) and because we are heading to South Beach in less than two weeks, I am sharing my good-for-you version of these little pockets of deliciousness.  I substitute ground turkey breast for the pork and combine the turkey with scallops and shrimp.  I make a big batch of these because they freeze so well.  They are a perfect thing to have on hand to round out a sashimi dinner or when you just want to get your dim sum on.

To start, you need equal part ground turkey, scallops and shrimp.  You can make these without the turkey and they are still great.  I find that leaving out the scallops, though, makes them denser and less wonderful.

Layer said ingredients in a food processor.  I really do recommend channeling your inner Martha Stewart and evenly distributing the ingredients in the bowl of the processor.   This way you won’t have to puree it to death to get a nice, even distribution of the ingredients and it will give the shumai some texture which is ideal (and not found in the frozen, store-bought version).  If you lack a food processor, you can chop up the seafood by hand and mix that with the turkey.

Add in the usual asian suspects: ginger, scallions, jalapeno, cilantro, and garlic.

Froth up a couple of egg whites and add to the mix with some rice wine vinegar and a touch of corn starch to hold it all together.

Next up — unnecessary wonton trimming as square wrappers make perfectly fine shumai but they look ever so slightly prettier when cut into rounds.

Filling the shumai is the only time consuming part (and it is not that bad).  One idea when you have had your fill of stuffing shumai is to make fish cakes with the remaining mixture — just round into patties and coat with panko bread crumbs. Throw in the freezer and save for a rainy day.  In any event, the easiest way to fill these babies is to form a circle with your thumb and index finger (left hand if you are right handed) and place the wonton wrapper on top of the opening.  Using a spoon in your right hand, plop a generous spoonful on the wrapper and push it down the circle you have formed.  Give it a little squeeze, smooth the top and ta da . . . shumai.

INGREDIENTS:

This make a lot of shumai – about 40 to fifty depending on how fat you make them.  As I said before, they freeze beautifully so I like to make a big batch but feel free to cut the recipe in half.

• 1 pound scallops
• 1 pound shrimp
• 1 pound ground white turkey breast
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped jalepeno pepper
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
• 4 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
• 4 tablespoons chopped scallions
• 3 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
• 4 eggs whites
• 3 teaspoons corn starch
• 40 wonton wrappers (one package)
• 1 tablespoon wasabi powder
• 6 tablespoons Dijon mustard

For the filling – Peel and chop the shrimp.  Quarter the scallops.  Layer in a food processor.  Add the next seven ingredients and pulse until just combined and any really big chunks are gone.

To form shumai – follow the instructions above just be sure to keep a damp paper towel over the remaining wonton wrappers as you fill them.   You’ll want about one tablespoon per dumpling.  You can freeze the dumplings at this point.  The best way is to do a single layer on parchment paper (foil works too) on a cookie sheet or plate.  When they are completely frozen you can bag them up and get rid of the cookie sheet.

To steam – place a steamer over an inch of water and bring to a boil.  To keep the shumai from sticking, spray the steam with canola spray, lightly oil or put down some cabbage leaves on the bottom of the steamer.  Steam for four to six minutes until hot.  If they were previously frozen they will need about 12 minutes in the steamer.