Chef’slarder Chinese good luck dumplings

Chef Rachel Demuth celebrates Chinese New Year with delicious and auspicious dumplings and dips.

Chinese New Year around the world is eaten in the lead up to and during New a colourful public celebration. It occurs Year also tend to be symbolic of good luck, between 21 January and 20 February, health, wealth, longevity and prosperity. For depending on the Chinese calendar, but instance, dumplings (symbolic of money in 2017 New Year’s Eve is on 28 January to and wealth) and noodles (for longevity) are welcome in the year of the rooster, so make always part of a Chinese New Year feast. a note in your diary to try something Chinese Dumplings in some form are eaten all over in honour of the day. the world from Polish perogi to Italian ravioli For Chinese families, New Year is just as and Japanese gyoza. Chinese dumplings important as Christmas and the New Year are full of symbolism as well as delicious meal is the most significant family event of fillings and are essential for Chinese New the year. Everyone travels to be with family Year, following a 2000-year-old tradition. and people meet in the street to enjoy the Families in Northern China gather on New dragon dance and loud fireworks. Just Year’s Eve and make them together. They are like Christmas, it is a time for special food considered to bring wealth and prosperity, as that can be prepared and eaten together. their shapes resemble Chinese silver ingots. Traditionally, the first day of the New Year Legend has it that the more dumplings you is a meat-free day, to enable the body to eat during the New Year celebrations, the be cleansed in preparation for the year more money you will make in the new year. ahead and to ensure a long life. Dishes The choice of fillings is important too: a cabbage stuffing will help you live until you are 100; a mushroom filling will bring you l The Chinese New Year cookery class at ABOUT wealth and luck. Demuths Vegetarian Cookery School takes RACHEL Different dumplings will have unique place on 28 January 2017. For details of this Chef-proprietor shapes and even the number of pleats in and other classes, go to www.demuths.co.uk. of the award- the pastry is important too, showing off the winning Demuths dexterity of the dumpling maker. But don’t restaurant in worry, if you’re new to making dumplings, Shiitake wontons Bath for 25 simple shapes taste just as good! They Wontons are traditionally served poached years, Rachel is should be bite-sized and are either served in in a clear broth soup, but they can also be now dedicated small steamer baskets or on small plates for deep-fried until crisp and golden. to running everyone to share. the Demuths Dumplings are great fun to make and eat Serves 4 | Prep 45 mins | Cook 5 mins Vegetarian Cookery School, which offers together, but to get into the true spirit and 20 x 8cm square wonton wrappers a range of themed workshops, guest symbolism of Chinese New Year you should 2 tbsp water chef events, cookery holidays in France also clean your house and business before and Italy, and the Demuths Vegetarian the New Year starts, to clear away bad For the filling: and Vegan Diplomas for professional luck and make room for good luck. It’s also 1 tsp sesame oil chefs and keen cooks. As a well-travelled considered auspicious to eat foods such as 200g fresh shiitake mushrooms, finely foodie, Rachel loves to combine her large mandarin oranges to ensure that you chopped passion for global cuisine with the best of have luck and wealth in the New Year. Finally, 4 spring onions, finely chopped locally grown produce. make sure you wear new, brightly coloured ½ tsp Chinese five spice www.demuths.co.uk clothing – preferably red – to scare away the 2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped ALL IMAGES © ROB WICKS/EAT PICTURES © ROB WICKS/EAT ALL IMAGES evil spirits!

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022-7_VL79[RDe_ChineseNY]NT2SJLH.indd 22 16/12/2016 11:26 CHINESE INGREDIENTS BAMBOO SHOOTS have a strong flavour and are available in tins at supermarkets.

WATER CHESTNUTS have a crunchy texture and clean flavour and you can sometimes buy them fresh in Chinese stores, or buy in tins at your supermarket.

CHINESE GARLIC CHIVES are available fresh in Chinese and Thai shops, or use chives instead.

LOTUS ROOT is the segmented underwater stem of the lotus plant. When peeled and sliced, it looks very pretty. It needs to be blanched first, then can be used in salads, or added to soups or stir-fries. The Chinese name for lotus root means ‘having every year’, so the wish, in eating lotus roots, is that you should never be without.

WOOD EAR MUSHROOMS are a dried black fungus and get their name from the way they grow like ears on damp wood. They are available dried from Chinese stores.

CHINESE FIVE SPICE gets its name from the

SHIITAKE five elements: wood, earth, fire, water and metal. WONTONS Five spice powder balances these elements in the body. It is easy to buy five spice powder, but 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine shape. Dab one corner with water and it is more exciting to make your own. There is no 1 tbsp light soy sauce press the other on top to firmly seal. They set recipe but it often contains cinnamon, star 3 tbsp finely shredded Chinese cabbage should look like folded arms and be able anise, cloves, Sichuan peppercorns and fennel. to sit on their bases. Alternatively, gather SHAOXING CHINESE RICE WINE is made 1 Heat the sesame oil and lightly fry the edges together to make a balled from glutinous sticky rice and has an amber the mushrooms with the spring onion, wonton with a pinched bunch at the top. colour and nutty flavour. It’s widely available Chinese five spice, ginger and garlic. Add Repeat with the remaining wrappers, until from Chinese stores and the Chinese section in the rice wine and soy sauce and cook until all the filling is used. your supermarket. all the liquid has evaporated. Mix in the 4 Bring a large saucepan of water to the shredded cabbage. boil. To poach the wontons, lower the CHINKIANG VINEGAR is made from glutinous 2 Line up the wonton wrappers. Working heat to a gentle simmer and drop the black rice and is a dark colour and robust flavour. quickly, place a teaspoon of filling on each wontons in one by one. As they cook, You’ll find it at Chinese stores and the Chinese wrapper. Working on one wrapper at a they will rise up and float, which takes a section in your supermarket. time, turn the square diagonally so that couple of minutes. Test one to ensure the WHEAT STARCH is available from Chinese there is a corner pointing downwards, wrapper is cooked enough, then scoop stores or online. facing you. With a finger, use the water out with a slotted spoon and place into to dampen around the edge, fold the serving bowls or a plate. WRAPPERS You can buy wheat flour wrappers bottom corner up and over to meet the 5 Ladle over the green jade soup in Chinese supermarkets; they are usually sold top corner, and seal to make a triangle. (see recipe, on page 24), or serve plain frozen. Square wonton wrappers are made from 3 Take both the side corners and bring with a dipping sauce. wheat flour, egg and water and the bright yellow forwards to meet each other just beneath n PER SERVING 64 cals, fat 1.4g, sat fat 0.2g, ones are golden from food colouring. You can the filling, so that they mirror the top of carbs 9.4g, sugars 2.2g, protein 2.5g, salt also buy vegan wonton wrappers that are white the triangle, almost creating a diamond 0.6g, fibre 1.7g with no egg or colouring.

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022-7_VL79[RDe_ChineseNY]NT2SJLH.indd 23 16/12/2016 11:26 GREEN JADE SOUP WITH LOTUS ROOT

SWEET AND SOUR DIPPING SAUCE

Green jade soup CHINESE with lotus root VEGETABLE STOCK Serves 4 | Prep 15 mins Makes 2 litres Cook 10 mins 2.5 litres cold water 1 litre Chinese vegetable stock 2 onions, cut in quarters (see recipe, right) 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine 2 carrots, roughly chopped 1 tbsp light soy sauce 1 leek, roughly chopped 100g fresh spinach, chopped 4 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole 1 head of pak choi, sliced 5cm piece of ginger, unpeeled 8 thin slices of lotus root and sliced handful of watercress 2 bay leaves 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns 1 Bring the stock to a gentle simmer 5 dried Chinese or shiitake in a large saucepan. Season to taste mushrooms with the rice wine and soy sauce. 2 Add the spinach, pak choi and Put all the ingredients except the lotus root slices and simmer for a dried mushrooms into a large few minutes, until the spinach has saucepan and bring to the boil. softened but is still bright green. Lower the heat and simmer for Add the watercress and serve as 1 hour. Add the dried mushrooms soon as it has wilted, ladled over and gently simmer for a further the shiitake wontons. 30 minutes. Remove from the heat n PER SERVING 77 cals, fat 0.8g, sat and allow to cool. Strain and pick out fat 0.1g, carbs 11.6g, sugars 10.3g, the mushrooms (to slice and use in protein 4.8g, salt 0.7g, fibre 8.1g cooking), but discard the remaining vegetables. Keep the stock in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze in a plastic container.

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Squash and chive potsticker dumplings A ‘potsticker’ is a Chinese wonton dumpling, which is fried until its base is crisp and golden, then simmered in a small amount of stock or water. They have a fried and steamed texture all in one and are delicious dipped in salty, sour and sweet dipping sauce.

Serves 4 | Prep 45 mins | Cook 10 mins

1 packet round wheatflour dumpling wrappers sunflower oil, for frying

For the filling: 200g squash, diced into 1cm cubes 75g bamboo shoots, finely chopped 6 Chinese garlic chives, finely chopped, or use 2 tbsp chopped regular chives 2 spring onions, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 2 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine 1 tsp light soy sauce 1 tsp toasted sesame oil 2 Mix in the bamboo shoots, garlic pinch of salt chives, spring onions, garlic and To serve: ginger. Add the rice wine, soy sauce, sweet and sour dipping sauce sesame oil and salt. Taste and adjust chilli oil (see recipes, below) the seasonings as necessary. 3 Place a teaspoon of the filling in the CHILLI OIL 1 To make the filling, steam or roast centre of a dumpling wrapper. Lift the squash until tender, then mash one half of the wrapper up and pleat with a fork, keeping some texture, but the edge. Fold the other half of the with no hard lumps. wrapper up to meet the pleated side, dampen with a wet finger and seal for an authentic shape. Alternatively, SWEET AND SOUR fold like a pasty, and crimp the edges to seal. Dampen the edges with a DIPPING SAUCE finger dipped in water, if the edges 2 tbsp light soy sauce don’t stick together. Repeat with the 1 tsp Chinkiang vinegar remaining wrappers, until all the filling SQUASH AND 2 tsp caster sugar is used. CHIVE POTSTICKER DUMPLINGS 1 small clove garlic, finely 4 To cook the dumplings, heat a little chopped sunflower oil in a frying pan, and 1 tsp finely chopped ginger gently fry 5–6 dumplings at a time, depending on the size of your pan. Mix all the ingredients together in Allow to cook until the bases are a a bowl, diluting with a little water crisp golden brown, which will take if the taste is too strong. about 5 minutes. 5 Pour in about 100ml water and CHILLI OIL place a lid on the pan. Steam the 4 tbsp untoasted sesame oil dumplings until the dough is cooked 2 small deseeded red chillies, right through to the tops of the pleats, finely sliced which will take a further 5 minutes. Remove onto small plates and serve Mix the oil and chilli together in a with the dipping sauce and chilli oil. bowl. The longer you leave the oil n PER SERVING 362 cals, fat 23.5g, sat fat the ‘hotter’ it will get. 3.2g, carbs 32.1g, sugars 6.6g, protein 5g, salt 1.7g, fibre 2.9g

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022-7_VL79[RDe_ChineseNY]NT2SJLH.indd 25 16/12/2016 11:27 Crystal skin dumplings 1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger These are traditionally made with prawns 1 tbsp finely chopped chives and have a clear transparent appearance 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine that allows you to see the filling through ½ tsp toasted sesame oil the wrapper. I’ve used a filling of tofu and salt, to taste spinach that works very well as a vegetarian To serve: alternative, and shows clearly through the smacked cucumber and wood ear salad ‘crystal skin’. The dough is a little tricky to (see recipe, opposite) handle, but with practice becomes easier to work with. 1 To make the filling, crumble the tofu into a mixing bowl. Mix in the spinach, water Serves 4 | Prep 1 hr | Cook 10 mins chestnuts, spring onion, garlic, ginger and For the dough: chives. Add the rice wine, sesame oil and 200g wheat starch a large pinch of salt, and mix together 75g cornflour thoroughly to combine. Taste and add more 450ml boiling water salt and sesame oil, if needed. 1 tbsp sunflower oil 2 To make the dough, weigh the wheat starch For the filling: and cornstarch in a mixing bowl. Slowly add 100g firm tofu in the boiling water and then the oil, while 50g fresh spinach, wilted, squeezed dry and stirring rapidly. Knead the dough for a couple chopped finely of minutes, until it turns into a smooth ball. 25g water chestnuts, finely chopped 3 Divide into 2 pieces and roll each into a 1 spring onion, finely chopped long cylinder, then divide each into 10 equal 1 clove garlic, finely chopped pieces. Cover the dough with damp paper towel to prevent it drying out while you work. 4 Take each piece of dough and roll it into a 6cm diameter circle. Add a spoonful of filling and carefully lift one half and pleat the edge, before folding up the other half to meet the pleated edge, pressing to seal. Otherwise, a simple way to shape the dumplings is just by folding in half to form a crescent, pressing the edges neatly to seal. Continue assembling until all the dumplings are made. 5 Line a steamer with a piece of parchment that fits neatly inside. Perforate several holes in the parchment to allow the steam through. Place your dumplings inside the steamer, spacing apart slightly. 6 Half fill a large pan with water and bring to the boil. Once your pan of water is boiling enough to begin steaming, place the steamer on top and cook the dumplings for 6–10 minutes using high heat, until the dough has turned from opaque to translucent. 7 Serve hot with chilli oil and red plum sauce. Perfect with a cup of green tea and a plate of smacked cucumbers. n PER SERVING 312 cals, fat 5.4g, sat fat 0.8g, carbs 58.2g, sugars 1.5g, protein 7.4g, salt 1g, fibre 2.9g

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022-7_VL79[RDe_ChineseNY]NT2SJLH.indd 26 16/12/2016 11:27 Chef’slarder

SMACKED CUCUMBER AND SMACKED CUCUMBER AND WOOD EAR SALAD WOOD EAR SALAD This method of preparing the cucumber helps it to absorb more flavour from the dressing. Wood ear mushrooms have a slippery, crisp texture once rehydrated, but very little flavour, therefore lending themselves well to strong dressings.

Serves 4 | Prep 30 mins

small handful of dried wood ear mushrooms (about 5g dried, which becomes 50g rehydrated) ½ cucumber pinch of salt

For the dressing: 1 small red chilli, seeds removed and finely sliced, reserving a little for garnish 1 tsp finely minced garlic pinch of caster sugar 1 tsp light soy sauce ¼ tsp Chinkiang vinegar 1 tsp sesame oil small handful of coriander leaves

1 Soak the wood ear mushrooms in boiling water until they have rehydrated. 2 On a chopping board, smack the cucumber a few times with a rolling pin, taking care not to smash it to smithereens! Cut it lengthways into four, scraping away any seeds that have become loose. Slice it thickly on the diagonal, and place in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. 3 Combine all the dressing ingredients in a

CRYSTAL SKIN small bowl and set aside. DUMPLINGS 4 Rinse the wood ear mushrooms, pat dry on paper towel, and remove any tough or hard bits with a knife. Combine with the cucumber, and pour the dressing over. Mix thoroughly and arrange on a serving plate. Scatter with coriander leaves and the reserved chilli, and serve immediately. n PER SERVING 26 cals, fat 1.3g, sat fat 0.1g, carbs 2.3g, sugars 2.1g, protein 1.3g, salt 1g, fibre 0.7g

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