Steamed Mushroom and Cabbage Dumplings

Ingredients

• 200 g shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped
• 250 g Chinese cabbage, finely shredded
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 carrot, grated
• 15 g ginger, grated
• 4 spring onions, finely sliced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• about 36 round dumpling wrappers

Method

1. Draw water from the cabbage

   Salt the shredded cabbage and leave it 15 minutes, then wring it out in a cloth. Vegetable fillings hold far more water than meat ones, and none of it can stay.

   15 min

2. Fry the mushrooms dry

   Fry the mushrooms in the vegetable oil over a high heat until they stop squeaking and start browning, then take off the heat and mix with the cabbage, carrot, ginger, spring onion, soy and sesame oil.

   8 min

3. Fill

   A heaped teaspoon per wrapper, edges damped, folded and pleated firmly shut. Work with a damp cloth over the stack of wrappers.

4. Line the steamer

   Line the steamer with baking paper punched with holes, or with cabbage leaves. Dumplings set straight on metal weld themselves to it.

5. Steam

   Steam over a rolling boil, not touching each other, until the wrappers are glossy and translucent.

   9 min

6. Serve

   Serve straight from the basket with soy and vinegar. Left to sit they sag and stick, so steam in batches as people eat.