Fish Dumplings
The Ultimate Chewy, Al Dente Fish Dumpling Skin
The key to the fish dumpling wrapper (or skin) lies in its outer layer. When preparing the dish, you must select tender eel meat without bones to chop into minced eel. With a bit of starch, repeatedly roll and knead the minced eel into circular pieces with the right thickness. This will produce chewy, al dente fish dumpling skin which, when paired with dried shell shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, pork, and other filling ingredients, makes an irresistible dish that nobody can say no to.
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Ingredients
- 2/3 pounds (300 grams) eel
- 2 ounces (60 grams) fatty pork
- 1/3 pounds (140 grams) lean pork
- 1 ½ tablespoon (20 grams) dried shell shrimp
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) water chestnut
Seasonings
- 2 teaspoons (10 grams) green onion stalk, chopped
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- enough starch to cover the cutting board with a thin layer (see step 5 of directions)
- cooking oil as desired/needed
- salt as desired/needed
- chicken bouillon powder as desired/needed
Please see measurements in grams to be more exact for all ingredients and seasonings.
Cooking Directions
Preparations
- Separate and wash the two types of pork. Mince. Wash the dried shell shrimps and mince after straining. Remove shells of water chestnuts, wash and cut into fine pieces. Wash and cut green onion stalks.
How to make fish dumpling filling
- Heat the pot and add an appropriate amount of cooking oil. Heat oil until hot. Add chopped green onion stalks and stir-fry. Add minced pork and stir-fry until aromatic, then add minced dried shell shrimps and minced water chestnut. Stir-fry until nearly cooked. Add salt, chicken bouillon powder, fish sauce, and sesame oil. Turn off stove, remove from pot and allow to cool. This will be the filling.
How to make fish dumpling wrappers
- Take 2/3 pounds (300 grams) of eel meat without bones and tendons. Use back of knife to mince eel meat, then fling the minced eel onto the cutting board several times to increase its viscosity.
- When eel has achieved a gluey consistency, sprinkle an appropriate amount of salt evenly across the eel meet with hands. Separate mixture into 20 pieces of even size.
- Get a clean cutting board and sprinkle a very thin layer of starch over it. Roll the eel pieces into circular dumpling wrappers.
Put it all together
- Stuff an appropriate amount of filling into the dumpling wrappers. Fold them and tightly pinch them into half-circle shapes. Then, pinch the ends to form a typical dumpling shape. Put in bamboo steamer with a bit of space between each dumpling.
- Add an appropriate amount of water to steamer. After covering, turn heat on high to boil water, then reduce to low heat and steam for 10 minutes.