Chef Lous Burnt Sugar Dumplings Recipes

Steps:

• Sift flour, baking powder, sugar & salt together. Cut in the butter w/a pastry blender.
• Add the walnuts & stir in the milk all at once (mixing only enough to moisten the flour) & set aside.
• Heat 1/2 cup sugar in a skillet till it melts to a golden brown syrup. Add butter, salt & remaining sugar. Stir to combine.
• Add hot water gradually & stir constantly. Heat to boiling & cook till the sugar is dissolved, stirring freq (about 10 min).
• Drop dumpling mixture by tablespoons into the gently boiling caramel sauce. Reduce heat, cover tightly & simmer the dumplings gently for 12-15 min w/o removing the lid.
• Serve dumplings immediately w/caramel sauce.

Steps:

• Soak the mushrooms in a medium bowl with 3 cups cool water. Stir to moisten the entire surface of the mushrooms. Set aside at room temperature for at least 3 hours and up to 4 hours.
• When the mushrooms are nearly rehydrated, toss the cabbage with 1 tablespoon salt in a medium bowl and let sit until liquid pools at the bottom, about 15 minutes. Squeeze out as much water as possible from the cabbage in between two hands and transfer the cabbage to a large bowl. Add the pork, 1/2 cup of the mushroom soaking water, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, sugar, white pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix only in one direction using chopsticks until the pork-and-cabbage mixture starts to become sticky. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the neutral oil until evenly mixed.
• Remove and discard the stems from the mushrooms. Finely chop the mushrooms and add to the pork filling. Stir until combined.
• Set up a dumpling wrapping station with the following: a small bowl of cold water for sealing, the pork-and-cabbage filling, gyoza wrappers kept in the package and a large plate or baking sheet lined with plastic wrap to prevent the dumplings from sticking.
• Place one gyoza wrapper in your palm, add 1 tablespoon of the filling to the center, then lightly dab the perimeter of the wrapper with cold water (I use my index finger). Fold into a half-moon shape and seal the midpoint, leaving the sides open. Make 2 pleats starting from the left side of the half-moon folding towards the midpoint then firmly press the pleated side to seal. Repeat the pleating on the right side. Firmly press to seal the dumpling and thin out the edge of the wrapper slightly. Place the finished dumplings on the prepared plate. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling (see Cook's Note).
• Whisk together 1/2 cup cold water, 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon of the flour and 1/4 teaspoon of the white vinegar in a small bowl until the slurry is smooth and free of lumps.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons neutral oil in a large nonstick skillet (about 11-inch) over medium-high heat until shimmering. Arrange 10 dumplings in a concentric circle or flower pattern (place the pointy end of each dumpling in the center of the skillet with the pleated side of the next dumpling facing the flat side of the previous one). Fry until the bottoms are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Stir the slurry before pouring into the skillet, cover with a lid, and cook over medium heat until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook over medium heat, moving the skillet as needed for even browning, until the skirt looks dry, crisp and golden brown. Remove from the heat, place a large dinner plate over the skillet and carefully invert the dumplings onto the plate with the skirt-side up. Serve immediately with Chinese black vinegar, for dipping.
• Repeat making the slurry and frying the remaining dumplings or freeze the dumplings on the plastic wrap-lined plate until frozen, then transfer the frozen dumplings to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Steps:

• Heat ½ cup of the sugar in a large pan, until it melts to a golden brown syrup.
• Add butter, salt, and remaining sugar.
• Gradually add the hot water, stirring constantly.
• Heat to boiling and cook until sugar dissolves, about 10 minutes.
• Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
• Drizzle in butter and mix well.
• Add walnuts; stir in milk and only mix until flour is moistened.
• Drop by ¼ cup spoonfuls into gently boiling caramel sauce.
• Cover tightly and simmer about 12 minutes without removing cover.
• To serve, invert a serving platter over the top of the pan and flip the pan over quickly. (If you don't feel comfortable doing this, you can use a spatula to remove the dumplings from the pan and transfer to a serving platter).
• Serve at once with whipped cream or ice cream.

Steps:

• Put the flour, seasonings, & suet in a large mixing bowl, mix thoroughly.
• (If you are adding herbs or extra seasonings, add them now & mix well.).
• Add sufficient cold water - bit by bit - to make a pliable dough; it should not be too sticky, but just bound together.
• Divide the dumpling mixture into 8 portions, and roll into small balls with floured hands.
• Drop them into your soup, casserole or stew 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time, making sure that the soup, stew or casserole is very hot.
• Put the lid on IMMEDIATELY and do NOT take the lid off until just before the end of the cooking time, about 15-18 minutes to check that they are nearly ready.
• They should have doubled in size at least, and be very light & fluffy looking!
• Ladle the soup, stew or casserole into warmed soup bowls & serve 2 dumplings per person.
• Oven baked: place the dumplings on top of your stew or casserole and cook for about 30 minutes at 200C or 400F, or until well risen, golden brown & crusty.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan or deep sauté pan. Tip in the onions, bay leaves and thyme sprigs, and fry over a medium heat for about 8 mins, stirring often, until the onions are turning golden. Raise the heat, add the steak and stir-fry briefly until it starts to lose its raw, red colour. Pour in the wine, stir to deglaze the brown sticky bits from the bottom of the pan, and let it bubble briefly. Lower the heat, sprinkle in the flour and mustard powder, and stir for 1 min. The meat should now be coated in a thick, rich sauce.
• Mix in the tomatoes, stirring to break them down. Stir in the stock and bring to the boil. Tip in the carrots, squash and mushrooms, lower the heat, cover with a lid and leave to simmer gently for 1 hr 40 mins, stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook for a further 20 mins, still on a gentle simmer, until the meat is very tender. Season with pepper.
• When the stew is nearly cooked, heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Put a 2.25-litre casserole dish in to heat it up. Meanwhile, make the dumplings. Put the flour, mustard powder, some pepper and a pinch of salt in a bowl, then stir in the spring onions and parsley. Mix the oil and buttermilk together and gently stir into the flour. Add a drop or two of cold water, if needed, to pick up any dry bits on the bottom of the bowl, and stir to make a soft and slightly sticky dough. Be as light-handed as you can, as overmixing or overhandling will toughen the dumplings. Cut the dough into 8 pieces and very lightly shape each into a small, rough ball.
• Carefully transfer the stew to the hot casserole dish and remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Sit the dumplings on top and press them down into the gravy to very slightly submerge. Put the dish on a baking sheet and cook for about 20 mins until the dumplings have risen and are golden on top. Serve with a light scattering of thyme leaves.

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat the butter, brown sugar and water to boiling. Reduce heat to simmer. , Meanwhile, combine the dumpling ingredients; add apple if desired. Drop by tablespoonfuls into the simmering sauce. Cover tightly and simmer for 20 minutes. Do not lift lid. If desired, serve warm with vanilla ice cream.