Crab Dumplings Slimmed Recipes

Steps:

• Hours or a day before making the dumplings, cook the agar-agar in the chicken broth until completely dissolved. Pour into a shallow dish. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours until it gels.
• Mix all the filling ingredients.
• Dice the gelled agar-agar/broth into small pieces and mix with the filling ingredients.
• Refrigerate this mixture.
• To make the wrappers:.
• Mix flour and egg.
• Add water a little at a time until a soft but not sticky dough is formed.
• Knead until dough is smooth and elastic.
• Roll the dough into a long sausage, 1 inch in diameter.
• Cut the dough into walnut-sized pices, then roll them into round balls; cover the balls with a damp towel.
• You are now going to make crescent-shaped dumplings.
• Dust your work surface with a little flour.
• Roll a piece of dough into a paper-thin circle.
• Put about a tablespoon of filling (now including the gelled broth) in the center of the circle.
• Fold the circle in half to look like a half-moon.
• Pleat the top curved edge.
• Pinch the pleated edge and the unpleated edge together to seal.
• Gently tap the crescent's round bottom so that it can stand up.
• Place the crescent-shaped dumpling between towels.
• Make the remaining crescents in the same way.
• Place a layer of cheesecloth in the bottom of a steamer.
• Arrange the crescent dumplings on the cloth.
• Cover and steam over high heat for 10 minutes.
• Serve hot with ginger-vinegar-soy dip.
• To make the dip:.
• Mix all dip ingredients in a serving bowl, cover, and allow to stand at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before serving; it should keep for hours at room temperature.

Steps:

• Make the pork broth: Add the pork necks and skin to a large pot. Cover with water by 2 inches and bring to a boil over high heat. Drain and rinse the necks and skin under cold water, then return to the pot.
• Add 4 cups of water, the ginger, scallions, rice wine, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours, skimming the surface occasionally.
• Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a shallow baking dish and stir in the salt. Let cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator overnight, until set.
• Make the chile oil: In a small pot, combine the star anise, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, garlic, and canola oil. Cook over low heat until small bubbles appear around the garlic cloves, about 10 minutes.
• Add the Sichuan red chile flakes and salt to a heat-proof jar. Strain the oil into the jar and stir to combine. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Make the filling: Add the ground pork, ginger, scallions, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, sugar, and water to a medium bowl and mix until evenly combined. If the filling feels too thick, add another tablespoon of water and stir until light and airy. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Make the dough: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, and warm water. Stir to combine, then turn out onto a floured surface. Knead for about 20 minutes, dusting with more flour as needed, until very soft and smooth. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough in half and cover one portion with a damp towel. Roll the remaining portion into a 1-inch wide log, then cut into 12 pieces, rotating the log as you cut. Cover 11 pieces with the damp towel. Roll the remaining piece into a ball, then flatten with your palm. Dust with flour as needed to prevent sticking. Use a small rolling pin to roll the dough into a 3-inch round, then use the rolling pin to roll the edges thinner than the center, until the diameter of the wrapper is 3½-4 inches. Cover with the towel and repeat with the remaining dough.
• Fill the dumplings: Remove the chilled pork broth from the refrigerator and cut into ½-inch cubes.
• Scoop about 1 tablespoon of the filling on the center of a dumpling wrapper. Add about ½ teaspoon crab paste and 1 pork broth cube. Hold the dumpling in the palm of one hand and use the other to pleat the edges of the wrapper around the filling, pinching and twisting at the top to seal. Set on a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers.
• Fill a large pot ⅓ of the way with water to a boil over high heat. Place a bamboo steamer basket on top and line with Napa cabbage leaves. Place the dumplings on top of the cabbage, leaving space for them to expand. Stack a second steamer basket on top and repeat to add more dumplings. Cover and steam for about 8 minutes, until the wrappers are slightly translucent and the filling is cooked through.
• Serve the dumplings with the chile oil, black vinegar, and ginger.
• Enjoy!