Sui Kow (Chinese Dumplings)

If you are familiar with Chinese food, you would probably know what Sui Kow is. If not, it's a boiled stuffed dumpling. It could be passed of as an Italian ravioli ... but a Chinese version.

Sui Kow or roughly translated in English is known as 'water dog' - don't ask me why cause I really have no clue at all. It is like a wantan but only much bigger. The filing can be made of meat, seafood or a mixture of both with some vegetable. Personally I prefer having sui kow as compared with wantan. You can have this as a dish by itself or accompany the sui kow with noodles (which is a very popular dish here in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong) or steamed rice.



Sui Kow Recipe (Chinese Dumplings)
Makes about 30 dumplings

Ingredients:

160g medium size shrimps (net weight), shell removed
100g minced pork (leave some fat in it)
5 pieces water chestnuts, chopped into small pieces (do not mince as you want to have some "crunch")
3 pieces dried black fungus, soaked in water for 5 mins (you can replace this with 5 pieces of shitake mushroom)
1 1/2 Tbsp coriander, finely chopped
1 or 2 packets of round-shaped dumpling wrappers (store bought)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Water for boiling
Spring onions (chopped) – for garnishings

Seasonings for the Filing:

2 Tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbs cooking oil
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 to 1 tsp light soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp chinese cooking wine
1/2 tsp of white pepper powder

Method:

1) Remove For prawns, devein and rinse. Place prawns on top of kitchen towel to dry them out. Mince 1/3 portion of the prawns and the other 2/3 leave as whole.

2) Cut the soaked dried fungus into thin strips. Squeeze out the water and leave aside.

3) Combine all the filing ingredients into a bowl. Add in the seasoning and mix thoroughly. Cover bowl with clingwrap and place in the fridge for about 1 to 2 hours.

Wrapping & Cooking:

1) Dry your hands properly before you start wrapping the dumplings.

2) Place dumpling wrapper on your palm, put 1 Tbsp or slightly more of the filling in the center of the wrapper. Do not overstuff the dumpling as the wrapper will break easily.

3) Wet the edge of one half of the wrapper. Then fold into half and seal by pressing firmly (edge to edge).

4) Place the prepared dumplings onto a tray or plate dusted with a bit of plain flour to avoid them from sticking together. (At this stage you can also freeze your dumplings to be used another day. Just ensure that you separate each layer with a plastic wrap to prevent them from sticking together.)

5) Fill a large cooking pot with 2/3 full of water and bring it to a boil. Divide the dumplings into 2 batches and then place each dumpling into the water, one at a time. Stir gently with a wooden spoon to prevent them from sticking together.

6) Bring the water to a boil. Once it starts to bubble, reduce heat to low. Cook without the lid on and do this process until the filing is cooked. Do not cook too long as the wrapper may tear.

7) When the dumpling is cooked, turn off the heat. Place cooked dumplings into a serving bowl. Pour chicken or vegetable stock into the bowl and sprinkle chopped spring onion as garnish.