Steamed Duck Dumplings with Chilli & Garlic Dipping Sauce
I love a dumplings; I especially love a steamed dumplings and I’m always surprised how easy they are to make and even more surprised how rarely I make them.
So when I had the great pleasure of being sent some Gressingham duck breasts to play around with, steamed dumplings were something I wanted to make.
Of course there is a problem when I’m sent ingredients this good, it can be difficult to decide how to use them. Gressingham duck is so versatile that it was difficult to decide what to make. My first dish was duck soup – click the link to find out how easy and tasty that is to make.
Dumplings are a first choice for me if they are on the menu when I’m eating out. Although, right now, eating out seems like a far distant memory.
I’m wondering where the first place Mr G and I will go to go to eat when we get the all clear and everyone is released from lockdown.
At the time of me writing this, there does seem like there is a light shining at the end of that tunnel.
I’m reluctant to say this, but sometimes what I cook usually is decided by the lovey Mr G and what he wants to eat, let’s be clear, he’s always ready to eat a dumpling, in a stew or a steamed.
So, when I set out all the ingredients I needed for the steamed dumplings with a Chilli and ginger dipping sauce, he was very happy indeed.
For this recipe, not too many ingredients are needed. I do like to write recipes that ae as user friendly as possible.
Finding a recipe good enough to want me to add it to my list of family recipes is a rarity for me and I’m always searching for a new twist on an old recipe or a better ingredient to use when making one of my favourite recipes. It’s true what they say, the better the ingredients the better the finished dish.
I used fresh duck breasts for this version of the dumplings, but if you’ve got yourself a fabulous whole duck, don’t be throwing away any of those delicious morsels you may have left over.
After roasting the whole duck, get to picking off any morsels left stuck to those bones, go on, don’t be shy. Use them to make this tasty recipe for a great Saturday night supper, and if you don’t want to use the “scraps” right away, freeze them and use all those juicy titbits later. Not just for steamed dumplings.
I don’t know about you but I have a few books where I store my hand written recipes. This recipe I’ve put into recipe book number 17.
Don’t judge, I am a little obsessed about putting together dishes and logging them, I guess that’s a good thing considering that’s what I do for a living.
This does mean that there is a distinct possibility that the only inheritance my children may get are a pile of chilli smeared, icing sugar coated recipe books.
Enjoy Your Sweet Life
Steamed Duck Dumplings with Chilli & Garlic Dipping Sauce
Perfect little parcels of duck ready for a bath in that chilli and garlic dipping sauce.
What You Need
For the Dumplings
2 duck breasts, cooked, skins removed and meat shredded– See Tip Box
18-25 Wanton Wrappers
3 spring onion – very finely chopped
1 clove of garlic- crushed – See Tip Box
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1 red chilli very finely chopped – seeds in or out – See Tip Box
1 tsp Chinese five spice
1 tablspoon hoisin sauce
½ teaspoon rice wine or dry sherry
75 ml water plus extra for sealing
¾ shallot – very finely chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste
Oil for frying
75ml of water & splash of rice wine – per batch when cooking
Easy to seal with a little water
For The Dipping Sauce
1 Tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar or dry sherry
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon very finely chopped red chilli – See Tip Box
2 tablespoon reduced salt soy sauce
¼ shallot – very finely chopped – See Tip Box
¼ teaspoon castor sugar
All this to make the perfect dipping sauce
How It’s Done
Dumplings
Set the wanton wrappers aside
Put the shredded duck and all the remaining prepared dumpling ingredients in to a bowl
Mix together until the duck is coated in the mixture.
Place one of the pancakes flat onto a work surface, add approximately a teaspoon of the mixture into the middle of the dumpling.
Dip your finger into the water, rub a small amount of the water all around the outside edge of the pancake.
Fold the pancake over and press firmly to seal the edges.
Set aside until ready to cook - See Tip Box
Find a large flat pan with a lid that fits well.
Add a little bit of the oil to the pan, add some of the filled dumplings and cook on a medium heat until the bottom of the pancakes are a light golden brown. Do this in batches – See Tip Box
Turn the heat down to low and add 75ml of water and a splash of rice wine to the pan. Place the lid firmly on the pan and let the dumplings steam until all the liquid has evaporated.
Do this in batches adding the same amount of water and rice wine for every batch.
Serve along with the dip
Don’t overfill the dumplings, but you want enough inside so you get a good mouthful
Dipping Sauce
Place all of the prepared ingredients into a bowl, mix well together
Taste and add more chilli etc to suit you.
To serve, Put the dip into a serving bowl serve with the steamed dumplings
A few too many in this pan, Don’t over fill the pot, but i was in too much of a hurry to get my teeth into them
Tip Box
Cooking duck – You can either use uncooked duck and roast it in the oven or use leftover duck from a whole roasted duck
Crushed Garlic – There are a few ways to crush garlic, and at different times have used most of them. For this
Chopping – I not sure why chopping food into different sizes can sometimes feel so daunting. If you’d like to see a few ways of chopping your vegetables, go to my YouTube Channel Lee & The Sweet Life to see how..
Soy Sauce – When buying soy sauce, I always look for reduced salt. When cooking, I like to add my own salt and pepper and for me ordinary soy sauce now tastes so salty since I’ve been using reduced salt. It’s a little like not taking sugar in your tea and then putting in seven teaspoons.
Chilli- Depending how spicy you like your food, seeds out or seeds in for a little more heat.
Filled pancakes – To stop the filled dumplings from drying out before cooking, cover with a damp cloth.
Cooking – Don’t over fill the pan when cooking. Cook in batches
Yes, all of these were on my plate. Irresistible.
