Gluten-Free Chinese Dumplings? Yes, Please!

Gluten-Free Dumplings

I love a challenge! I am lucky enough to not suffer from celiac, but I have many friends who suffer from a wide spectrum of wheat allergies and celiac. When a colleague who had grown up all over the globe mentioned that the dish he missed most after finally figuring out that he had to completely cut out wheat in every measure was Chinese dumplings.

Well, this gave me a great reason to test my skills. Could I get an off-the-shelf, gluten-free, all-purpose flour to make a proper dumpling wrapper to be crispy and chewy at the same time? Yes, I certainly did. I taste tested the dumplings among celiac and non-celiac taste testers. The verdict? To summarize my colleague, “These dumplings are by the far the BEST dough-y food I have ever had since I had to go wheat-free.” From my husband, “Huh? These aren’t your regular dumplings?” It can’t get better than that compliment-wise, so I shall share my technique.

What’s my next challenge? Gluten-free croissants, of course!

For the wrappers:

3 – 4 cups of gluten-free all purpose flour (I used Cup4Cup because it was on sale, but here’s the Cup4Cup hack from Gluten Free on a Shoestring.)
1 cup water

Pour half of the water into the flour in a medium bowl and begin to work the water into the flour evenly. Slowly add more water a tablespoon at a time until the dough is slightly tacky, but firm to the touch – about the consistency of Play Doh.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes to an hour. If not using same day, place in a plastic zipper bag and refrigerate until ready to use.

While the dough is resting, this would be a good time to prep the filling.

Working with a quarter of the dough at a time, roll the dough into a snake about and inch in diameter and cut one inch lengths. Roll each piece into a ball, then flatten and shape into flat circles with slightly thicker centers and thinner edges. If you plan to make all of the dough circles first, use little squares of parchment paper to separate. Because of the milk powder in the flour, the circles will stick even with more flour in between layers.

Makes about 30 wrappers.

For the filling:
1 lb ground turkey
1 cup garlic chives, chopped
¼ cup fried shallots (I fry my own, but you can buy fried shallots at the Asian market. I prefer the fried shallots from Thailand and Taiwan as they seem more aromatic.)
3 tablespoons shallot oil (If frying your own shallots, reserve some of the oil and filter it for use in the filling. Let cool completely after filtration.)
1 tablespoon soy sauce (gluten-free)
Salt & white pepper to taste

Mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl thoroughly. Place and shape on a plate, then cover with plastic wrap and chill for an hour.

Fill each wrapper with a spoonful of filling and seal the dumplings by pleating one side of the circle and pinching the pleats into the other half of the circle to close.

To cook the dumplings, boil about four cups of water in a kettle or pot. Then, heat a flat-bottomed frying pan with enough canola oil to thinly cover the bottom of the pan over medium heat. Place about half of the dumplings in the pan as close together as possible, and fry the bottoms until crispy, golden brown. Add enough hot water to the frying pan to cover the dumplings halfway, about two cups. Cover the frying pan and let the dumplings steam. Check the level of the water every so often. Once the dumplings have steamed, and the water has evaporated, uncover the pan, and move the dumplings around the frying pan, gently loosening the dumplings. Remove the dumplings to a plate, and wipe the pan of any residue. Repeat with the second batch of dumplings.

Enjoy the dumplings with black vinegar or a simple sauce of chopped garlic and soy sauce.

The Cooking Bug

I don’t know what it is about the time between Thanksgiving and EidalHanuChrismaKwan©, but it is a magical time for me. Most people catch a cold or the flu. I catch the cooking bug! All I want to do is cook and bake from just before Thanksgiving until just about Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Friday, I started with all of the elements for a proper Mexican breakfast. I made a pot of black beans. The turkey bacon, fried sweet plantains, yellow corn tortillas/arepas, and fried eggs ensued on Saturday night after the Flushing Cheap Eats Tour. The husband lost his ability to speak coherently somewhere between the queso fresco and the lime sour cream at brunch on Sunday.

Saturday was the food tour, so we ended up too full for dinner, but my pantry is flush with ingredients from all of the grocery shopping we did after lunch.

Sunday, after a proper brunch complete with tomato slices dipped in chili infused vinegar (thanks, Nina!), I set to work on the chocolate peppermint brownies. Chewy butterscotch blondies quickly followed suit because I didn’t want my sweet, baked goods affected by the aromas from the savory dishes I had planned for the day.

I baked an egg white frittata (like a quiche with no crust or an open-faced omelet) with diced sweet peppers, onions, garlic, spinach, and chilies in a quarter sheet pan. Half of the pan I sprinkled shredded cheese over while spreading fresh goat cheese over the other half of the baked eggs. I divided it up into 24 rectangles, what should have been 15 servings I stretched to 24. The day before while at JMart at the New World Mall, I had bought 24 whole wheat, spring onion, steamed rolls – perfect for hearty winter breakfast sandwiches. I assembled all of the sandwiches and managed to freeze 2/3 of the sandwiches leaving plenty for the week ahead.

With two packs of ground turkey and a tube of ground beef style meat substitute, I cranked out Taiwanese “pork” sauce over mixed grains rice, turkey/cabbage/shallot pan-fried dumplings, and veggie pan-fried dumplings. With no room left in the freezer, I refrained from making the wontons. No Taiwanese “pork” sauce can be seen without Taiwanese cucumber salad, so that I had ready from Friday night as well.

Oh, what a productive weekend!