I try to stay healthy. And by “try” I mean “workout often and regularly, and use that as an excuse to eat whatever I want”. It’s terrible. I know, I know. I have a weakness: I love delicious things! I’m also well aware that my diet is the sole reason my health stays where it is despite my efforts in the gym. I’ve, many times, been quoted saying “So long as I’m allowed to eat, I’ll never reach any of my workout goals.” It’s true. Well! I should try harder.

I have a handful of vices. To get around most of them, I simply don’t bring them into the house. Candy, chips, pop (or soda, as they down here): if they’re open, they’re gone. But there are a couple more… Pasta, dumplings and anything deep fried.

But dumplings! OMG! A well prepared and presented dumpling is one of the few true joys in the life. And I’ve had some of the best I’ve ever had here in Houston! That’s for another post, though. This one is about a little cheat I devised.

Today I’ll be detailing my recipe for healthy, wrapperless Dumplings; dumplings that are not only in line with my desire to stay healthy but also in line with my desire to eat more than flavorless roughage. Sit back and enjoy a shank-worthy ride.

The Recipe

As always, you’ll want a fresh selection of good quality ingredients. Here’s a list:

• Half pound (fresh if possible, thawed from frozen is acceptable) cleaned, dried, raw, peeled and deveined Shrimp
• 3 whole Scallions (about 2 oz.)
• A small knob of fresh Ginger (about 2 oz.)
• 5 large cloves of fresh Garlic (about 2 oz.)
• Soy Sauce (2 tsp for Shrimp, more for sauce)
• Sesame Oil (1 tsp for Shrimp, more for sauce)
• Rice Wine Vinegar
• Water
• Black Pepper, fresh ground (1/8 tsp for shrimp, more for sauce)
• White Sugar
• Crushed Red Pepper
• Fresh Cilantro

Saucey sauce!

Let’s start with the sauce first. I love this sauce! It’s quick and easy, spicy and pungent, salty and brightened up with some fresh aromatics. It’s also mostly dry-kept sauces, so it can be made a bit ahead of time and set aside until service or tossed in the fridge for a day or even overnight. I (and most chefs) prefer portions to measurements. It’s easier to adjust your batch size that way.

In a separate bowl mix the following in their respective portions. This will start the base for our sauce:

• 4 parts Soy Sauce
• 2 parts Rice Wine Vinegar
• 1 part Sesame oil
• 2 parts Water

The next parts will add the body. Sugar for balance, crushed pepper for heat, black pepper to help emulsify. Whisk in the following:

• .25 part Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• .5 part White Sugar
• .25 part Crushed Red Pepper

Now add some cilantro to bring it all home:

• 2 parts chopped Fresh Cilantro

The D (As In Dumplings)

With our sauce accompaniment prepped and waiting to support the dumpling, it’s time to move onto the star of the show. We start with aromatics.

We need to get this chopped finely. Remember our protein base. Shrimp is supple and sensitive. You need to treat it appropriately. Hold the door open and pull its chair out. Having lumpy pieces of garlic and ginger will only bruise the texture. Here I broke the three ingredients into even piles, then combined and chopped them even further. After several minutes, the texture was fine and the sugars started to break down leaving the mixture almost sticky and viscous. A food processor would make quick work but I’m not a barbarian. I prefer my trusty Shanker: an elegant weapon for a more civilized age. Once your piles are mixed and very finely chopped, almost to a paste, set them aside and move on to the shrimp.

The shrimp is tasty but governed by its texture. It’s light and delicate. You can’t overseason it, overcook it or overwork it. With that in mind, we start in on making our shrimp paste base. First remove a few shrimp for later, 4 or so.

 

 

 

Then start chopping your shrimp like you did the aromatics. As you work the protein, fold it onto itself and work in both directions, side-to-side and top-to-bottom. After several minutes you’ll have a small pile of smooth paste.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Place that into a bowl. With a spoon start stirring the paste. Only stir in one direction. Be sure to press the mixture against the side of the bowl with the back of the spoon every so often. After a minute or so, you’ll notice the proteins starting to break down and a paste starting to form.

 

That’s when you add flavor to the mixture. Toss in about 5 Tbsp of the Onion, Garlic and Ginger mixture along with about 1/8 tsp of fresh ground black pepper, 2 tsp Soy Sauce and 1 tsp Sesame Oil. Continue stirring and pressing with the spoon for another minute or so, working in the new ingredients and further developing the dough. Set that aside.

Texture

On the cutting board, start to work the leftover shrimp. You’re going to chop them up but roughly, only a few passes. You’re looking to add texture to the paste with a few pieces into which you can really sink your teeth. Add the pile of shrimp bubbles into the bowl and fold them using the classic “half, fold over, turn, repeat” method. You don’t want to damage the structural integrity of these shrimp as it’s purposefully being added for texture. Let the mixture sit to develop while you get your pan ready.

I find it best to use a good nonstick pan. Remember, these dumplings aren’t protected by a wrapper so you can’t just add a bunch of oil to keep them mobile and navigatable. They’re exposed and defenseless so you have to be deliberate. Like always, your first step is to get your pan nice and hot. The initial contact is paramount to achieve a good sear, especially in the absence of the pasta. Once it’s almost smoking, add a pool of oil. I prefer a half-and-half concoction of a vegetable or peanut oil and olive oil. Olive oil is healthier and much tastier but has a low smoke point. The standard oil will help raise it and make your fat a little more stout.

Deliberate

Using your spoon, pull a pinch of the shrimp mixture off the whole and roll it around in the well to form a rocher (or a one-handed quenelle for you philistines out there). You can use your hand, but the shrimp is very tacky. I find it easier to use a spoon so you’re not futzing about with different utensils or looking for counter space. Keep in mind the size of your portions. This should be a mouthful each. They’re fragile so double dipping can leave you with busted dumplings and no one wants that. Rember: deliberate.

Place your shrimp dumpling directly into the hot oil and repeat in an orderly fashion rolling the pan around to ensure you’re not allowing shrimp to make direct contact with the pan unless you want to be scraping your perfectly seared presentation face off your pan, you ass… The order is important. By the time you’re finished placing your last dumpling, you should be about ready to flip the first one over. Lower the temp a bit then flip.  When you do so, press the dumpling into the pan a bit to flatten it out a little. Continue flipping until they’re all over.

The Best Part

Use a touch test to make sure they’re cooked. If you don’t know how to touch test… I… I don’t know. Guess? Seriously. Learn the touch test. Any chef worth their salt has mastered this test and knows it’s one of your best tools, not to mention the simplest and most impressive thing you can do with cooking for people. Once they’re done, pull, plate and serve piping hot. They should be crispy from the super hot sear, light with a lovely texture, flavorful and perfect with some sauce and a cold drink. Share them around or eat them all by yourself. That’s what I do. They’re so good I deserve to get shanked!

I hope you enjoyed! Let me know if not or if you can do it better. Maybe you’ll earn yourself a shanking.