Monday, December 17, 2012

Donabe-steamed Shrimp & Tofu Dumplings 2 ways

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Shrimp, Tofu, and Bamboo Shoot...you can't go wrong with the combination. Here's another variation of the filling for steamed dumplings.

With the filling, this time I did gyoza-style and mushroom shumai style. I had a few friends came over and we enjoyed both on the tabletop.

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Shrimp &Tofu Dumplings 2 ways

Ingredients:
(For the filling)
8 oz peeled & deveined shrimp
6 oz medium-tofu (moisture drained)
4 oz bamboo shoot
1  scallion, thinly-sliced crosswise
1/2T grated ginger
2T potato starch
egg white from 1 egg
1T sake
1/2T shio-koji (or 1/4 tsp salt)
1tsp light-color soy sauce
1/4 tsp  sansho pepper (or white pepper)
1tsp sesame oil

20-25 gyoza wrappers
10-12 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
8 wonton skins, thinly-sliced
some extra potato starch

Procedure:
1. Mix the ingredients for the filling in a bowl until smooth by hand.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. For the gyoza-style, wrap the mixture in gyoza wrappers and set aside.
3. For the mushroom shumai-style, dust the inner side of each shiitake mushroom with potato starch by using a small strainer. Fill each mushroom with an optimal amount of the filling. Toss the thinly-sliced wonton skins and top each dumpling with a small amount of the wonton skins.
4. Get the donabe steamer, "Mushi Nabe"ready. For the gyoza-style, set the dumplings on the grate. Cover and steam for about 5 minutes or until they are cooked through. For the shumai-style, the cooking time is about 7-8 minutes or longer, depending on the thickness of the dumplings.
3. Serve with ponzu or your choice of dipping sauce.
*In order to prevent the dumplings from sticking, I suggest that you line the steam grate with parchment paper (with small holes), some napa cabbage, or bamboo leaves like you see in the picture.

Happy donabe life.