Monday = baozi night!

With the groceries I brought from San Diego, I decided to make some homemade baozi (hand-formed dumplings). Despite appearances, these didn't take that much time to make at all. Here are the ingredients:

For the filling:
1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled and chopped rather coarsely
1 small Taiwanese cabbage (about 1/2 lb.), shredded (you can substitute Western cabbage, but the filling will taste differently)
1/2 lb. garlic chives, chopped to 1/2 inch lengths.
3 T salt
2 T peanut oil
1 T oyster sauce
1-1/2 t soy sauce
1 T Shaoxing wine
1/2 t sesame oil

Generously sprinkle salt on the shredded cabbage and let rest for about 30 min. Then put the cabbage in some cheesecloth and squeeze out the excess moisture. Wash cabbage briefly to get rid of excess salt and drain. Preheat a wok; when the wok is hot, pour the peanut oil in. After that, put in the chopped shrimp; cook until the pieces barely turn pink. Add garlic chives and cabbage; stir-fry until chives are wilted. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, and Shaoxing wine; cook until heated. Before taking it off the flame, sprinkle some sesame oil into the mixture. Stir well and put aside in a heat-resistant bowl.

For the wrapper dough:
2 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C boiling water

Gradually add water to flour, stirring to distribute water evenly. Turn flour-water mixture out onto a clean, flat surface and knead until smooth. The kneading should take about 5 min. or so to complete. After kneading, cover dough and let rest for 30 min.

Here is the filling mixture:


Prepare the wrapping. Take out the dough that has been resting and turn out onto clean, flat surface. Roll dough into a sausage shape about 2 inches in diameter. Cut into 24 equal pieces. Take one piece of dough (cover the other pieces to prevent them from drying out) and roll it into a round shape. Flatten the shape onto the surface. With a rolling pin, flatten the dough until it reaches to about 4-5 inches in diameter. Take the circle of dough, put a tablespoonful of filling into the center, and draw up the edges to the center, so that it forms a "treasure-bag" shape. Twist the edges to close the dumpling.

In a frying pan (preferably non-stick), heat up about 1 tablespoon of peanut oil. Place about eight baozi in the pan and fry briefly. Then, add about 1/2 C water and tightly cover pan. About 8-10 minutes later, the water will have evaporated and the dough should be frying. You want a golden surface on the bottom of these baozi. Carefully lift baozi (especially if you're using a regular frying pan) and serve immediately.

The completed baozi.