As a feature of Shanghai cuisine, seasonings include sweet sake, soy sauce, and black vinegar in abundance, so it is sweet and thick, and rich. Photo / Supplied
As a feature of Shanghai cuisine, seasonings include sweet sake, soy sauce, and black vinegar in abundance, so it is sweet and thick, and rich. Photo / Supplied
A few years ago, I visited Shanghai's "Huanghe Road Cate Lie Fallow Street". It's an alley about a 10-minute walk from west of Nanjing East Rd, Main Street, Shanghai's premier downtown area.
This place has a unique atmosphere with a local feel compared to the main street, which is muchmore of a tourist trap. The street is lined with large Shanghai and Cantonese restaurants, and there are snack shops and local-style simple dining restaurants in between.
It's at dinner time that this street comes to life. Big crowds come to the alley every night to taste some of the delicious dishes on offer.
There was a stall that particularly attracted my attention, where the locals came with their own pots to buy dumplings.
Yukio Ozeki says the most memorable thing on his trip to Shanghai was the taste of the back alley stalls. Photo / Supplied
Chicken dumpling is one of the most popular dishes there, even nowadays. The traditional flavours have remained, along with that typical rich sauce.
It's at dinner time that this street comes to life. Big crowds come to the alley every night to taste some of the delicious dishes on offer. Photo / Supplied
Chicken dumpling recipe
For the filling: 250g chicken thigh mince 8g finely chopped spring onion 12g shiitake mushrooms 10g chicken stock paste 2g sea salt
Sichuan pepper, sliced spring onion, finely chopped chilli for serving
For the sauce: 100cc soy sauce 100cc rice wine vinegar 20cc shaoxing wine 18g brown sugar 15g spring onion 15g coriander stalk
Combine the chicken mince, shiitake mushroom, chopped spring onion, and all the seasonings together. Mix well and set aside.
You should work as quickly as you can, because the wrappers will dry out quickly. And if they do, you will find it very difficult to seal the dumplings later. If the wrappers dry out when you start to fold the dumplings, brush a bit of water over the edge so you can still seal the dough.
Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dumpling filling and place it in the centre of the wrapper. Hold the dumpling with one hand and start sealing the edges with the other hand.
To cook boiled dumplings bring a large pot of water to a boil. When you place the dumplings in, use a big ladle to stir the water gently and continuously, until the water starts to boil again, so the dumplings won't stick to the bottom, for about 1 minute. Adjust the heat so the water is at boiling point, but isn't bubbling too fiercely.
When the dumplings float to the surface, continue boiling until they are filled with air and swollen, and the dough starts to become transparent, about 1 minute. Immediately transfer all the dumplings to a plate.
