Boiled Dumplings--without the meat:
2 cups all-purpose flour
10 TB cold water
1. Put flour into mixing bowl and stir in water gradually, using chopsticks
or a fork in the beginning, then using your hands. Knead dough in the bowl
or on a lightly floured surface about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball and place
in clean bowl, covered with a cloth wrung out in cold water (assumes you are
going to make the meat filling now).....
2. Remove dough from bowl onto lightly floured board. Roll it with palms and
fingers into a sausage shape about 13 to 14 inches long. Tear off bits of
dough and shape each bit into a ball about 1 inch in diameter. Flatten on a
lightly floured board, then roll with a rolling pin into a circle about 3 to
3 1/2 inches in diameter. (Put about 2 level tsp of the filling into the
center of the circle.) Bring up the edges and seal:
Bring up edges of dough and pinch together firmly in the center, forming a
filled crescent, using a little water to seal if necessary. Leave each end
open. Make a pleat on the side facing you. Gather up the balance of the
dough on the side away from you, pleating toward the center in 3 or 4
pleats. Do the same with the other end, pleating toward the center. This
method gives the dumpling a broad bottom. As each dumpling is finished,
place in on a lightly floured board and cover with a cloth to prevent drying
out.
3. Bring about 6 quarts of water to a vigorous boil and add the dumplings
quickly, one at a time. Let boil again, uncovered.
4. Immediately add 1/2 cup of cold water and return to a boil once more.
5. Boil about 1 minute. Dumplings will float up when cooked. Skim out and
serve hot with dumpling sauce.
Yields about 40 dumplings.
Can freeze before boiling: Arrange on a wire rack that will fit in the
freezer. When the dumplings are frozen, transfer them to one or two plastic
bags and seal.
>From The Chinese Cookbook by Craig Claiborne and Virginia Lee.