Sumptuous Flavours: Purple Sweet Potato Dumpling 菜香寿粿

Purple Sweet Potato Dumpling 菜香寿粿

Recipe source : Adapted from Authentic Chinese Dumpling cookbook

I was caught in a fix when I tried out this recipe to make the purple skin dough. The flour could not bind. All the ingredients were supposed to mix together to form a soft dough but that did not happen. I must have missed out an ingredient or misread the instructions.

I must find a way to make the dough. I could not afford to throw away all the ingredients already spread out on the table. So, I just took a calculated risk and added 150 ml of boiling water to the flour mix and kept my fingers crossed! There was much improvement. The flour started to bind. Feeling encouraged, I added 80 ml more water and started kneading until I got a soft dough. Viola! I finally got myself a purple dough ! I did not follow the filling as per the recipe and on top of that I did not have the proper mould as shown in the cookbook and I resorted to do it my own way.

Ingredients for dough

250g glutinous rice flour
1 tbsp wheat starch
1 tbsp castor sugar
3 tbsp cooking oil
300g purple sweet potato
150 ml boiling water
80 ml water

Ingredients for filling

450g radish ( shredded )
150g minced pork
3 shitake mushrooms ( diced )
30g dried scallops ( soaked and shredded )
20g black fungus ( soaked and shredded )
2 shallots ( chopped )
2 tbsp cooking oil
200 ml water

Seasonings

1 tbsp castor sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions to cook the filling

1. Heat 2 tbsp cooking oil until hot. Saute the chopped shallots.

2. Add in the diced mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 minute, then add in the minced pork and shredded black fungus. Mix everything evenly.

3. Toss in the shredded radish and dried scallops. Mix well.

4. Add in seasoning and water and cook until the radish are tender and quite dry.

5. Dish up and leave to cool.

Instructions to make the dumpling

1. Peel the sweet potato and cut into pieces, steam over boiling water until the sweet potatoes are soft. Dish up and mash them into a smooth paste.
2. In a mixer, add the glutinous rice flour, sweet potato paste, sugar, cooking oil. Remember to add in boiling water and the extra water at room temperature.
3. Knead until a soft dough is formed.
4. Divide the dough into small portions and roll out into round circles.
5. Spoon a tablespoon of filling into the dough and wrap up and seal the edges.
6. Adjust the semicircle and make it "sit" on its base with the edges pointing upwards.
7. Place it on a greased steaming tray.
8. Repeat the process until the rest are completed.
9. Steam over high heat for about 8 minutes.
10. Brush with oil immediately after steaming.