Living in San Francisco, California for just over 5 years, I feel I know good dim sum. Not just in Chinatown but other restaurants around the city serve up carts of the freshest, steamiest, savoriest dumplings and pork buns. Once we moved states, I soon bought a bamboo steamer with all the intent to make my own version of that delicious Asian fare. But, uh-oh, it’s two years later and I’m only just now breaking it out, intimidated by never have used one of these contraptions before.

©EverydayCookingAdventures 2014

I bought egg roll wrappers so I would only have to make the filling. This was quite helpful! I made a shrimp and cabbage mixture but I saw recipes I will someday have to try out that are pork or chicken filled or even some with tofu. This mixture seemed traditional and I had already bought some fresh shrimp from the store yesterday. Making the dumplings was actually quite easy. The video shows how I folded them and got them to stick together. It was a smooth process and I am now confident I can make these much more often with different fillings.

The only mistake I made was squishing the dumplings together in the steamer basket. The edges overlapped a little and this made them not steam evenly. Edges aside, the dumplings came out just like in the dim sum restaurants I remember. The savory filling was crunchy from the water chestnuts and had a lightly shrimp and salty flavor. Very nice texture and the wontons were soft. Do not over steam or they will start to fall apart! Here are my dumplings: +Real Simple

Real Simple Shrimp Dumplings ©EverydayCookingAdventures 2014

Shrimp Dumplings

Recipe from: “Real Simple Magazine” May 2006

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/3 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 scallion (light and dark green parts), chopped
• 1/8 wedge of a head of cabbage, chopped
• 1/4 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 of an 8-oz. can water chestnuts, drained and roughly chopped (4 oz. total)
• 1 Tbsp. fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. fresh basil (optional)
• 6 individual wonton wrappers
• 2 tablespoons cold water

Directions
1. In a food processor, pulse the shrimp, ginger, scallions, soy sauce, and oil until a paste forms. Add the water chestnuts, cilantro, and basil (if using) and pulse briefly.

2. Place wonton wrappers on a work surface lined with wax or parchment paper. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of the shrimp mixture in the center of each.

3. Fill a small bowl with the water. Use a pastry brush or fingertip to brush the water along the edges of a wrapper. Fold it over the filling to form a triangle, then press the edges to seal.

4. Fill a large sauté pan with a shallow level of water. Place a bamboo steamer on top without touching the water. Place a few pieces of cabbage on the bottom of the bamboo steamer and put the wontons, without touching each other on top of the cabbage. Put steamer cover on top. Heat water over medium-low to a rolling simmer and let steam for 12-15 minutes. Carefully remove the wontons one at a time with a rubber spatula. Spray lightly with cooking spray if wontons start to tear when being moved.