Chicken and Shrimp Dumplings (Shu Mai)

I recently purchased a bamboo steamer, courtesy of a Williams-Sonoma gift card I got for my birthday (thanks to the Cwieka's!!) and so I bought wonton wrappers a few weeks ago with the idea to make chinese dumplings. Well, I finally got around to it today after being sick most of the week and I must say, my first foray into dumplings was pretty darn good. I would add some shredded carrots to the recipe next time to give it more taste and crunch but I did really like these. I got the recipe from Cookinglight.com and will definitely use it for a basis again.

Working with the bamboo steamer was really easy too. You just line the bottom with parchment paper careful not to cover all the air holes so that the steam can still circulate. Fill a wok with about 2 inches of water and bring it to a boil. When the water boils, put the steamer in the wok. Make sure the bottom of the steamer doesn't touch the water. If it does, just pour some out. You may need to add more water as you steam, depending on how many batches you make. For this recipe, I had to reload the steamer 5 times. It really is a cool process. I love it.














1/2 pound of ground chicken (I used chicken breasts and ground it in my food processor)
5 precooked shrimp, diced (I used the frozen kind and just defrosted it)
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated (I would use more next time)
1 TBSP rice wine
1 TBSP soy sauce
24 wonton wrappers
1 egg beaten

In a bowl combine the chicken, shrimp, green onions, ginger, rice wine and soy sauce.

On a clean, flat surface, lay out the wonton wrappers (I worked with 6 at a time). Top the wrapper with about a tablespoon of the mixture. Brush the edges a little of the egg and bring the corners up together to form a dumpling.

Steam the dumplings for about 10 minutes and remove immediately. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. I used sesame ginger. YUM!

I am submitting this one to Joelen's Asian Appetizer Adventure here!