Asian Spinach Dumpling Wrappers: An Attractive Nutritional Boost!
Asian Spinach Dumpling Wrappers or Jade Dumplings! Have you seen these before? I bet you never have.
Are they not just the most charming little Asian dumpling you have ever laid your eyes upon?
Don’t you just want to pinch its fluffy little cheeks? “You are just soooo cute!!”
The Edmonton Thermomix Consulting Team was planning an Asian (primarily Chinese) Cooking Class and I asked Brenda, the Manager for the primarily Chinese Marpole Branch in Vancouver, for some recipes. She sent me some photos of similar dumplings and I was all in, head over toes. We found the recipe, Nadja, our champion Thermomix dumpling maker, worked on refining the recipe and then showed us all how to make it.
Choose your favourite filling and wrap it up in this nutritious and attractive little wrapper. Not only delicious but symbolizes power, status, wealth and virtue to the Chinese. Jade is good luck and believed to ward off evil. This would be a great addition on the Chinese New Year holiday feasting table.
We did use a traditional pork and cabbage filling. It was rustic, humble and tasty. As with anything “meaty”, the fattier the better. The flavour is in the fat, right?
Asian Spinach Dumpling Wrappers: Mis en Place
To make this wrapper, you must make batches of dough. One batch of spinach dough and a batch and a half of plain dough works perfectly. Interestingly, when developing this recipe the first round, Nadja just used the spinach water and did not add the spinach.
Very pretty, but when she sent me the photos, I just could not figure out why the green was not much deeper and more intense. We laughed so hard when we made them together. I put the spinach in the Thermomix with the flour and she exclaimed, “No! No! No! What are you doing?” She was so worried. This was such a triumph for me as she is one of my Thermomix idols. I have taught her so little and she has taught me so much. Yet, on this day she did learn that spinach added to the recipe makes a beautiful dough. We were both tickled.
Asian Spinach Dumpling Wrappers: Preparing the Spinach
Frozen chopped spinach works best. I strain it a bit, then wring the heck out of it in a tea towel until as much moisture as possible is expelled. Then, refining the chop in the Thermomix for pasta dough or these Asian Spinach Dumpling Wrappers is always a good idea.
Asian Spinach Dumpling Wrappers: Making the Dough
A very simple three-ingredient dough: water, flour and salt.
Spinach added to that simple dough with such colour and nutrients added into the mix.
Asian Spinach Dumpling Wrappers: Making the Jade Wrapper Dough Log
Before I could turn around, Nadja had the spinach round rolled into a flat piece and the plain dough into a log the same length as the spinach dough.
She did another rope with the leftover balls.
She placed the log on the spinach dough, wrapping the spinach dough around the log and trimmed off any excess dough so the seam just met.
Then rolled the log back onto the seam and rocked it back and forth until it was blended in.
Ready to cut into the log and form the wrappers for the filling.
Asian Spinach Dumpling Wrappers: Preparing the Wrappers
We made rather large wrappers. The thickness of your slice will determine the circumference of the circle you roll.
Above, left to right: (1) the slice just cut (2) then floured and flattened by hand (3) pinched into a circle with the edges thinner (4) and finally rolled out to a thin circle.
I cut about 2 dozen at a time, floured them and placed them in a plastic bag while keeping the mother dough moist. Then worked with 6 pieces at a time though there is a dozen in the photo below. I found 6 manageable and didn’t have to worry about the rolled pieces drying out. If you are working with others, one rolls while others fill. It’s great fun.
I did examine both sides of each rolled wrapper and the one that had the evenest border was left for the outside; the one with the uneven border faced up on the work surface to receive the filling.
Asian Spinach Dumpling Wrappers: Filling the Wrappers
Wrapper size determines the filling amount. I used a small ice cream scoop: the melon ball sized one. I placed the filling on each of 6 wrappers at a time and then pinched each closed.
Every time I had a little quiet celebration, elated with the stately presence of each little “pinched dumpling’s” personality and charm.
Asian Spinach Dumpling Wrappers: Freezing and Steaming the Wrappers
I freeze all dumplings and such on parchment lined sheet pans overnight, then plop them in labelled and dated freezer bags for future use. I double bag the little bags: there are 3 to 4 packages in a bigger bag.
You can clearly see I am no expert at making these, yet they all look great in a group!
So many different shapes are possible. Remember the ones Nadja made, above, with only the spinach water?
So
Thirty minutes in the Varoma on Varoma and the filling is thoroughly cooked with the dough supple and ready to melt in your mouth.
Asian Spinach Dumpling Wrappers: Serving the Wrappers
So delicious with your favourite dipping sauce. What filling you choose will influence the dip you make to compliment it. I am adventurous but don’t care for spice. A nice light soy makes me happy.
Of course, you can fry them Goyza style, then steam them with the lid on. But, they do not look as pretty after both processes.
This Jade Dumpling is best served steamed to show off its lucky wrapper: delicious, nutritious, economical and brings good luck, wards off evil and symbolizes power, status, wealth and virtue. It really cannot get any better than that, can it? Let me know if you make them!
Chinese Spinach Wrapper Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions for Plain Dumpling Wrapper
- 400 grams all purpose flour
- 200 grams water*
- Pinch of salt
- 50 grams spinach chopped finely with excess liquid expelled
Instructions
Ingredients for Dumpling Wrapper
- Thaw frozen chopped spinach; squeeze very well to eliminate all liquid
- Save liquid; add enough water to it to equal 200 grams
- Place prepared spinach in TM bowl; chop for 1 second on turbo, 2 times, until fine, scrapping down sides of bowl and moving all ingredients toward blade after each time
- Weigh water, flour and into mixing bowl with spinach; mix for 20 seconds on speed 2
- Knead for 2 minutes; lightly flour large bowl and transfer dough into prepared bowl
- Cover with plastic wrap or damp kitchen towel; rest dough for 20 minutes
- Prepare filling
- Roll dough into a long log 2.5cm to 3cm in diameter (about an inch); slice log into twenty 12-14 gram portions
- Working on one portion of dough at a time:
- a. Lightly dust work surface with flour
- b. Shape each portion into round flat disc
- c. Roll each out with small rolling pin to 1 mm thickness and 7cm diameter (about 2 ½ inch diameter) with edges thinner than middle
- d. Spoon about 25 g of filling in the middle of each wrap and proceed with instructions in Pork filling recipe
Chinese Dumpling Wrapper Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients for Plain Dumpling Wrapper
- 400 grams all purpose flour
- 200 grams water*
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Instructions for Dumpling Wrapper
- Weigh water, flour and salt into mixing bowl; mix for 20 seconds on speed 2
- Knead for 2 minutes; lightly flour large bowl and transfer dough into prepared bowl
- Cover with plastic wrap or damp kitchen towel; rest dough for 20 minutes
- Prepare filling
- Roll dough into a long log 2.5cm to 3cm in diameter (about an inch); slice log into twenty 12-14 gram portions
- Working on one portion of dough at a time:
- Lightly dust work surface with flour
- Shape each portion into round flat disc
- Roll each out with small rolling pin to 1 mm thickness and 7cm diameter (about 2 ½ inch diameter) with edges thinner than middle
- Spoon about 25 g of filling in the middle of each wrap and proceed with instructions in Pork filling recipe
Two Colour Jade Dumpling Wrappers
Ingredients
Ingredients for Two Colour Jade Dumping Wrappers
- One batch of green dumpling dough
- One batch and a half of plain dumpling dough
- Enough filling for 100 dumplings
Instructions
Instructions for Two Colour Jade Dumpling Wrappers
- Roll plain and spinach dough into long logs, same length, about 1½ inches thick
- Roll spinach dough into a long flat sheet about 2.5 inches wide; place plain dough log onto edge of spinach dough and roll spinach dough over it until the plain dough is completely covered with the green spinach dough (cut off excess); secure the seam
- Divide the log into two; slice each log into equal portions (about twenty 12-14 gram portions)
- Working on one portion of dough at a time:
- Lightly dust work surface with flour
- Shape each portion into round flat disc
- Roll each out with to 1 mm thickness and 7cm diameter (about 2 ½ inch diameter) with edges thinner than middle
- The green dough will be the fan part, or outer part, of the dumpling
- Freeze on parchment covered sheet pans overnight; repackage into labeled and dated freezer bags OR
- Place 10 dumplings on Varoma shelf and 10 dumplings on bottom, not touching; steam for 30 minutes on Varoma speed 2
- Repeat to steam more dumplings
- If steaming from frozen, add 1-2 minutes more to time
Notes
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