Bouncy, Chewy and Full of Flavor

A regional specialty of Zhongshan in China’s Guangdong province, this dumpling illustrates the diversity of these tasty morsels across China. With its translucent skin, this crystal dumpling is a vegetarian version of Zhongshan gok jai, which traditionally includes dried shrimp and pork. The skin, made from wheat, tapioca and potato starches, is chewy, with a notable bounce, and the tofu-and-vegetable filling is savory and textural. A long knead is crucial to achieving an elastic dough that doesn’t crack when steamed and will deliver its distinctive texture when cooked through. The unconventional use of a tortilla press makes short work of flattening the dough into disks, but a small rolling pin works as well.

Gok Jai (Vegetable Crystal Dumplings)
Ingredients:
For the filling:
• 3 ounces dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in boiling water for at least 30 minutes
• 1/4 cup (7 grams) dried wood ear mushrooms, rehydrated in boiling water for 30 minutes
• 1 small carrot (about 3 ounces), peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1 small celery stalk (about 2 ounces), cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 (8-ounce) can whole or sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 4 ounces extra-firm tofu, torn into large chunks
• 1/4 cup (30 grams) pickled mustard stems (also known as zha cai), roughly sliced
• Neutral oil, such as grapeseed or sunflower
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 5 teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
• Salt and white pepper
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
For the dough:
• 3 cups (720 milliliters) boiling water
• 1 (16-ounce) packet wheat starch
• 1 cup (120 grams) tapioca starch
• 2 tablespoons potato starch

For serving:
• Chile crisp or chile oil (optional)

Directions:
Prepare the filling: Drain the soaked shiitake mushrooms, squeezing out any excess water, and cut them in half (it’s OK to leave the stalks on). Repeat with the wood ear mushrooms.

The filling ingredients can be chopped into small, uniform pieces by hand with a knife, or in a food processor. If using a food processor, only use the pulse button in short bursts, as the ingredients should get chopped into small pieces rather than puréed or blended. For the processor, add the carrot and celery and pulse until they are in small chunks. Add the shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, water chestnuts, tofu and pickled mustard stems; pulse about 20 times until everything looks finely chopped. If there are any larger pieces, take them out and chop them up by hand.

Heat a large skillet on medium-high. Drizzle with about 1 tablespoon of oil and then add the chopped filling ingredients. Add the sugar and toss to combine. Cook until the celery and mushrooms have softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce and toss to combine. Turn off the heat. Taste and then season very well with 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of salt and a big pinch of pepper. The filling should taste on the edge of being too salty, because the wrappers are neutral in flavor. Add the scallions and cornstarch and toss well to combine. Transfer to a bowl, then set aside.

To make the dough, you will need a large pot with a lid and boiling water. (The temperature is essential here, as the boiling water heats the starches, which makes them gelatinous so the wrappers achieve their chewy texture.) Place the wheat starch, tapioca starch and potato starch into the pot and whisk to combine. Carefully pour in the boiling water and stir to combine as much as you can. (There’s no need to fully combine; there will be lots of dry flour.) Immediately cover with the lid to allow it to steam for 10 minutes.

The dough will still be very hot, so wear some disposable gloves, if needed. Using your hands or a flexible pastry scraper (or both!), bring the dough together in the pot until the dry starch is mixed in and it has become a big, craggy mass.

Add a few drops of neutral oil to a clean work surface. Turn out the dough and knead it until it goes from sticky to smooth, less sticky, slightly tacky and more elastic, about 10 minutes. The flexible pastry scraper is helpful in moving the dough around and lifting the sticky dough off the work surface. You can also knead it in a stand mixer by first greasing the bowl then using a dough hook on medium speed for 7 to 8 minutes, stopping to scrape the dough off the bottom and sides when needed. If the dough is too hard to handle at any point of the kneading, spread a tiny amount of oil on your hands to make working with the dough easier.

Wash your hands. Cut the dough into 6 even pieces, cover with a wet tea towel, and let it sit for 5 minutes while you clean your work area. (It’s good practice to wash your hands often, as any bits of dough stuck to your hands will make handling this dough harder.)

Taking one piece of dough at a time, roll it out into a long, 1 1/2-inch-thick log. Cut into eight 1-inch pieces (add any end pieces back to other dough). Working with one piece at a time, roll into a ball and then, either using a small rolling pin or a tortilla press (cover both sides in plastic wrap or parchment paper so it doesn’t stick), roll or press each ball into a 1/4-inch-thick flat disk that is about 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Do not roll it too thin, as the dough tears easily. After you have rolled or pressed these 8 wrappers, fill them before working with the next piece of dough.

Place the wrapper in the palm of your hand and add 2 heaped teaspoons of the filling (do not overfill). Fold in half and pinch the edge together firmly to seal the filling. Starting at one corner, and using your thumb, fold and pinch small pleats into the edge, to form a crimped, braided pattern, until you reach the other corner. Place on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan and continue folding the remaining dumplings. (There is no need to cover them, as they will be fine sitting out until you are ready to cook. If you would like to freeze at this stage, see note below for instructions.)

Set up your steamer: Place 2 to 3 inches of water into a wide pot (make sure it fits your bamboo steamer or steaming basket), cover and bring to a boil. Line a bamboo steamer or steamer basket with liner sheets or parchment paper (cut a few slits with scissors to let air flow). Arrange the dumplings in the steamer, making sure they don’t touch one another or the side of the steamer, and carefully set the steamer on top of the pot. Steam over medium-high heat until the dumplings look slightly translucent, 12 to 14 minutes. They will become more translucent as they cool. (If the dumplings stick together or to the sides of the steamer, pour water over the top to loosen them without tearing.) Continue cooking the remaining dumplings, making sure to top up the water often.
Traditionally the dumplings are eaten unadorned, without sauces, but they are very nice eaten with your choice of chile crisp or chile oil.

Tips:
To freeze, place uncooked dumplings onto a parchment paper-lined plate or tray and freeze until the skin is firm. Transfer them into a zip-top bag to store; they can be frozen for up to 3 months. To cook, steam from frozen for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the dumplings look translucent.

Depending upon how much filling you use in each dumpling, you might have leftovers. Save leftover filling to make more dumplings with regular store-bought wrappers, use as an omelet filling, or toss through fried rice.

Total time: 3.5 hours, creates 45-50 dumplings.

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