Most important part of the travel is food that one gets to explore and experiment. I have been missing the hot, soft, flavorful dim sims for quite sometime now. Never had attempted to try them at home as i was so sure i was going to ruin my wonderful memories of eating those dim sims in Singapore. But are Dim sims same as Dumplings? It is a very strong topic to argue about. In a gist i concluded that Dim Sims and Dumplings can be cousins, from the locals of Singapore.
My good looking dashing Dim Sim
Now that I'm left with no choice but to drool over those photos of dim sims in chili oil taken a while back and the fact that i have a lot of time in hand, i finally took the challenge to recreate those dumplings at home. I did some research and i also have a video of how dim sims (with ground pork) were made in a small eatery while in Singapore. Funny, i had to pause and replay the video so many times to get the hang of it as the chef was making 10 dumplings in 10 secs, like it was his second nature. The secret to get a perfect looking dim sim is in the way the dough is rolled and folded. I was not even close to the quality you can see in the below photo. But hey I'm not a professional (yet). I will be there sometime in like 10 years may be! ;)
Photos clicked in a small eatery in Singapore
Ingredients:
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For Dough (to make 8 dim sims)
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Maida / All purpose flour - 2 cups
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt as needed
For Dim sim filling
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Carrots diced - 1/2 cup
Cabbage shredded - 1 cup
Cauliflower shredded - 1/2 cup
Mushrooms diced - 1 cup (Replace Mushroom with ground chicken or pork if desired)
Spinach - 1/2 cup
Onions diced - 1/2 cup
Green chili / Jalapeno - few small bits
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
White sesame seeds - 1 1/2 tsp (optional)
Dark soy sauce - 1/2 tsp
Sriracha/Red chili sauce - 1/2 tsp
For Clear soup
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Vegetable/Chicken Broth - 3 cups
Frozen Green peas - 1/4 cup
Frozen corn - 1/4 cup
Spinach - 1 cup
Mushrooms - 1/2 cup
Spring onions
Salt as needed
Black Pepper as needed
For Chili oil
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Crushed dried red chili
Sesame oil (Highly recommended. If not available, substitute with sunflower oil)
How to make Dim Sim
1. Add the items under 'For Dough'. Mix it with hand to get rid of lumps. Add little water at a time to knead it to a firm dough. Once the dough is smooth and firm, set it aside for 30 mins with a lid covered to make sure the dough doesn't get dry.
2. Gather all the items listed under 'For Dim Sim filling'. Make sure to diced the veggies into tiny bits as shown below:
On a pan, add 1 tsp of sesame oil (or sunflower oil). Once the oil is hot, add chopped onions. saute until translucent. Add white sesame seeds to onions. Wait until the seeds pop. Add all other veggies that were cut. To this mixture, add soy sauce and sriracha sauce. Saute until the veggies are half cooked but still crunchy. Keep aside to let it cool.
3. Divide the dough to small balls. Roll them as thin as possible with a rolling pin. Use dry flour to dust on the dough if they are sticky. Make sure the ends are thin and the center a slightly thicker. To get a perfect round, i used a bowl with sharp edges to cut it out. Add a small spoon of filling to the rolled out dough.
4. Now comes the tricky part and i was so involved in getting the fold right that i forgot to click a photo. Technically it is like folding any of our Indian paranthas with filling inside. Fold the sides like a zig zag pattern until the circumference is covered and twist the top to close the opening. Just make sure you dont add too much filling then it becomes difficult to seal the Dim Sim.
5. Make a batch of Dim Sims and then add it to a steamer. I used an Idli pan for the purpose.Steam the Dim Sims for 7 mins. Take the steamer of the heat and let the dim sims sit int he steamer until they are ready to be served as a snack or to be added to a hot soup.
How to make Clear Soup
1. Pour Vegetable/ Chicken stock in a pan. Add Frozen peas, corn, spinach, mushrooms to the stock. Bring it to a rolling boil. Add salt and black pepper.
How to make Chili oil (in a hurry)
1. Add 1 tbsp of Sesame oil (or sunflower oil) to a small pan. Keep the pan in medium heat. Add crushed Red chilies (with seeds) and immediately add 2 tsp of red chili powder to give the smokey flavor.
Service Dim Sim and Soup in a bowl while they are hot. Sprinkle some spring onions on the soup. If you wish to have the Dim Sim as such, eat it as a snack with some hot green tea on the side.
I also made a side serving of Vegetable-Egg Fried Rice on the side for the hungry bellies at home :).
Don't forget to add a dash of chili oil to the hot soup with dim sim. They just taste so heavenly, flavorful and amazing on a rainy day. My boys had a sumptuous lunch on a weekday!
Guten Appetit!
Happy Slurping!
Happy Slurping!
