I love a good culinary adventure, especially when it involves learning new skills. Last winter I discovered community cooking classes offered through Sevastopol School, and the skills of Wenbo Liu.
Liu, who was born and raised in China before coming to America (where he goes by Martin), shared his native Chinese skillset and cuisine during his series of classes.
A patient and detail-oriented instructor, Liu broke down the history, region of origin and details of creating each dish. At the tail end of each class, his wife (a math teacher at Sevastopol School) and three young children would barrel into the classroom full of energy, excited to join us in tasting the fruits of our labor. These layers of family, groundedness, and history made each class a special experience.
When Sevastopol School was remodeled several years ago, planners had the foresight to prioritize culinary arts in a community where restaurants thrive with a beautiful kitchen classroom. The space was state of the art and made a perfect workspace for the culinary adventures we shared under Liu’s watchful eye and detailed instruction.
If you can’t make a class, learn from Liu on YouTube at The Liu View 7005, where you will find cooking instruction along with other videos about Door County and Wisconsin living.
Although everything we made was spectacular, my favorite dish was the traditional savory Chinese Dumplings. Liu directed us through a dough made of only all-purpose flour and water and a pork filling. You can also stuff these with tofu and vegetables, ground chicken or turkey or whatever tickles your fancy.
The savory dumplings are putzy to assemble, but worth the time and effort. This is a great kitchen day to spend with two or three friends. Share the work and the bounty. The dumplings can be served up as a appetizers or the main course. They’re hard to stop eating once you start!
Chinese Dumplings by Martin Liu
Yield approximately 100 Dumplings
Tools
Rolling pin
Dough cutter
Stock pot
Slotted spoon
Plastic wrap
The Dough
Basic ratio of 2 to 1 (flour to water)
Make the dough first, it will need time to sit and allow the gluten to form.
6 cups all-purpose flou
2 ¼ cup cold water
Best to make the dough using your hands. Slowly add water to the flour, use your hands to mix it together. Roll the dough out, using your hands to also work the dough. Once it has a good consistency, place the dough back in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit 15 minutes at room temperature. Roll it out a second time until the dough surface becomes smooth. Place it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Juicy Pork Filling
2 lb ground pork
1 bunch chopped green onion (reserve the green tops for the dipping sauce)
2 Tbsp chopped ginger root (skin on
2 Tbsp soy sauce or Bragg’s amino acid
1 tsp MSG (substitute powdered chicken stock base if preferred)
1 tsp ground white pepper (can substitute black pepper)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp Chinese Five Spice
½ cup water or chicken broth
¼ cup vegetable oil
Mix all ingredients together except the water or broth and vegetable oil. Once all spices are mixed add enough water or broth so the mixture gets sticky but not runny. If you add too much liquid, just add a smidge of cornstarch to help bind things together. Lastly, add the vegetable oil and mix until it forms together like a sausage. Place the meat in the refrigerator for a minimum of 10 minutes, allowing flavors to bind.
Assembly
Remove dough from the refrigerator. Roll dough out one more time (the dough should be worked 2-3 times to allow the gluten to form). Work the dough into coils approximately 1 inch in diameter. Using the dough cutter cut the dough into ½ inch pieces. Using your rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a thin circle.
Place the rolled dough disk in the palm of your hand. Place a dollop of the pork filling on half the disk. Using your finger, run a bit of water around the edge of the dough. Fold the other half over the filling and crimp the edges of the dough together using a fork. Repeat until all the dough and filling is used up.
Place the finished dumplings on a sheet pan. Do not let the edges touch as they will stick together. Cover with plastic wrap so they do not dry out.
You can finish cooking the dumplings the same day or freeze and save for later.
To freeze the dumplings, place the sheet pan directly in the freezer for approximately ½ hour. Once they are starting to freeze you can transfer the mostly frozen dumplings into gallon sized freezer bags. Remove extra air from the bag, seal and place in the freezer for future use.
Cooking
Fill a large stock pot ⅔ of the way with water and bring to a boil. Add 1 Tbsp of salt into the boiling water (make sure you have additional cold water in a pitcher ready to use).
Add the dumplings to the boiling water, with room in the pan for the dumplings to move in the water. Stir the dumplings, making sure they are not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan and when the water is nearly boiling over, remove the lid and add approximately ¾ cup of cold tap water to the pot. Stir the dumplings and replace the cover. Repeat this process 2 more times. Each round of dumplings cooks for a total of 10 or more minutes. They are done when the pork filling is tight and white in color.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the cooked dumplings from the water and repeat the process until all the dumplings are cooked.
Dipping Sauce
2 cloves smashed garlic
1 Tbsp hot vegetable oil
½ cup water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp brown balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
¼ powdered chicken bouillon
¼ tsp sugar
¼ tsp chili oil (optional adds lots of spice)*
¼ tsp mustard oil (optional)*
1 tsp Chinese peppercorn oil*
2 Tbsp green onions, chopped
2 Tbsp chopped ginger
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro, stems removed
*Find online or at Asian food stores
Add the smashed garlic to a medium glass bowl. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and pour over the garlic, releasing the essence of the garlic into the oil. Add the water, vinegar, soy sauce, salt, bouillon, sugar and stir. Add the chili, mustard and or peppercorn oils. Stir. Add the fresh green onions, ginger and cilantro.
Assemble the dipping sauce while the dumplings are boiling. As soon as the dumplings are finished, dip them in the sauce and enjoy. Be prepared for a flavor explosion in your mouth!
