Chai Kueh (Steamed Vegetable Dumplings)

I fried the jicama with other vegetables yesterday, a big bowl of it, usually I with use the leftover to make spring rolls but today I decided to make Chai Kueh/ Steamed Vegetable Dumplings. 

Well, this attempt was a hard one, out of the eight dumplings only one with unbreakable pastry, the rest have holes on them even before go into the steamer. When I transferred the dumplings to the steamer it was frustrating to see the dumplings skin sticked on my hand and ... torn :(

When WT eat the dumpling, I told him this is $10 each, because of the tidiousness in getting a perfect translucent skin :) If you ask me, will I try it again, the answer is a sure ...yes!

Anyway, thanks 董夫人 for the pastry recipe!

Lesson learnt:

1. First oil your hand when flatten and handle the dumpling skin.

2. Filling must be fried until very dry.  

Recipe for filling from Ah Tze's Kitchen Play

Ingredients:

300g jicama, shredded

3 tbsp dried prawns, soaked and chopped

1 big carrot, shredded

8 small french beans, chopped

2 big pieces of black fungus, soaked and shredded

4 tbsps sugar

1 tbsp salt

3 medium bowl of water

cooking oil

2 tbsps chopped garlic

Steps:

1. Heat the oil in wok, stir-fry garlic until fragrant.

2. Add in dried prawns and fry until fragrant.

3. Add in jicama, carrots, black fungus and french beans. Stir fry for 5 mins, add in water. Let it simmer until the vegetable is soft and cooked. Add in sugar and salt to taste. If you like me, prefer my vegetable to taste sweet to cover the raw smell of the jicama, you may add in more sugar.

4. Let it cool for later use.



Recipe adapted from 董夫人

Ingredients for the dumpling skin

50g Wheat Starch Flour (Tung Mein Fun) (I used about 80g)

50g Tapioca Flour

pinch of salt

102ml hot boiling water (I used 85ml)

3 tbsps oil

Steps:

1. Mixed wheat starch flour and tapioca flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.

2. Pour in boiling water and mixed it thoroughly with a pair of chopstick, until it becomes a dough.

3. Close it up and let it rest for 10 mins.

4. Add in oil gradually and knead into a smooth dough.

5. Rolled out the dough into long shape and divide into 8~9 pieces.

Steps to make Chai Kueh:

1. Lightly oiled the steaming tray.

2. Roll the skin pastry into a circle, stuff in 1 tbsp filling in the center.

3. Pleat the edge or fold the skin into half and wrapped it up tightly.

4. Arrange the Chai Kueh on the steaming tray. Brush with some oil before steaming. Steam for 7~10 mins or until the skin is translucent.