Shrimp and Pork Dumplings

Name: Shrimp and Pork Dumplings
Yield: Makes 24 dumplings
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 8 ounces fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and chopped; 2 anchovy fillets; 2 garlic cloves, peeled; One 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced; 1 fresh red Thai chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped; 1 tablespoon sugar; 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice; 2 tablespoons rice or white vinegar; ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric; 8 ounces shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped or ground; 4 ounces pork shoulder or butt, chopped or ground; ½ teaspoon minced fresh red Thai chile, crushed red pepper flakes, or freshly ground black pepper; 4 fresh water chestnuts, peeled and chopped, or ⅓ cup peeled and chopped jicama; 3 scallions, trimmed and minced; ¼ teaspoon sugar; 2 tablespoons nam pla (Thai fish sauce); 4 garlic cloves, minced; ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon grape seed, corn, or other neutral oil, plus more as needed; 1 shallot, minced; 3 ounces fresh shiitake mushroom caps, trimmed and finely chopped; Twenty-four 4-inch round dumpling wrappers; Nuoc Cham (page 117)

Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: Asian
Serves: Makes 24 dumplings
From: Jean-Georges Vongerichten

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This is a classic dumpling, stuffed with shrimp and pork, though probably better than most you've eaten because all the ingredients are fresh. Our twist is the combination of Southeast Asian sauces with traditional dumpling ingredients and technique. This is how you'd see "Chinese" food in Malaysia: hotter and spicier. Like all dumplings, these are easy and fun to make, and can be prepared ahead of time and frozen before steaming. You can even put them in the steamer without defrosting; some people insist they're best that way.

Ingredients

Pineapple Nam Prik

8 ounces fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and chopped
2 anchovy fillets
2 garlic cloves, peeled
One 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1 fresh red Thai chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons rice or white vinegar
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

Dumplings

8 ounces shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped or ground
4 ounces pork shoulder or butt, chopped or ground
½ teaspoon minced fresh red Thai chile, crushed red pepper flakes, or freshly ground black pepper
4 fresh water chestnuts, peeled and chopped, or ⅓ cup peeled and chopped jicama
3 scallions, trimmed and minced
¼ teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon grape seed, corn, or other neutral oil, plus more as needed
1 shallot, minced
3 ounces fresh shiitake mushroom caps, trimmed and finely chopped
Twenty-four 4-inch round dumpling wrappers
Nuoc Cham (page 117)

Instructions

Pineapple Nam Prik

To make the pineapple nam prik: Put all the ingredients in a blender with ½ cup water. Blend until smooth. Reserve.

Dumplings

To make the dumplings: Put the first 7 ingredients in a mixing bowl with three-quarters of the minced garlic and 3 tablespoons of the oil. Mix just until everything is well combined.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and remaining garlic and cook just until softened, about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the shrimp-pork mixture.
Brush a little oil on the bottom of a steamer and set over at least 2 inches of simmering water in a covered pot.
Put a heaping teaspoon of the filling in the center of each dumpling wrapper. You can bunch the wrappers around the filling, leaving the dumpling open-faced, or you can seal the edges with water and fold the dumplings into half-moons. Put the finished dumplings on a lightly floured surface; do not allow them to touch one another.
Transfer the dumplings to the steamer, putting them about 1 inch apart, and cook until the wrappers are soft and the fillings cooked through, about 12 minutes for fresh dumplings, 20 minutes for frozen dumplings. Serve immediately with nuoc cham and pineapple nam prik.