Ingredients
Method
Place flour and salt in a large glass bowl
Add the hot water and stir with a spatula until the dough starts to come together
Turnout onto the bench and knead into a smooth, pliable dough (this should take approx. 3-4 minutes)
Place the dough back into the bowl cover with a clean, damp cloth and cling film the bowl
Allow dough to rest for at least 1 hour.
Drain the shiitake mushrooms and place onto a paper towel to absorb any excess water
Then, remove the stems and roughly chop.
Place three quarters of the prawn meat, the egg whites and a teaspoon of fine table salt into a food processor
Blend for one minute to form a rough paste
Add the remaining prawns, garlic, chilli, ginger, shitake mushrooms, spring onions, coriander, water chestnuts and sesame oil
Pulse the mixture 4-5 times to incorporate all the ingredients
Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is mixed evenly and repeat if necessary
Remove from the food processor, pop the mixture into a bowl, cling wrap and place into the fridge
In a small bowl, add the dipping sauce ingredients and give it a good mix
Place all the dipping sauce ingredients into a small bowl and whisk to blend together, and set aside
Cut the pastry ball in half and roll out each piece into a thick sausage. Then, cut the dough into 25-30 gram pieces
Flatten each piece into little circles and cover with a damp cloth
Using a thin rolling pin, roll out each piece into a neat, thin circle of pastry. If you can, roll the edges of each, turning the circle of dough as you roll so that the centre is slightly thicker
Holding a wonton wrapper on the palm of one hand, spoon about one and a half tablespoons of prawn mixture in the centre of the pastry
Gather the wrapper around the filling, similar to a ravioli
Seal the edges in the middle and on either end
Now, carefully fold and gather the edge in a pleat either side of the centre to form the dumpling. If this proves difficult, simply seal the dumpling into a half-moon shape similar to a gyoza and set down onto a lightly floured tray or plate. Repeat for the remaining dumpling wrappers.
In a small bowl, whisk 200ml water and a tablespoon of flour together to form a cloudy liquid. Pour into a jug and set aside.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat – make sure you have a lid that fits the fry pan
Add a splash of olive oil and place the dumplings in a neat circle around the pan
Once the wontons have become slightly golden on the bottom, add 80ml of the flour and water and then place the lid on quickly. Be careful, as the oil may splash
Steam for 3-4 minutes, until you hear the pan start to sizzle. Then remove the lid and continue to cook over a low heat until the pancake becomes crisp. This will take approximately 2-3 minutes
Place a plate over the top of the frying pan and carefully invert the frying pan so the dumplings turn out onto the plate with the crisp pancake on top
Serve with the dipping sauce.
