Canadian Boiled Dumpling Recipes

BOILED OR PANFRIED DUMPLING DOUGH

Steps:

• Mix the Dough: Add the flour to a wide mixing bowl and stir in the salt. Stir in the water and egg white with your fingers. The flour will look shaggy, like biscuit dough; as the dough comes together, run an open palm around the edge of the bowl and fold the flour into the center, spinning the bowl with your other hand as you go, until it all forms a rough clump. It's fine if there are still pockets of dry flour.
• Knead the Dough: Coat your work surface with a fine dusting of flour and turn the dough out of the bowl. Dust your hands with flour and shape the dough into a fat log about the width of your hand. Knead the dough by pushing your hands and wrists into the log and rolling it forward. Then roll it back and push again. Repeat a few times until the log moves easily, adding more flour if it sticks, then spin the log 90 degrees, shape it into a horizontal log again, and knead a few more times, adding more flour if necessary. Use no more flour than you need to keep the dough from drying out. As you knead, the dough will get firmer and tougher with a texture reminiscent of a gummy bear. It's ready when it's smooth to the touch, like the surface of a pearl, not tacky, with no cracks or pockets of dry flour. There may be some lumps. Put the dough back in your work bowl and cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap. Let it sleep for 15 to 30 minutes. While it relaxes, you can prepare your filling.Knead Again: Dust your work surface with a little more flour, then knead it as before. Work out all those lumps; after kneading about ten times you should have satin-smooth dough that forms a clean ball you can easily push into, like the gel of a shoe insert.Portion the Dough: Form your dough into a log, dust a dough scraper with a little flour, and cut the dough into four equal sections. Roll each section into a log and chop it into six pieces for a total of twenty-four balls of dough, each about an inch in diameter. Toss the balls with a light coating of flour and cover with a lightly moistened towel.Roll the Dough Into Wrappers: Gently smash the balls of dough into flat disks, then lightly roll an Asian-style rolling pin across them to flatten them out a bit more. Hold one disk by its edge and firmly but gently roll your pin from the disk's edge to its center. Roll the same edge a few more times, using more pressure at the edge than at the center. Use your other hand to turn the dough disk and reveal a new edge of the disk; roll again. Continue until all edges are rolled out and the wrapper is about 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Hold your rolled-out wrapper up to a light. If you can see through it faintly, your wrapper is ready to go. Otherwise, keep rolling. Roll the edges to half the thickness of the center of the wrappers. As you get faster, you'll notice that all your active hand needs to do is roll the pin back and forth while your other hand just rotates the wrapper. As long as your hands stay in these fixed motions, you'll easily make even, round wrappers though they don't need to be perfectly uniform. Place freshly rolled wrappers under a lightly moistened towel to keep them from drying out.

GRANDS-PERES AU SIROP D'ERABLE (CANADIAN MAPLE SYRUP DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Rub in margarine until mixture is crumbly. Add milk and mix until a smooth dough forms.
• Combine maple syrup and water in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Scoop dough into dumplings using an ice cream scoop and drop gently into the boiling syrup. Reduce heat to low and simmer, keeping saucepan covered, until dumplings are cooked but not gooey and syrup has thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.

BOILED BEEF & CARROTS WITH PARSLEY DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Cut the beef into three or four chunky pieces, put in a large pan and just cover with cold water. Bring it quickly to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and, using a ladle, skim off any scum on the top. As you are doing this, you will also be removing some of the water. Pour in the stock, return it to the boil, then turn to a simmer.
• Meanwhile, roughly chop the vegetables and add them to the pan with the sprigs of thyme and bay leaves. Season lightly.
• Take a large square of muslin (or use a clean J-cloth), lay the spices in the middle and then tie up with kitchen string, like a money bag. Drop the bag into the pan and tie the bag to the handle. Simmer the beef (don't let it boil) for about 2 hrs, until the meat feels tender when pierced with a sharp knife. If the stock reduces down too much, top it up with more water so the meat remains submerged.
• While the beef is cooking, peel celeriac and cut into small sticks about 1cm thick. Halve turnips. Trim tops off the other vegetables, but don't peel - there's no need. Bring a pan of lightly salted water to the boil and blanch vegetables for about 3 mins. Have ready a large bowl of ice-cold water and when the vegetables are just tender, drain them and tip immediately into the water. Leave for 2-3 mins, drain again and set aside. Also, while the beef is cooking, mix together the flour, suet, salt, a grinding of pepper and the parsley for the dumplings.
• When the beef is cooked, remove the pan from the heat, then strain off and reserve the stock for cooking the dumplings and reheating the baby vegetables (you won't use it all). Discard the vegetables and tip the beef into a baking dish. Cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
• Mix just enough cold water (about 200ml) into the flour and suet mix to make a soft dough. If the dough is too wet, it will be difficult to shape. Roll gently into 10-12 balls. Bring a shallow pan of water to the boil and add a couple of ladles of the stock plus the olive oil, the star anise, peppercorns and thyme sprigs. Using a slotted spoon, lower in the dumplings. Cover and simmer for about 12-15 mins, until risen and fluffy. Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon.
• Spoon about three ladles of stock into another pan, bring to a simmer and reheat the veg briefly. Remove with a slotted spoon. Strain the stock from the veg for serving.
• Cut each beef chunk into slices and season lightly. Arrange in warmed serving dishes with the baby vegetables, celeriac and dumplings. Pour some stock over and serve.