Wedding Dumplings 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.

WEDDING DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• 1. Place a sheet of wax paper onto one 15x10x1-inch baking sheet. Set baking sheet aside.
• 2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs.
• 3. Add the milk, salt, and nutmeg; stir thoroughly.
• 4. Add the torn bread, and mix thoroughly with your hands.
• 5. Shape bread mixture into 7-8 medium sized balls (each about 2-1/2" to 3" in size).
• 6. Place the dumplings onto the baking sheet, that was lined with the wax paper.
• 7. Add vegetable oil to a deep fryer, and set the deep fryer to 375 degrees.
• 8. When the deep fryer is hot enough, add the dumplings, and fry them until they're a golden brown (about 5-7 minutes) and turning them once or twice. (Don't worry if the dumplings look a bit dark in color. Once you cook them in boiling water, the dumplings lighten up a bit in color).
• 9. Place the fried dumplings on paper toweling.
• 10. To cook the dumplings: Place dumplings in a large pot of boiling water; and cook them uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove and serve the dumplings with a gravy of your choice.
• 11. To freeze the dumplings: After the dumplings are deep-fried, and placed on paper towels; cool them to room temperature. Place the cooled dumplings in (freezer-type) Ziploc bags, and store them in the freezer. (You can freeze the dumplings for several months).
• 12. Note: Thaw the frozen dumplings completely, before cooking them in boiling water.

WEDDING DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Place a sheet of wax paper onto one 15x10x1-inch baking sheet. Set baking sheet aside.
• In a large bowl, beat the eggs.
• Add the milk, salt, and nutmeg; stir thoroughly.
• Add the torn bread, and mix thoroughly with your hands.
• Shape bread mixture into 7-8 medium sized balls (each about 2-1/2" to 3" in size).
• Place the dumplings onto the baking sheet, that was lined with the wax paper.
• Add vegetable oil to a deep fryer, and set the deep fryer to 375 degrees.
• When the deep fryer is hot enough, add the dumplings, and fry them until they're a golden brown (about 5-7 minutes) and turning them once or twice. (Don't worry if the dumplings look a bit dark in color. Once you cook them in boiling water, the dumplings lighten up a bit in color).
• Place the fried dumplings on paper toweling.
• To cook the dumplings: Place dumplings in a large pot of boiling water; and cook them uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove and serve the dumplings with a gravy of your choice.
• To freeze the dumplings: After the dumplings are deep-fried, and placed on paper towels; cool them to room temperature. Place the cooled dumplings in (freezer-typed) ziploc bags, and store them in the freezer. (You can freeze the dumplings for several months).
• Note: Thaw the frozen dumplings completely, before cooking them in boiling water.

DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Stir ingredients until soft dough forms.
• Drop by spoonfuls onto boiling stew; reduce heat.
• Cook uncovered 10 minutes. Cover and cook 10 minutes.

SEMMELKNOEDEL (BREAD DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Place the bread cubes into a large bowl. Heat the milk until it starts to bubble at the edges, then pour it over the bread cubes. Stir briefly to coat the bread. Let soak for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions; cook and stir until tender. Stir in the parsley, and remove from the heat. Mix into the bowl with the bread along with the eggs, salt and pepper. Use your hands, squeezing the dough through your fingers until it is smooth and sticky.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. The water should be at least 3 or 4 inches deep. When the water is boiling, make a test dumpling about the size of a small orange or tangerine, by patting and cupping between wet hands. Gently drop into the boiling water. If it falls apart, the dough is too wet. In this case, stir some bread crumbs into the rest of the dumpling batter.
• Form the remaining dough into large dumplings, and carefully drop into the boiling water. Simmer for 20 minutes, then remove to a serving plate with a large slotted spoon. They should come out soft, spongy and delicious!

EGG DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Bring 2 1/2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add 3 1/2 teaspoons salt.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, and eggs. Add 2/3 cup water and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Using your hand, mix to form a dough. Divide the dough into quarters.
• Place one quarter of the dough on a small, dampened cutting board, flattening to 1/2-inch thick. Dip a paring knife into the boiling water, and cut the dough into 1-by-1/2-inch pieces directly into the boiling water. Repeat process with remaining dough. If the knife begins to stick to the dough, dip it into the boiling water.
• As dumplings are cooking, stir water occasionally to prevent sticking. When dumplings rise to the surface, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a colander to drain. Place in a medium and drizzle with remaining tablespoon oil, and toss to coat. Serve immediately.