Recipe: Three-Way Dumplings

Enjoy your dumplings three tasty ways, with Shrimp-Filled Fried Dumplings, Chicken-Filled Potstickers, and savory Pork Dumpling Soup.

Filling:

½ pound shrimp, peeled and chopped
½ pound ground chicken
½ pound ground pork

3 scallions, finely sliced
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 knob ginger root, peeled and finely shredded
Salt and pepper to taste

50 round wonton wrappers
Vegetable oil for frying
Sweet Chili Sauce for dipping

Combine scallions, celery, garlic, and ginger and stir to uniformly mix. Divide the chopped vegetables into three equal portions and mix one portion with each of the three fillings.

To prepare dumplings, rub the edges of each wonton wrapper with water, place about a teaspoon of filling in the center, fold in half and pinch the edges to seal.

For Fried Shrimp Dumplings
In wok or a large skillet, heat about 2" of vegetable oil to sizzling temperature. Carefully slip three or four dumplings into the oil one at a time. Do not overfill the wok. Fry until golden brown on both sides, turning once. Remove dumplings from the oil and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining dumplings. Serve with Sweet Chili Sauce.

For Chicken Potstickers:
In a wok or a large skillet, heat about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium heat. Add dumplings with the folded edge flattened out on the bottom and the pleated edge upright. Cover and allow to fry for about 5 minutes, until the bottoms are golden brown. Add about ¼ cup of water or stock to the pan, Cover and allow to steam for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the pan and serve immediately.

Potsticker Dipping Sauce:
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon chili oil (more or less to taste)

For Pork Dumpling Soup:
8 cups pork Supreme Broth (see recipe below)
2 lemons, cut into wedges

Bring Supreme Broth to a simmer. Add pork dumplings and continue simmering for about 10 minutes, until dumplings are tender and filling is done all the way through. Transfer to soup bowls and serve with lemon wedges.

Pork Supreme Broth

2 pounds pork neck bones
1 pound chicken bones (or backs and wings)
12 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large soup kettle. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to lowest temperature and simmer for about 4 hours, until broth is reduced by half. Remove from heat, allow to cool, and strain through a fine sieve. Refrigerate and skim off the fat before using.