Ebi no suigyoza / shuijiao boiled dumplings with prawns

Mild prawn dumplings. Tender, filling, and gentle on your stomach.

<Ingredients>

(About 40 dumplings)

For filling
200 g prawns (250-300 g in shell)
1/4-1/3 fennel bulb
2 green onions (white section)
Several nira garlic chives
1 knob ginger
1 egg white
1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp sake
1 tsp sesame oil
Pinch salt

Dumpling wrappers (not in photo)
All-purpose flour, potato starch (not in photo)


<Directions>
1.

Finely chop fennel. Thinly slice green onions, and chop nira into small pieces. Grate ginger.

If using frozen prawns, thaw, rub potato starch, and rinse.
Coarsely mince.

2.

In a bowl, place prawns, fennel, green onion and nira.
Squeeze ginger juice.

Add rest of ingredients, and mix well.

3.

Form dumplings.

Place a small amount of prawn mixture in center of wrapper, fold into a half-moon shape, and press the center of the edge with finger to close. Home-made wrappers are sticky, and pressing with fingers easily seals them.

Starting from the center to outer end (right side in photo), fold upper side over to the center, and press with finger.

Repeat (two more times) until opening is closed.

Work in the same manner on the opposite side.

4.

Place dumplings on another board or plate sprinkled with potato starch.

5.

Boil dumplings.
Bring water to boil, put dumplings, and cook for 5-6 minutes.

Serve hot with soy sauce, rice vinegar and rayu (layu, layou) hot chili oil.

<Notes>

• While working on forming dumplings, sprinkle all-purpose flour on board as necessary to prevent wrappers from sticking to board. After dumplings are formed, use potato starch. Potato starch separates wrappers/dumplings well.
• Do not make prawn paste. A mixture of chopped meat and plump pulp gives a good texture at the end.
• Ginger can be finely chopped and added, but it is not recommended with the fibrous ginger typically found at stores.
• Egg yolk would give too much flavor. Use egg white for seafood dumplings. 
• If tucking wrapper edges is too tricky or time-consuming, simply press both sides together firmly to seal. More filling fits this way, too.
• Coconut oil is a substitute for pork fat.
• Other spices for dipping sauce: karashi mustard, garlic chili sauce, tobanjan, finely chopped cilantro.