Recipe: Sour Cherry Dessert Dumplings

At Mei Mei we like to get creative with our dumplings, and we’re in the mood for something sweet, we think of anything that tastes great in a pie and turn it into dumpling filling! Blueberries, apples. strawberries, you name it. Today we are sharing with you how to make Sour Cherry filling:

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of sour cherries (frozen or canned)

1 cup of sugar

2 TSP cornstarch

1/4 TSP kosher salt

1 TSP lemon juice

COOK FILLING

Drain excess liquid and add cherries, sugar, kosher salt and cornstarch to a pot; cook over medium heat until thickened (approximately 15 mins). Add lemon juice and mix in. Set aside and cool. Leave in the fridge up to 1-2 days in advance of making dumplings.

BUY WRAPPERS OR MAKE DOUGH

Option A: Buy circular wrappers

Dumpling wrappers are easy to find at Asian grocery stores in the fridge or freezer section. Our favorite is “Northern Style” wrappers, which are thicker and most similar to homemade wrappers - but anything goes! We recommend 1 pack per person.

If you buy square dumpling wrappers, use a cookie cutter to make perfectly round discs.

Option B: Make your wrappers from scratch

Here’s an easy recipe for Hot Water Dough. One batch makes 25 - 30 circular wrappers, so double the recipe if you really want to get the party started. Don’t worry about rolling out the dough, we’ll show you how to do that during class.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 3/4 cup hot water brought to boil

Making gluten-free wrappers? Substitute the flour with Cup4Cup or a similar gluten-free flour 1:1. Note that you may need to add a little more water to your dough.

Hot Water Dough Video Tutorial & Instructions:

1. Combine flour and salt in a medium-sized bowl and add hot water in a steady stream, stirring with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a ball (it should look shaggy and clumpy).

2. Transfer the dough ball to a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic about 3-5 minutes. 

3. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a damp towel and let rest at room temperature for about 1 hour. Alternatively, this can be made in advance and refrigerated for later use, just be sure to tightly wrap the dough in lightly oiled plastic wrap. It should keep for a day or two and should be brought up to room temp before use.

TO FRY

Find a large skillet (nonstick works well here) for which you have a lid. Coat the bottom of the skillet with a layer of neutral oil (about 2 tablespoons) and heat over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmery, carefully fill the pan with a single layer of dumplings (non-pleated side down), leaving a bit of room between each one. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes, until the bottoms are golden brown—you can pick one up to check.

Turn the heat to medium and grab the lid and about 1⁄4 cup water. Shielding yourself with the lid, pour the water into the hot pan—it will steam and sizzle, so be careful there isn’t too much oil in the panto spatter all over the place. Cover the pan and let the steam cook the top of the dumplings, 4 to 6 minutes, or 8 to 10 minutes if cooking from frozen.

Once the water has evaporated, the wrappers should be slightly translucent and the filling fully cooked. If not, add a splash of water and cover again for a minute or two. You can test for doneness by breaking open a dumpling or using your instant-read thermometer. Turn the heat up slightly, and the remaining oil in the bottom of the pan will re-crisp the bottom of the dumplings. Depending on your heat, water, and oil levels, you may need to add more water or oil, but you’ll get the hang of it after practice, we promise.

To serve, smear a heaping spoonful of the hummus/white bean puree onto a plate and place a few dumplings on top. Drizzle with cilantro oil.