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EMMA CHEN'S PORK DUMPLINGS
Emma Chen's pork dumplings
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How to:

Make the basic crepe

The “textbook” perfect crêpe is the one you make when you are in full stride, frying, flipping and rolling without missing a beat. If your batter is thin enough and you have a good pan, this won’t take long. But the consistency of the batter is crucial. Too thin and your crêpes will have no substance. Too thick and, well, they’re just not crêpes.

Cook's tip: No matter what the recipe says, adjust the consistency of the batter to resemble thick cream. Lightness is crucial, too, and, to achieve it, cook them quickly so that moisture is retained. Crêpes tend to dry out if they’re cooked too slowly

For the text version of this recipe (which you can add to your online recipe book), click the link: The basic crêpe.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 140 g flour
  • Salt, a pinch
  • 2 free-range eggs 
  • 1 cup milk 
  • 2T butter, melted

METHOD:

1. Prepare all your ingredients.

2. Whisk all the ingredients together until smooth and creamy in consistency – take care not to overbeat the mixture as this will toughen the gluten.

3. Chill for 1 hour.

4. Heat a 20 cm non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add 3 T batter to the centre of the pan and swirl around quickly to coat the base.

5. Cook the pancake for 1 minute, or until the edges are crinkly and the top is still slightly moist but has lost its shine. 

6. Flip over and cook on the reverse side.

7. After the pancake has cooked for 45 seconds to 1 minute on the second side, transfer it to a plate, fill or drizzle with sauce and serve.

8. Try the below serving suggestions once you have finished making your crêpe.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Orange and lemon: Preheat the oven to 200°C. Mix 325 g lemon curd, 100 g plain yoghurt, ¾ cup crème fraîche and 1 t lemon zest. Chill, then spread onto pancakes and fold into quarters. Place in a baking dish, pour over marmalade and bake for 15 minutes.

Salted caramel pancakes: Mix 1 cup Caramel Treat with ½ cup fresh cream until smooth. Add a pinch crushed sea salt and serve on pancakes, topped with crushed nuts.

  • For more serving suggestions, see our crêpe recipe page here: The basic crêpe.



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Recipe by: Emma Chen
Serves: makes 12
Category: Easy / Quick
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
For the dough
240 g cake flour
250 ml water
For the filling
1/2 Chinese cabbage
250 g pork mince (not too lean)
1 spring onion, chopped
2 T soya sauce
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 T sesame oil
Cooking instructions:

To make the dough:

Mix the flour and water until smooth, then set aside to rest.

To make the filling: Blanch the cabbage in a little hot water. Squeeze (retaining the juice) then chop into fine pieces and place in a large bowl. Add the pork, spring onion, soy sauce, salt, pepper, sesame oil and cabbage juice. Mix well.

Break the dough into small pieces, roll into discs (about 7cm in diameter), and place a spoonful of filling on the centre of each. Close into half-moon shapes, then steam or pan-fry.

Cook’s tip: Serve these dumplings with rice vinegar, soy sauce and a clove or two of raw garlic.


TASTE'S TAKE

Emma Chen is the owner of The Red Chamber in Hyde Park, Johannesburg. Shop 68 Hyde Park Shopping Centre, Jan Smuts Avenue, Hyde Park, Johannesburg North. Contact: 011 325 6048; Email: emma@redchamber.co.za

Wine: Chinese beer


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Useful Tools

conversion table

½ t = 2 ml
1 t = 5 ml
1 T = 15 ml
½ cup = 125 ml
1 cup = 250 ml

Fahrenheit - Celsius

Subtract 32, then multiply by 0.56

Celsius - Fahrenheit

Multiply by 1.8, then add 32




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