Fish and Chinese Chive Dumplings

• 2/3 pound mild-tasting white fish fillet, such as cod or sole
• Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/4 cup Chicken Stock (page 222) or water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons light (regular) soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely minced fresh ginger
• 3/4 cup chopped Chinese chives or scallions (white and green parts)
• 1 pound Basic Dumpling Dough (page 22)
• Canola or peanut oil (if panfrying)
• 2/3 cup Tangy Soy Dipping Sauce (page 215)

1. To make the filling, cut the fish into 1-inch chunks, discarding any bones you discover along the way (bevel-tipped tweezers will help, if you have them).
2. Put the fish in a food processor.
3. In a small bowl, combine the salt, white pepper, chicken stock, soy sauce, wine, canola oil, and sesame oil.
4. Mix well to create a seasoning liquid, and then pour about 2 tablespoons of the liquid into the food processor.
5. Run the food processor, pouring the remaining seasoning liquid through the feed tube.
6. Grind to a coarse paste, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides.
7. Return the paste to the bowl and mix in the ginger and Chinese chives.
8. To develop the flavors, cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.
9. You should have about 2 cups of filling.
10. (The filling can be prepared 1 day ahead and refrigerated.
11. Return it to room temperature for dumpling assembly.)
12. Form 16 wrappers from half of the dough.
13. Aim for wrappers that are about 3 1/4 inches in diameter (see page 24).
14. Before assembling the dumplings, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
15. (If you plan to refrigerate the dumplings for several hours, or freeze them, lightly dust the paper with flour to avoid sticking.)
16. For each dumpling, hold a wrapper in a slightly cupped hand.
17. Scoop up about 1 tablespoon of filling with a bamboo dumpling spatula, dinner knife, or fork and position it slightly off-center toward the upper half of the wrapper, pressing and shaping it into a flat mound and keeping about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of wrapper clear on all sides.
18. Fold, pleat, and press to enclose the filling and create a half-moon, pea pod, big hug, or pleated crescent shape (see pages 26 to 29).
19. Place the finished dumpling on the prepared baking sheet.
20. Repeat with the other wrappers, spacing the finished dumplings a good 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet.
21. Keep the finished dumplings covered with a dry kitchen towel as you form wrappers from the remaining dough and fill them with the remaining filling.
22. Once assembled, the dumplings can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for several hours; they can be cooked straight from the refrigerator.
23. For longer storage, freeze them on their baking sheet until hard (about 1 hour), transfer them to a zip-top freezer bag, seal well, and keep them frozen for up to 1 month; partially thaw, using your finger to smooth over any cracks that may have formed during freezing, before cooking.
24. Depending on your desired cooking method, follow the instructions in the preceding recipes for poached water dumplings (page 31), pan fried pot stickers (page 33), or steamed dumplings (page 35).
25. Serve with the dipping sauce.
26. Many people associate Asian cuisines with rice, but for those who live in the northern parts of Asia, wheat is a staple grain.
27. Its hard to grow rice in that regions extreme climates, which tend to be cold and dry.
28. In fact, with regard to Chinese food, wheat has traditionally been more commonly used in northern fare than in southern fare, which is defined by rice; the geographic demarcation between the two is the Yangtze River.
29. One of the worlds oldest grains, wheat is believed to have originated in southwest Asia, in the Fertile Crescent region of the Middle East.
30. Its cultivation spread in all directions to wherever the grass may be grown, reaching India and China during prehistoric times.
31. By about 1000 B.C.E., it was an established crop in Korea.
32. Today, China and India are among the worlds biggest wheat producers, accounting for over a quarter of the global production for the 2005 to 2006 season.
33. The Chinese consume so much of the grain that they are also a leading importer of it.
34. Given the important role of wheat at the Asian table, its understandable that many dumplings are encased by wheat-flour wrappers.
35. For example, the very familiar pot stickers, wontons, and spring rolls (also known as egg rolls) are all made with wheat-flour skins.
36. But those are just the tip of the iceberg.
37. Other favorite wheat-based dumplings include soul-satisfying Chinese water dumplings (shujiao), Japanese panfried dumplings (gyoza), and hearty Mongolian khuushuur and Tibetan momocomfort foods that define their respective cuisines.
38. There are also leavened buns with pillowy dough and sumptuous fillings.
39. Wheat is absolutely necessary for the rich and flaky pastries that envelop Indian samosas, Filipino empanadas, and Malay curry puffs.
40. As you can see, a vast array of Asian dumplings relies on wheat flour, and the first four chapters of this book illuminate some of the major ones.
41. Most of the recipes here call for readily available ingredients from your neighborhood grocery store, so dive in and enjoy.

fillet, salt, ground white pepper, chicken, light, rice wine, canola oil, sesame oil, fresh ginger, chopped chinese chives, dough, peanut oil

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/fish-and-chinese-chive-dumplings-379747 (may not work)