Mini Shrimp and Cilantro Dumplings with XO Sauce
Wow! A lot can change in a week! I went from being a mopey, lost person to an engaged woman! The world still feels like it is spinning out of control but at least there’s hope for the future now. Right? At least a really strong conviction to keep telling people to wear masks and believe in science so that Reuben and I can actually get married in front of our friends and family one day.
I’ve been a fiancé for exactly 4 1/2 days. Saturday still feels like a blur. We were out and about doing normal Fall activities after months of being cooped up inside and stressed out over book and life things. We stopped by a pumpkin patch, ate apple pie and pastries, visited our favorite winery, AND tried a new brewery on our way back home. It was all so great and so normal. Of course we kept our masks on, were constantly sanitizing, and didn’t get within 6 feet of anyone, but it was still great. I had ZERO idea that Reuben was going to propose later and he didn’t either until about 30 minutes before we arrived home.
Just as a disclaimer: I was not drunk! After a long day of wine tasting (and a beer) on a stomach full of apple pie and puff pastry, I was just feeling light and happy : ) but I was really hungry when I got some. So I went straight to fridge, grabbed a snack, and then stumbled out to the backyard. Without being prompted, I went directly to the rose bush because it was literally bursting two dozen roses. I smells a rose and then Reuben called for my attention. After that everyone starts to feel fuzzy and blurry from tears in my eyes. Reuben proposed with his Grandma Rose’s ring while I was smelling our rose bush and neither of us could handle how perfect it was. Just for the record, Reuben cried a lot more than me!
It was all perfect, normal, and intimate. I knew that when we first tour the house that the backyard was magical. The fact that we got engaged within the privacy of our own home in our favorite place just made so much sense. It was so Reuben!
Thank you friends, family, internet friends, for all the kind messages! We are so excited and hope the world get’s itself together so we can get married soon!
The Best XO Sauce
We should really talk about this week’s recipe though! Coincidentally they sort of look like gems or diamonds right? Is there such thing as engagement dumplings? Crystal dumplings sound pretty appropriate.
But before we get to the dumplings, let’s go over XO Sauce! It seems like chili oil and chili crisp is taking over the culinary world. I mean, it’s delicious and literally makes everything taste better, so it makes sense. XO sauce is not too different from chili oil. Chili is made with a blend of dried chilis and aromatics like garlic, ginger and onion. Sometimes it will have peanuts, fermented black beans, and other allusive but delicious bits. XO sauce replies heavily on dried seafood for it’s deep umami flavor. You’ll typically fine XO sauce with bits of dried shrimp and dried scallop and even dried/preserved ham (different than Chinese sausage). XO sauce originated from Hong Kong, so the flavors are more of a balance between sweet, salty, umami, and spicy. Whereas chili oils from other parts of China change up that balance and might also include a numbing quality from Sichuan peppercorns.
One of the best XO sauces I’ve ever had was at a dim sum hall in Vancouver. My mom asked if it was possible to buy some but they only had them packaged in deli containers. Flying with a pint container of XO sauce seemed dangerous and also illegal (maybe if it was less than 3oz?).
Making your own XO sauce or chili oil at home is really soooooo easy. I purchase the dried scallops and dried shrimp from the Asian market and they keep for a very long time in the fridge. So once you go through a jar of sauce, you can easily make more when the time comes! I omitted the preserved ham because I really enjoy the pure seafood flavor in the sauce. Since the shrimp and scallops are dried, you’ll need to soak them in hot water for a bit to soften. Then blitz in a food processor or chop with a sharp knife until broken up into coarse bits. They are fried up in oil with minced aromatics and chili flakes until crisp and your kitchen starts to smell really good! What I love about this XO sauce is that it’s not too over the top spicy. It definitely has a kick but it’s not a painful spice. It is very well balanced!
The oil that you make the sauce with is also very important. La Tourangelle Grapeseed Oil has become my absolute favorite neutral-flavored oil. It has a really high smoke point of 450-degrees, perfect for frying all the tasty bits in the sauce, and it’s actually healthy for you. Grapeseed Oil is full of fatty acids, which are great to fighting heart disease and high cholesterol. If I’m going to continue enjoying XO sauce I might as well make sure the oil is better for me!
Square Lantern Fold
I don’t give lantern folds enough credit. They are so simple to do and are so geometrically satisfying. But the best part is that they make the folding process of dumpling making so quick! You can fold these dumplings, or any dumpling for that matter, however you want! It’s your dumpling.
For a lantern fold, all you do is bring up the edges of the wrapper and pinch the edges together in the center and pinch the seams. Not a single technical pleat! This is a square lantern fold, since it has 4 sides, but you could also do a triangle lantern (3 sides) or be real extra and attempt a 5 sided lantern (pentagon lantern?).
So easy and you’re one step closer to the tastiest dumps!
XO Sauce
1/3 cup dried scallops (small to medium size)
1/3 cup dried shrimps (small to medium size)
1 cup La Tourangelle Grapeseed Oil
1 tbsp garlic
1/4 cup minced red onion
1 1/2 tbsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp dark soy
In two individual small bowls, soak the dried scallops (in one bowl) and dried shrimp (in another bowl) in hot water until softened, 30 to 45 minutes. Drain the water and place the scallops and shrimp in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until coarse.
In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add the garlic and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden brown, 6 to 9 minutes. Watch carefully as it can easily burn if the heat is too high. Reduce or adjust heat as needed. Add the shrimp, scallops, and chili flakes. Continue to cook until the oil is a deep amber color and the bits are crispy, 6 to 9 minutes.
Pour into a heat proof container with a fitted lid. Add salt, brown sugar, and dark soy and mix to combine. Allow the XO sauce to cool. Cover with a lid and store in the fridge for up to 1 month. Flavor is best after at least 1 day.
Once you have a jar of homemade XO sauce I predict you will go through it pretty quickly. At least that’s what happens in our house. It tastes incredible on practically everything. Scrambled eggs. Grain Bowls. Pizza. Roast/Braised Vegetables. aaaaaand of course dumplings! The briny, umami-rich XO Sauce will compliment any dumpling but I think it pairs extremely well with a really simple seafood dumpling, like these Shrimp and Cilantro ones! I made these with my crystal dumpling dough because we are trying to avoid wheat every once in a while (we did eat sandwiches yesterday though… moderation!). I also just LOVE the texture of crystal dumplings. They are light, chewy, bouncy, and the best surface for sauce to cling on to.
Good quality shrimp should taste fresh, a little sweet, and light. The fresh and bright cilantro is a delicate but strong flavor that works incredibly well in shrimp and other seafood. Since the XO sauce is so flavorful, this delicate and light shrimp dumpling is a match made in heaven!
shrimp and cilantro dumplings with XO sauce
Makes 48
Filling:
1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
2 tsp La Tourangelle Sesame Oil
2/3 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch
Dough:
180g (1 1/2 cup) Sweet Potato Starch
90g (3/4 cup) Tapioca Starch
1/4 tsp salt
200g (scant 1 cup) boiling water
2 tablespoons La Tourangelle Grapeseed Oil (or other neutral-flavored oil)
Cornstarch, for dusting
Make the filling: Finely chop the shrimp into a paste-like texture with some larger chunks. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl. Add sesame oil, cilantro, salt, white pepper, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Mix to combine. Cover the bowl and chill in the fridge until ready to assemble dumplings. Up to 1 day.
Make the dough: In a large mixing bowl, whisk combine sweet potato starch, tapioca starch, and salt. Pour boiling water over the surface and slightly mix with a flexible spatula. While the dough is still dry and shaggy, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the hot water to steam the dough, 10 minutes. Add oil and mix the dough until crumbly. Start kneading with your hands until you have a smooth dough, 3 to 4 minutes. Dough is now ready to assemble dumplings. If waiting (up to 1 hour), wrap tightly in plastic wrap and rest at room temperature.
Assemble dumplings: On a lightly dusted surface, divide the dough in half, keeping one half tightly wrapped to avoid drying out, and roll out the other half of dough into a 1-inch thick rope. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces with a sharp knife or bench scraper. Loosely cover the pieces of dough with a clean kitchen towel to prevent drying out. Working with one piece at a time, pinch the piece of dough into a round shape and place cut-side up on the work surface. Fatten with the palm of your hand and roll out into a 3 1/2-inch to 4-inch round with a rolling pin. Fill with 2 teaspoons of filling and pinch close. Adjust the filling amount per wrapper size and what you feel comfortable assembling. Place formed dumpling on a baking sheet lightly dusted with cornstarch. Repeat with remaining dumplings.
To steam dumplings: Prepare steamer set up (bamboo steamers set over pot of boiling water). Spray the surface of the bamboo steamers with nonstick spray or line with perforated parchment. Fill the steamer with dumplings, spaced at least 1/2” apart. Cover with lid and steam over boiling water for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the lid and remove the steamers from the pot and allow the dumplings to cool for at least 3 minutes. They will be VERY sticky at first and will be easier to handle as they cool for a few minutes. Serve with XO Sauce!
To pan fry dumplings: Heat a little bit of oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add the dumplings to the pan and cook until the bottoms look crisp and lightly golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1/3 cup of water to the pan and cover with a lid. Steam the dumplings for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the lid and allow any remaining water to cook off. Transfer the dumplings to a tray to cool slightly and serve with XO Sauce.
notes: Instead of crystal dumpling dough, feel free to use regular dumpling dough or even store bought wrappers!