A Chinese dumpling with an unexpected twist

Plump, spicy and juicy, these chorizo dumplings from the cookbook, Double Awesome Chinese Food, are accompanied by a white bean puree and coriander-infused oil.

Adding spicy chorizo to Chinese dumplings might be unconventional, but according to Boston Magazine, the savoury delight from Mei Mei Dumplings "might just be the best two-bite morsel in town".

People just love dumplings," said Chef Irene Li, who co-founded Mei Mei as a food truck in 2012 with older siblings Andrew and Margaret. Mei Mei, which translates to "little sister" in Mandarin, is a nod to one of the siblings' favourite foods growing up.

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"Many of my favourite childhood memories are of making and eating dumplings in a kitchen full of noise and laughter and love," Li said. "I also love that dumplings are present all over the world. We like to say that dumplings make the world go round because so many cultures have some kind of stuffed food: knishes, empanadas, tortellini, manti and on and on and on."

Li's culinary roots go back to the China Garden Restaurant that her grandparents ran in White Plains, New York, from the 1950s to the '70s. It was renowned for what was then considered exotic delicacies and for its elegant Gourmet Room that featured the kind of cuisine served in aristocratic Chinese households.

China Garden closed before Li was born, but Li and her siblings seem to have inherited the same knack for food as their grandparents.

Not long after Mei Mei launched, it was named Boston's Best Meals on Wheels by Boston Magazine in 2012. The success continued, with the brick-and-mortar restaurant they opened in late 2013 awarded Eater Boston's 2014 Restaurant of the Year. In 2019, the siblings published Double Awesome Chinese Food: Irresistible and Totally Achievable Recipes from Our Chinese-American Kitchen. Li's second cookbook, Perfectly Good Food: A Totally Achievable Zero Waste Approach to Home Cooking was published in June 2023.

According to Li, "Our dumplings at Mei Mei are an expression of our Chinese heritage and our love for local and seasonal food here in the Northeast. We use some traditional Chinese ingredients, but for the most part, our dumplings are unique, like our cheddar scallion potato dumplings, which I like to call our 'love letter' to the pierogi. They are definitively not Chinese, but they are authentic to us and the multicultural household we grew up in."

Why chorizo? Li explained that she was first inspired during college when she worked in a butcher shop. "There was always extra raw chorizo," she said. "I loved taking it home and trying to find new and exciting things to do with it, and dumplings ended up being my favorite application!" She sources the best chorizo she can find, using pork from heritage breed pigs that graze in the pastures of New York's Finger Lakes region.

During the pandemic, Li and new business partners reimagined the business as Mei Mei Dumpling Factory, Café & Classroom, serving the same unconventional dumplings but now also teaching people how to make them.

The chorizo dumplings are served on a smear of hummus or creamy white bean puree, adding what Li describs as "a creamy foil to the piquancy of the chorizo spices". Then they are drizzled with coriander oil and served hot.

Chorizo Dumplings recipe

By Irene, Andrew and Margaret Li

Makes about 24 dumplings

This recipe can be streamlined by using store-bought hummus, pre-made dumpling wrappers and infused oil.

Method

Step 1

Make the bean puree. In a small saucepan, combine the drained beans, garlic, onion and ⅔ cup water. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Transfer the bean mixture to a blender and add the olive oil, salt and white pepper. Blend until smooth, thinning with an additional splash of water, if desired. Taste for seasoning. Serve warm. (The puree can be refrigerated for a couple of days and reheated to serve.)

Step 2

Make the coriander oil. Using a mortar and pestle, or a blender, combine the coriander and neutral oil and mix (or blend) until the herbs are completely pureed into the oil. For a clear oil, strain through cheesecloth, if desired. (The oil can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

Step 3

Assemble the dumplings. Have a small bowl of water nearby to help seal the wrappers if using store-bought wrappers. For a classic dumpling pleat, hold a wrapper in your left hand and place a spoonful of filling (about ¾ tbsp) into the centre with your right hand. As tempting as it might be to overstuff the dumpling, don't: the filling will squirt messily and make the folding process much more difficult.

Step 4

Fold the wrapper in half into a taco shape and start from the right side to pinch the wrapper shut. Dip a finger into the water and smear it around the edge of each wrapper before you fold so the dough sticks together when you pinch shut. Start by pinching the corner of one of the dumplings, then use your thumb and forefinger to create pleats, pinching and pleating until the entire dumpling is sealed, aiming for 5 to 6 pleats per dumpling (or more if you want to get fancy). The side closest to you should remain smooth and will gradually curve towards you into a crescent shape.

Step 5

On a large plate or sheet pan, arrange the dumplings in rows with a little space between each one. You can either cook the dumplings right away or freeze them. Once frozen, transfer the dumplings into freezer-safe containers for storage.

Step 6

Coat the bottom of a large nonstick frying pan (with a lid) with a layer of neutral oil (about 2 tbsp) 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.

Step 7

Turn the heat to medium and grab the lid and about ¼ 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 pan to splatter all over the place. Cover the pan and let the steam cook the top of the dumplings for 4 to 6 minutes (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 the dumplings are not cooked through, add a splash of water and cover again for a minute or two. Turn the heat up slightly, and the remaining oil in the bottom of the pan will re-crisp the bottom of the dumplings.)

Step 8

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

Tip

You can substitute ready-made coriander-infused oil, if available.

Hot Water Dough

Makes enough dough for about 24 dumplings

Method

Step 1

Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Using a wooden spoon, slowly stir in ¾ cup of the hot water until a ball is formed and all the flour is incorporated. If the flour in the bottom of the bowl is not sticking to the ball, slowly drizzle in more water 1 tsp at a time and continue to stir.

Step 2

When all the flour has come together in a ball and the dough is cool enough to handle, place it on a very lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 3-5 minutes. If necessary, add a sprinkle of flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands or work surface. Place back in the bowl and cover with a damp cloth to rest for 30-60 minutes, so the gluten strands can relax and the dough is easier to shape.

Step 3

Using a sharp knife or dough cutter, slice the dough into four equal pieces and set one aside on a cutting board. Cover the remaining pieces with a damp towel so they don't dry out. Roll the dough with your hands to form a roughly 15cm (6in) long "snake". Chop the snake into six equal pieces. Turn each piece onto its side and flatten with your hand slightly, then use a dowel or rolling pin to flatten into circles approximately 2-3mm thick and 7-8cm (3in) in diameter. Repeat to make the other wrappers. The dough can rest in the fridge a day or two wrapped in lightly oiled plastic wrap. Bring to room temperature before folding dumplings.

Tip

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 some practice.

(The recipes have been reprinted from Double Awesome Chinese Food: Irresistible and Totally Achievable Recipes from our Chinese American Kitchen by Margaret Li, Irene Li and Andrew Li, Roost Books, 2019.)

BBC.com's World's Table "smashes the kitchen ceiling" by changing the way the world thinks about food, through the past, present and future. 

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