For your next dinner party why not pair Chinese food with a great bottle of wine

I recently met up with esteemed chef, cookbook author, journalist and Chinese cuisine expert, Stephen Wong. As we were chatting he was kind enough to share with me some of his favorite Chinese recipes and how they can be perfectly matched with any bottle of Wolf Blass wine.

Take it away Stephen!

Prawn and Garlic Chive Dumplings

(Makes about 3 dozen dumplings)

I choose Chinese flowering chives because they have a nice garlicky flavour and a crunchy texture. They are used a lot in north-eastern Chinese cuisine. If you can’t get them try substituting it with chopped watercress.

Dumplings freeze very well. Line them up on a baking sheet before putting them in the freezer. After they are frozen transfer them to a plastic bag for more convenient storage. These dumplings are great as an impromptu hors d’oeuvre. If friends drop by you can easily pop a few into a pan or steamer (do not defrost) and they’ll be ready in just a couple of minutes.

For a party, deep-fry the dumplings and pass them around as canapés. If you must have a dip, squeeze fresh lime juice into some sweet chilli sauce. Then pop the cork on the Wolf Blass Yellow Label Sparkling Brut.

Recipe:

1 lb          fresh peeled prawns, coarsely chopped           

1 Tbsp     finely grated fresh ginger                                  

1 Tbsp     shaozing wine or dry sherry                           

1 Tbsp      fish sauce (nuoc mam)                                    

1 Tbsp      chicken stock                                                  

1               egg white

1 tsp         sesame oil                                                       

½ tsp        salt                                                                

¼ tsp        freshly ground pepper                                     

½ cup       finely diced Chinese flowering chives           

36            round flour Jiaozi dumpling wrappers

Combine all the ingredients except the chives and the wrappers in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to coarsely chop the mixture. Don’t over process the mixture as it should be a little chunky. Fold in the chives and mix well. If you don’t have a food processor, chop the prawns by hand and mix in the seasoning and chives

To make the dumplings: Place a heaping teaspoon of filling onto the centre of a dumpling wrapper. Brush the edge of the wrapper with some water. Fold it over the filling to form a half moon shape. Gently squeeze out all the air and pinch the edges together.

To cook and serve dumplings: This is the “potsticker” style. Heat a non-stick skillet with a tight fitting lid over medium high heat. Add about 1 Tbsp of oil to a hot skillet. Add dumplings and lightly fry them on one side for about 30 seconds. Add 2 to 3 Tbsp of water, cover and cook the dumplings for 2 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until water has evaporated. Shake the skillet and the potstickers should loosen from the bottom of the pan. And VOILA!

In the end the dumplings can be boiled, steamed, pan-fried “potsticker”-style or deep fried. Each way of cooking yields a different texture and flavour intensity in the dumpling and changes the way they react with wines. Served potsticker-style, the lush tropical flavours of the Yellow Label Chardonnay match very well with the sea-sweetness in the dumpling. When deep-fried the crispy texture of the dumpling plays well with the Yellow Label Sparkling Brut. Surprisingly, the rich nutty flavors that the dumplings take on from being deep-fried are in sync with the Red Label Shiraz Cabernet as the dumplings bring out the sweet fruit in the wine.

Sounds delicious Stephen, I can’t wait to cook these delicious dumplings for my next dinner party!

Yvonne Ivanescu
		About the author:
		A self-proclaimed travel fanatic, Yvonne has had the opportunity to travel to many amazing and exotic countries over the years. Her favorite spot overall was her unforgettable trip to Egypt. Her journey to Paris was particularly special, as it was the Journalism School at Sciences Po that reignited her passion for writing and journalism. Since returning from France, Yvonne has interned at Vervegirl Magazine and MTV Canada while freelancing for a number of other publications. She has an Honors B.Soc.Sc in International Studies with a minor in Spanish and French and is currently pursuing her Masters in International Development and Globalization with a Specialization in Women's Studies.
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