Pork and Prawn Dumplings

PREPARATION

1. Chop off and mince the tail ends of prawns and set aside. Chop the rest into 4-5 equal pieces and set aside.
2. For the dumpling filling, combine pork, prawn tails, green dragon chives, garlic, egg and soy sauce in a large bowl. Stir using a pair of chopsticks or a spoon in one direction until it becomes a sticky pasty filling mixture.
3. Peel 1 dumpling skin from the pack and keep the rest in the packet under a damp towel. Place 1 heaped teaspoon of filling slightly off centre of the skin. Gently press in a piece of chopped prawn. Dap a little water on the top inner edges of the dumpling skin. Fold in half and simply pinch the edges to seal, or pleat if you like.
4. To freeze, place folded dumplings without touching each other on trays lined with baking paper. Pop the trays into the freezer for about 1-2hrs until they’re hard, dry and will not stick to each other, then transfer them to an airtight bag to keep.
5. These dumplings are not overly salted so they are quite versatile. These are great with chilli oil or in hotpots. To boil, gently place the frozen dumplings into boiling water. When the water comes back to the boil, lower the heat slightly so the water is not boiling vigorously. Dumplings are ready when they float to the top. Drain and serve with your favourite dumpling sauces. I like mine with crispy garlic chilli oil, soy sauce, chilli padi, green dragon chives and my mama’s crispy fried shallots.