Prawn Dumplings

Chop the prawns into a rough but fine dice. You’re going for a coarse mince texture. Sprinkle sake on the chopped prawns and leave for at least 30 mins.

Meanwhile make the dough. Mix the flour and water in a bowl to form a shaggy dough. Tip out onto a clean surface and knead for 5-6 mins or until smooth. Cover with an upturned bowl and leave to rest for 10 mins.

Finely chop the shallot, bamboo shoots and chives and combine with the prawn mixture. Tip in the vegetable oil, cornflour, sesame seed oil, sugar, salt and white pepper. Mix to combine and set aside.

Uncover and briefly knead the dough again and make the wrappers. Flatten the dough slightly with a rolling pin. Cut in half, then feed one half through a pasta machine, passing the dough through each setting twice until you reach the fourth thickest setting. Keep the other half covered while you do this. Grab a ring cutter (7-8cm across), and punch out circles to create your wrappers. If you don’t have a pasta machine, you can use a rolling pin, you’re shooting for a strip of dough around 1mm thick.

Fill the wrappers with a teaspoon of the prawn mixture, fold the dough in half and pinch together with your fingers. Pleat around the edge with your fingertips to create a strong seal, you can use water to help you stick the wrappers if necessary. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and wrapper dough. Keep the dumplings on a tray.

Set up a steamer or steamer basket and line with parchment. Transfer the dumplings, working in batches if necessary, to the steamer and cook for 9 mins. If you don’t have a steamer, you can boil the dumplings. Simply drop into simmering water for 5-6 mins.

While the dumplings steam, preheat a non-stick pan over a medium heat. Add a splash of veg oil and transfer the steamed dumplings to the pan. Cook for 1-2 mins until golden brown and crisp.

Finely chop the chillies, briefly fry off in a splash of veg oil and tip into the soy sauce. Mix and serve with your crispy dumplings.