Ingredients
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1.2 litres [5 cups] Chicken broth
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½ Red Chillies
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2 Lemongrass
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4 thick slices fresh Ginger
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1 Tbsp Thai Fish Sauce
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a squeeze of Lime Juice
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a handful of Thai Basil
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Sea Salt
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Lime
Directions
You can try sealing these little dumplings with a dainty, frilled, gyoza-esque seam if you wish, but you’ll probably not have much luck with them holding themselves together. Using rice paper discs is far quicker than making the classic dumpling dough– and the result is much lighter but it isn’t quite as robust. While my stumpy little dumplings may not be the most elegant, rolling them up creates layers, which add strength to the fine rice paper and keep all that zingy filling contained once buoyed in the hot broth.
Steps
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1
Done
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For the Dumplings9 oz [250 g] fresh crab meat (I use half brown, half white, but you could use all white meat if you prefer a more delicate crab flavour) |
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2
Done
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2 spring onions [scallions], very finely chopped |
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3
Done
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½ red chilli, very finely chopped |
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4
Done
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½ finely grated lime zest |
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5
Done
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a small handful of coriander [cilantro] leaves, chopped |
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6
Done
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16 rice paper wrappers (I use 16 cm [6¼in] discs) |
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7
Done
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Put the stock in a saucepan and add the chilli, lemon grass and ginger. Pop a lid on the pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes or so, until the Thai flavours have had a chance to infuse the stock. |
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8
Done
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Meanwhile, make the filling for the dumplings. Combine the crab, spring onions, chilli, lime zest and coriander leaves in a bowl and add a pinch of salt to season. |
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9
Done
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Fill a shallow bowl with warm water. Take a rice paper disc, dip it in warm water for a few seconds, then lay it on a board. Spoon a heaped teaspoon of the crab mixture to one side of the disc, and roll up, tucking in the sides as you go, as you would a spring roll. Repeat to roll 16 dumplings. |
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10
Done
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Strain the stock, discarding the aromatics, and return it to the pan. Add the fish sauce and a good squeeze of lime juice. Taste to check the seasoning – it might need salt, but often the fish sauce is very salty so you may not need to add any extra. |
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11
Done
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Add the dumplings to the pan, a few at a time, and cook for just a few seconds (30 maximum) to warm the crab through. Transfer them to shallow, warmed bowls. |
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12
Done
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Divide the broth between the bowls and add several Thai basil leaves to each bowl. Sprinkle with extra chilli, if using, and serve with lime wedges for squeezing. |
