Black Sesame Dumplings Recipe - The Washington Post
These are tender, beautiful and slightly sweet, served in a mild broth.
Be sure to read the recipe directions all the way through before you begin. There are helpful tips along the way. And here are a few important ones to keep in mind, when you are sealing the dumplings: Try not to leave any gaps. You don’t want the filling to spill into the broth as you cook the dumplings. Also, your left thumb is probably going to have filling on it, from pressing. Try not to let it touch the exterior of the dumplings, or they are going to have black flecks on the outside.
Using granulated sugar instead of confectioners’ sugar will yield a grittier-tasting dumpling filling, which some people might prefer.
To read the accompanying story, see: A blogger recorded her mom cooking Chinese food. Now, the 73-year-old is an Instagram darling.
Uncooked dumplings can be frozen separately on a baking sheet until firm, then grouped and sealed in a freezer-safe zip-top bag. Tiny cracks may appear on the outside of frozen dumplings, which will disappear once the dumplings are cooked in the broth. Do not defrost frozen dumplings before cooking them, or they may lose their shape. Just add the frozen dumplings to the boiling broth and cook them for 4 to 5 minutes.
Adapted from a family recipe by Sacramento food writer/blogger Lisa Lin.
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Ingredients
measuring cupServings: 4-6 (makes about 30 small dumplings)
For the filling
For the dough
For the broth
Directions
Step 1
For the filling: Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Add the black sesame seeds and toast them for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Transfer to a bowl to cool for about 10 minutes.
Step 2
Working in batches, use a spice grinder (or a clean coffee grinder) to grind the sesame seeds into a powder. This should take several seconds and they may clump up, which is okay. Return the ground seeds to the bowl, along with the confectioners’ sugar and butter. Use your clean hands to combine the mixture thoroughly; scrape off as much as possible from your fingers, cover the bowl and freeze for about 25 minutes, or until firm.
Step 3
Scoop up 1 1/2 teaspoons (about 8 grams) of the chilled filling and roll it into a small ball. Place the black sesame ball onto a plate. Repeat to use all the filling. Cover and freeze for an additional 20 minutes.
Step 4
While the filling is being chilled for the first time, make the dough: Boil 1/2 cup of the water. Pour the glutinous rice flour into a mixing bowl. Drizzle in the boiled water, stirring it into the flour to form a portion of dough. Gather up that dough and knead it a few times (in the bowl) to create a "cooked," stretchy consistency. Then pour in the remaining 1/4 cup of water (room-temperature water) over the remaining loose flour in the bowl, and knead everything together into one mass of dough.
Step 5
Transfer the dough to the counter; finish kneading the dough there, for 1 to 2 minutes. It should be smooth and slightly tacky to the touch, but not sticky. If your dough is very sticky, sprinkle a bit of flour on the counter and knead the flour into the dough. Cover and let it rest at room temperature, until the black sesame filling has finished chilling for the second time.
Step 6
Divide the dough into small pieces, about 2 teaspoons each (13 grams). Take the black sesame filling out of the freezer. After about 10 minutes, the dough pieces will start to form a soft crust on the edges. If that happens, don’t worry; just use your fingers to knead the dough a little before shaping it into a ball.
Step 7
Roll a small piece of dough into a ball. Use your thumbs to press into the ball of dough and circle the dough around, creating a small concave bowl with thin walls, wider than you need to hold a ball of the black sesame filling.
Step 8
Place the ball of chilled sesame filling into the center of the dough. Use the crook of your right thumb/index finger to wrap the dough around the filling, and use the left thumb to help keep the filling in place. Seal the dumpling completely and roll it into a round ball. Place the sealed dumpling onto a plate. Repeat with the remaining dumplings. If the balls of chilled filling soften as you work, return them to the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up. (When the balls soften, it makes it much harder to wrap the dough around them cleanly.)
Step 9
For the broth: Combine the 7 cups of water, sliced ginger and brown sugar (to taste) in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
Step 10
To cook the dumplings, add 8 to 10 of them to the pot. Use chopsticks or a wooden spoon to stir the dumplings frequently, to prevent them from sticking to the bottom and to each other. Cook each batch for about 3 minutes. The dumplings should float once they are done. Transfer the cooked dumplings into bowls with some of the hot broth. Continue cooking the remaining dumplings.
Step 11
Add hot broth to the bowls (without any ginger) and serve.
Step 12
NOTE: The recipe requires hot water because the combination of hot water and glutinous rice flour makes the dough pliable. This allows you to easily wrap the dough around the black sesame filling without the dough cracking. The room-temperature water helps the dumplings retain their circular shape when cooked. Dough that is made with only hot water tends to flatten slightly when you serve the dumplings (so they won’t be perfectly round). The room-temp water also cools the dough, making it easier to handle when kneading.
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Nutritional Facts
Per serving (based on 6)
Calories
370
Fat
13 g
Saturated Fat
6 g
Carbohydrates
57 g
Sodium
10 mg
Cholesterol
25 mg
Protein
6 g
Fiber
6 g
Sugar
8 g
This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.
Adapted from a family recipe by Sacramento food writer/blogger Lisa Lin.
Tested by Ali Sharman.
Published January 24, 2019
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