Test Kitchen: Spinach Dim Sum

Caroline Kohler, SAR ’19 ’20

Chinese New Year—also known as Lunar New Year—was on January 25th, so last week at Sargent Choice Test Kitchen, we made dim sum to celebrate! This recipe is not only a great recipe for dinner and lunch, folding the dim sum was a fun group activity!

What is Dim Sum?

  • Dim sum is a style of Chinese cuisine consisting of buns, noodles, and dumplings that are typically served in a steamer basket. Dim sum is usually served family style by passing small plates around the table.
  • Recently, the term “dim sum” has become synonymous with the dumplings served at this meal.
  • Dim sum is traditionally considered a brunch and is often accompanied by tea.

What We Liked

  • The dim sum was a great way to try some new veggies. People who don’t usually like mushrooms really enjoyed it—and didn’t even know it there were mushrooms!
  • This recipe is very easy to personalize. You can add any combination of finely chopped veggies.
  • Everyone was split on pan-fried versus steamed dim sum—both were great! The steamed dim sum were soft and chewy, and the pan-fried dim sum were easy to eat with your hands.

Tips and Tricks

  • Chop the veggies very finely. If you have a food processor, pulse the veggies a few times and it will be the perfect texture.
  • Add tofu for some extra protein. You can cook the tofu with seasoning before combining it with the veggies or add it straight into the mix.
  • You can steam the dim sum in a standard stovetop vegetable steamer pot. A little bit of olive oil on the bottom of the dim sum will help keep them from sticking.
  • This recipe needs a little bit of seasoning—feel free to experiment with your favorite spices! We also whipped up a sauce to dip them in, made from low-sodium soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger.

Sargent Choice Spinach Pot Stickers
Yield: 30 pot stickers

Ingredients

1 cup boiling water
1 (8 ounce) package dried shitake mushrooms
½ cup cooked brown, long-grain rice
1/3 cup finely chopped canned water chestnuts
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon minced peeled gingerroot
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1 egg white
1 garlic clove
30 wonton wrappers
2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
1 cup water, divided

Directions

  1. Combine boiling water and mushrooms in a bowl; cover and let stand 30 minutes.  Drain; discard stems, and mince caps.
  2. Combine mushroom caps, rice, water chestnuts, cornstarch, gingerroot, sesame oil, spinach, egg white, and garlic. Stir well.
  3. Spoon 1 tablespoon of filling mixture into center of each wrapper.
  4. Moisten edges of wrapper with water, and bring 2 opposite corners to center and seal.  Bring other two corners to center and seal. Pinch 4 edges together firmly to seal.  Place pot stickers on a large baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch.  Cover loosely with a towel to keep them from drying out.
  5. Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Place half of pot stickers in bottom of skillet; cook 3 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.  Add ½ cup of water to skillet; cover and cook 3 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.  Place pot stickers on serving platter. Enjoy.