Easy Asian

Matt Preston's spicy Chinese dumplings

Name: Matt Preston's sweet and spicy Chinese dumplings recipe
Yield: 4
Cuisine: /asian, /chinese
Ingredients: 1kg frozen prawn har gow dumplings (choose those with the highest percentage of prawn meat); 20.00 ml peanut oil; 160g corn cob; 4 lap cheong (Chinese sausage), thickly sliced; 3 celery stalks, sliced on the diagonal, pale leaves reserved; 3 long green chillies, halved, deseeded, thinly sliced; 200g green beans, halved lengthways; 40.00 ml chilli bean paste; Small bunch of coriander, stems thinly sliced, leaves reserved for another use; 40.00 ml sesame seeds; 4 long green shallots, thinly sliced; 20.00 ml sesame oil; 2 tsp Lao Gan Ma chilli oil with black bean (from Asian grocers; you can also use plain chilli oil); 1 tsp Chinese black (chinkiang) vinegar (substitute lemon juice); 1 tsp caster sugar

Rate now

Jump to recipe

by Matt Preston

delicious. senior editor

Jun 02, 2023

Sugar is sweet and spice brings the heat, but when you put the two together, you get a flavour combination that hits all the right notes – 'swicy'. “This simple dinner of spicy Chinese prawn dumplings is a current fave in my house. The sauce is built around spicy bean paste and crispy chilli oil sweetened with a little caster sugar.” – Matt Preston

1kg frozen prawn har gow dumplings (choose those with the highest percentage of prawn meat)
1 tbs peanut oil
1 cup (160g) frozen corn kernels
4 lap cheong (Chinese sausage), thickly sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced on the diagonal, pale leaves reserved
3 long green chillies, halved, deseeded, thinly sliced
200g green beans, halved lengthways
1 tbs chilli bean paste
Small bunch of coriander, stems thinly sliced, leaves reserved for another use
2 tbs sesame seeds
4 long green shallots, thinly sliced

Dumpling sauce

1 tbs chilli bean paste
1 tbs sesame oil
2 tsp Lao Gan Ma chilli oil with black bean (from Asian grocers; you can also use plain chilli oil)
1 tsp Chinese black (chinkiang) vinegar (substitute lemon juice)
1 tsp caster sugar

Method

1.

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced and bring a large saucepan of water to the boil.
2.

For the dumpling sauce, combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
3.

Steam the har gow, in two batches, in a bamboo steamer set above the pan of boiling water, following packet instructions.
4.

While first batch is steaming, heat oil in a large ovenproof frypan over medium-high heat. Fry corn and lap cheong for 3-4 minutes until corn starts to char slightly. Add sliced celery, chilli and green beans. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Stir in chilli bean paste and coriander stems. Add first batch of steamed dumplings and gently toss for 1 minute to coat. The dumpling wrappers will absorb the sauce and change colour (you can add a little extra peanut or sesame oil to the pan if dumpling wrappers are very sticky). Sprinkle over sesame seeds. Place pan in oven while the second batch of dumplings is steaming.
5.

Remove pan from oven and toss through second batch of dumplings with reserved coriander leaves. I like the contrast between the ruddy, funky dumplings and some paler, plainer ones.
6.

Divide dumplings among bowls. Sprinkle with shallot and celery leaves. Serve with dumpling sauce alongside.