I feel like the last week has been a hyper speed loop of house hunting, setting up our garden plot, testing milkbread, and watching To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You. Doesn’t sound terrible. There could be a worse combination of activities.
We finally got some time to head over to our community garden over the weekend to clear out our plot and it looks so good! Next we gotta construct our little fence and plant our little plant babies. In 2 months we’ll have enough veggies to make one really spicy and radish heavy salad lol What should I do with my first home grown watermelon radish?!
House hunting is stressful but exciting. We’re hoping to find something that we both really love and in a neighborhood where we don’t feel like we need to adopt a 150lb dog. I was obsessed with watching house hunters as a kid, so whenever we pull up to a house I like to narrate like I’m Suzanne Wong. Also, no one tells you that when you set off to chase your dreams, you don’t look super stable on paper, even if you feel like in your heart you’re killing it…
I asked Reuben if we could be Lara Jean Covey and Peter Kavinksy for Halloween. He said YES. Now, can someone invite us their Halloween party??
I think I’ve finally nailed down my milkbread recipe yesterday!!! Which is so exciting because about 25% of the recipes in my book are based on that milkbread!
I’ve also finally perfected my crystal dumpling wrapper recipe!!! I tested it a few times for a private class I taught on Monday, and the texture is soooooo perfect now! Crystal dumplings are probably my favorite type of dumpling. They also take on color for beautifully! If you add some spinach to crystal wrappers you get JADE DUMPLINGS. Gosh, I love them so much!!! These are filled with tofu, the left over spinach pulp, and a bunch of aromatics and tasty sauces. It’s vegetarian, but I’m pretty sure the meat loving people in your life will enjoy them too!
Crystal dumpling wrappers are definitely next level in terms of difficulty, but I’m sharing my tips below to help set you up for success! You got this!
I’ve made a bunch of crystal dumplings on the blog before, but with each recipe I’ve continued to tweak my dough recipe in order to inch my way towards the perfect balance of ideal texture and ease of workability. I’ve finally reached it! Crystal dumpling might just be the hardest dumplings to master. It’s really all on the dough. Crystal dumpling dough is blend of starches, which all have their own properties.
The Starches
Wheat Starch - provides strength and structure in the dough. However, if you use too much wheat starch in the dough, I find the texture a little too hard.
Sweet Potato Starch - provides softness and also translucency. You want to be able to see through the wrapper a little for the full crystal effect. Too much sweet potato starch and it can get gummy.
Tapioca Starch - provides a teeny tiny bit of stretch in the dough and a great chewy texture. To much tapioca starch and it will also be very gummy.
My blend goes like this : 120g wheat starch | 120g sweet potato starch | 30g tapioca starch
I find this blend to be perfect! It’s perfectly chewy and easier to work with than other dough ratios I’ve tried! Getting the right ratio is half the battle!
Use Boiling Water
This is INCREDIBLY important. If you use anything that’s not boiling water, the starches will not cook right. For my regular flour based dumpling wrappers I call for just boiled water, which is boiled water that’s been sitting for a few minutes. For crystal wrappers you want that water as hot as possible. The hot water will steam the starches as the dough is resting and give you a very workable texture.
One time, my water wasn’t quite hot enough and the dough resembled that creature flubber. NOT GOOD.
Canola Oil is Your Friend
Traditional recipes call for lard in the dumpling wrappers. The presence of fat in the dough gives it a little flexibility. Since most of us don’t have lard or find it hard to locate, canola oil is the next best thing. Just 2 tbsp of canola does the trick! I forgot to add it to the dough once and it just crumbles when you go to roll it out. So don’t forget it!
Unlock regular flour based dumpling wrappers, these crystal dumpling wrappers don’t have any gluten. This means the wrappers are very fragile and do not stretch. So when you’re about to start folding your dumpling keep in mind these tips:
Be gentle - You don’t need to use as much force as you do with regular dumpling wrappers. When rolling out the wrapper with a rolling pin or pleating, it doesn’t take much to work the dough.
Move with the Filling - With each pleat, move the filling using your fingers, instead of just pulling on dough which will cause breaks.
Use a Tortilla Press -If you have one, use it to make your dumpling wrappers! It will save you so much time!!
Don’t Stress - even if you get tears and wholes in the dumplings, once they are steamed you barely even notice them! And remember that you can fold these into any shape you want! Doesn’t have to be a pleated dumpling. Simple half moons are totally fine!
