EDAMAME DUMPLINGS IN SHALLOT- SAUTERNES BROTH

Edamame Dumplings in Sauternes with Sesame Seeds and Sprouts

Edamame dumplings are one of my favorites.  The first time I had them was at Buddakan in New York many years ago. And a restaurant in my town used to serve them since their chef was a former employee of Buddakan. Unfortunately, the local restaurant closed, so now the only place that I could get edamame dumplings in my town is to make my own. In the past, I have made them a number of times using an edamame puree recipe adapted from Chef Ming Tsai's Blue Ginger cookbook ttp://www.amazon.com/Blue-Ginger-East-Meets-Cooking/dp/0609605305/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348488737&sr=1-1&keywords=blue+ginger.  

 

But after having Buddakan's dumplings at the Lucky Rice Festival in May, I wanted to make them again.  Four months later and a few clicks on the Internet from time to time, I came across several adaptations from the original Buddakan recipe and created my own version.  The edamame are cooked in a dashi broth, so the first step is to make dashi. I always have kombu and bonito flakes in my pantry, so that was easy. I also had a package of frozen edamame in the freezer, so we were half-way there.  Frozen edamame are what I always used and are acceptable for this.

 

Since the dumplings were going to be served in a shallot-sauternes broth, I added caramelized shallots to the edamame filling, along with some dashi broth to give it the creamy consistency in lieu of the amount of butter that was used in the original recipe. Although I did use some heavy cream and a half-cup of white truffle oil.  After processing, I let the filling set in the fridge for about 6 hours (or it could set overnight).

 

Since we bought a bottle of Sauternes a few weeks ago (in anticipation of making the dish), I was also ready for the broth. First, I caramelized about a half-cup of shallots and then deglazed the pan with about two cups of the wine. I then added vegetable broth (home-made) and let it reduce a little.  Some fresh thyme and a little pink salt were added.  The broth was strained and kept warm.

 

Finally, I "stuffed" the wonton wrappers with the edamame filling and dusted the dumplings with some AP flour to prevent sticking.  When it was time to steam them, I lined the bamboo steamers with Napa cabbage leaves and gently placed the dumplings into each steamer tray.  I used the leftover dashi stock to steam them in lieu of water.

 

When the dumplings were done, I added them to a dish of the shallot-sauternes broth. And, as always, I "needed" to do my sprinkling of black sesame seeds and alfalfa sprouts as a garnish.  Why?  I don't know.  I just do it...because it's fun!

 

The taste was spectacular! And we drank the "leftover" wine with the dumplings.

 

Yield: 20 dumplings

 

 Dashi Broth:

1/2 cup kombu

1 cup bonito flakes

4 cups water

Place kombu in water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  When it reaches a boil, remove from heat. Add bonito flakes.  Let stand until the bonito flakes sink to the bottom of the pan, about 15 minutes.  Strain dashi in a sieve.  Use within a few hours of making because dashi does not refrigerate or freeze well.

Kombu

 

Bonito Flakes

  

Dashi being Created

 

Edamame Filling:

3 cups edamame (thawed, if frozen)

2 shallots, chopped, about 1/4 cup

4 Tablespoons butter

½ cup heavy cream

½ cup truffle oil

1/2 cup dashi broth (or more)

20 Wonton Wrappers

Cook the edamame in dashi broth until tender, about five minutes. Strain edamame and puree with the next five ingredients.  Add more or less dashi broth to make filling into a creamy consistency.  When done, let the filling set in the fridge for several hours or overnight.  Remove filling from fridge.  Fill wonton wrappers with about one teaspoon of filling.  Dust stuffed wontons with AP flour to prevent sticking.

Edamame

 

Edamame in Dashi

  

Pureed Edamame Filling

 

 

Shallot and Sauternes Broth:

3/4 cup shallots, chopped

2 1/2 cups Sauternes

1/2 cup vegetable broth

Pinch of thyme

Pink Salt and White Pepper

Caramelize the shallots.  Deglaze with the wine. Reduce and then add vegetable broth. Add thyme and simmer for ten minutes.  Season with pink salt and white pepper.

 

Sauternes Wine for Broth

 

Garnish (optional):

Black Sesame Seeds

Alfalfa Sprouts

 

To Assemble:
Steam dumplings until tender, about 8 minutes.  Remove dumplings from steamer and top with the broth and garnish with sesame seeds and alfalfa sprouts.

 

Dumplings in the Steamer

Ready to Steam

Dumplings Steaming

  

Dumplings in Broth Covered with Sesame Seeds and Sprouts