Vietnamese Dumplings

The feast of Vietnamese food continues!  This is the last recipe Mai taught me before she went back to her country.  I have to say that this recipe is my favorite!  I love dumplings and I love learning how each country makes their own version of dumplings unique.

Here are the ingredients for Vietnamese dumplings:

1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deviened
1 1/2 teaspoon MSG
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 shallot
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup chopped bamboo shoots
Handful of cilantro - chopped
1 tablespoon chopped ginger, fresh
Won Ton wrappers

To the pork add 1 teaspoon MSG, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon cornstarch.  Mix well.  Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon sesame oil.  Mix again.

To the shrimp add 1/2 teaspoon MSG, salt, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch. Mix well.

Put the pork in your food processor.  Pulse several times before adding the shrimp mixture.  Pulse several more times until the mixture resembles tuna salad-more like a paste with small hunks.

Remove from the food processor and put ingredients into a bowl.  Add chopped bamboo shoots, chopped cilantro, and ginger.  Mix by hand.

Add the ingredients to the Won Ton wrappers and pinch together into a dumpling.  Mai didn't have a set way to do this so we just had fun with it!

Steam the dumplings for several minutes.  Use soy sauce for dipping.

Mai mentioned that her family does not use the pre-made wrappers.  They use Ha Cao Flour to make their own dough.  I wish we had taken the time to do this-one more thing I could have learned from her!

Enjoy!