Toisanese Glutinous Rice Dumplings (臺山鹹水角)

Name: Toisanese Glutinous Rice Dumplings (臺山鹹水角)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 10 oz glutinous rice flour; 2 oz rice flour; 0.5 teaspoons salt; 9 oz hot water; 2 oz sesame seed; 12 oz corn oil; 2 oz dried shrimp; 2 oz dried radish; 1 Chinese sausage; 3 oz pork; 3 cloves garlic; 0.5 oz green onion; 0.5 oz cilantro; 4 oz jicama; 1 tablespoon oil; 0.5 teaspoons salt; 2 teaspoons sugar; 1 tablespoon oyster sauce; 2 teaspoons light soy sauce; 0.25 teaspoons white pepper; 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Crispy, chewy, succulent dumplings from Daddy Lau's childhood. Learn to make this special Lunar New Year dish!

Prep Time

45 min

Total Time

70 min

Yields

4 servings

YouTube Tutorial

A Recipe by Daddy Lau

My dad's been cooking Chinese food for over 50 years - as a kid fending for himself in Guangzhou, as the head chef of his own restaurant, and as a loving father in our home.

Hopefully, by learning this recipe, you'll get to experience some of the delicious joy we felt growing up eating his food!

- Randy

Toisanese Glutinous Rice Dumplings (台山咸水角) is a recipe that we're especially excited to share and preserve. My dad used to help my grandmother make dozens of these every year for Lunar New Year. The holiday simply would not be complete with a big batch of these crispy, chewy, succulent dumplings.

My parents come from Toisan, an area in southwestern Guangdong province. They not only speak a distinct dialect of Cantonese, but also have their own unique cultural practices and cuisine, such as these dumplings and another recipe we've shared: Savory Tong Jyun.

On Toisanese glutinous rice dumplings

In Toisan, these dumplings are called 鹹雞籠, which translates to salty chicken cage. It refers to the Toisanese practice of bringing a live chicken to family celebrations. The shape of the dumpling is reminiscent of the cage that was used to transport poultry and keeps the festive symbolism of sharing the abundance of what's inside.

Check out a quick story summary of our recipe!

Ingredients

Weight: US

Volume: US

cup

Servings

Main Ingredients

10 oz glutinous rice flour
2 oz rice flour
0.50 teaspoon salt
9 oz hot water
2 oz sesame seed
12 oz corn oil (
or any oil with a high smoke point
)

Filling Ingredients

2 oz dried shrimp
2 oz dried radish
1 Chinese sausage
3 oz pork (
use a lean cut
)
3 clove garlic
0.50 oz green onion (
2 pieces
)
0.50 oz cilantro
4 oz jicama (
about 1/2 of a jicama
)

Filling seasonings

1 tablespoon oil
0.50 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoon light soy sauce
0.25 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon sesame oil

On glutinous rice flour

There are several types of rice flour and two (glutinous rice flour and regular rice flour) are used to make the wrapper of these Toisanese dumplings.

Glutinous rice flour is made by milling sticky rice into a powder. Unlike regular rice, sticky rice has a shorter grain and is missing one of the two main molecular components of starch. This gives the grain its unique sticky texture and makes it easier to break down in hot water.

Glutinous rice flour is the main ingredient in several classic Chinese dishes, such as Tong Jyun and Nian Gao, and used in many other cuisines. It's available at most Asian grocery stores and online.

On jicama

Another difference between these Toisanese rice dumplings and their dim sum counterpart is the use of jicama in the filling. The globe-shaped root vegetable is originally from Mexico, but has made its way into Asian cuisine and occasionally pops up in Chinese stir fries. It has a crunchy texture and slightly nutty, sweet flavor.

Add the glutinous rice flour (10 oz), regular rice flour (2 oz) and salt (0.50 teaspoon) to a large, heat-resistant bowl. For the most accurate measurement, use a digital scale.

Slowly add in the hot water (9 oz) and mix it into the flour using a pair of chopsticks, adjusting for more or less if it’s not the right consistency.

(Chef's Tip: Pour in the water a bit at a time while mixing to prevent clumps.)

Switch to kneading the mixture with your hands until a dough comes together, about 4 minutes. My dad uses once hand to press the dough together and the other to turn the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated. If you need to add more water, mix it in with chopsticks so you don't burn your hands.

Cover with saran wrap to prevent it from drying out and set aside.

Rinse the dried shrimp (2 oz) with water, agitating them to remove any dirt and debris, then drain. Soak in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain out the water and mince into small pieces using a rocking motion with your knife.

Cut the dried radish (2 oz) into strips. Rotate 90 degrees to dice into small pieces, then chop at difference angles to mince. Place in a small bowl, add a bit of water and soak for 5 to 10 minutes.

Rinse the Chinese sausage (1 ). Cut in half, then slice into strips lengthwise. Rotate 90 degrees and dice into small pieces.

Cut the pork (3 oz) into thin slices. Lay the slices down and cut into strips. Rotate the strips 90 degrees to mince, then chop at different angles to get an even finer cut.

Smash and peel the garlic (3 clove). Cut off hard ends and mince them finely.

Cut the green onions (0.50 oz) in half, line them up, then dice.

Roughly dice the cilantro (0.50 oz).

Using a small sharp knife, cut and peel off the outer skin of the jicama (4 oz). Cut into thin slices. Lay the slices down and cut into strips. Rotate the strips 90 degrees, then dice into small pieces. Chop at different angles to get a finer mince.

Heat a wok on high. Add the oil (1 tablespoon) and lower heat to medium. Use a wok spatula to spread the oil around the wok.

Add the garlic and stir fry for 30 to 40 seconds. Next, add the dried shrimp and stir fry for 20 to 30 seconds. Add the Chinese sausage and stir fry for 20 to 30 seconds.

Squeeze out the water from the dried radish, then add to wok and stir fry for 20 to 30 seconds.

Add minced pork and stir fry for 40 to 50 seconds, making sure to break it up into pieces. Turn the heat up to medium.

Add the jicama and stir fry for about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low.

Add the salt (0.50 teaspoon), sugar (2 teaspoon), oyster sauce (1 tablespoon), light soy sauce (2 teaspoon), white pepper (0.25 teaspoon) and sesame oil (1 teaspoon).

Add the green onions and cilantro and stir fry to mix everything for 1 minute. This also helps cook off some of the moisture.

Taste test and adjust seasoning if needed. Scoop the filling onto a plate and loosen it up to help it cool down.

Remove the resting dough from the plastic wrap. Give the dough a quick knead in the bowl. Sprinkle some glutinous rice flour on a cutting board or clean countertop, then move the dough over on top. Roll it out into a long tube about 1.5-feet long.

Cut dough in half and set aside one piece, covering it with the plastic wrap.

Roll out the first piece of dough to same 1.5-feet length as before. Cut in half and line the pieces up, then slice 4 times into 10 smaller chunks, each measuring about 1-inch wide.

Roll each piece of dough into a ball, then dip one side into some sesame seeds (2 oz). Flatten ball into a bowl shape using your fingers, turning and pressing down repeatedly.

(Mommy Lau's Tip: Pinch the edge of the dough to make the sides even thinner before doing the push in and pinch method.)

Repeat with the rest of the pieces until you've used up all of the dough.

Heat a pot or wok on high heat. Add the oil (12 oz) and heat to 320°F (160°C).

Add a batch of dumplings (6 to 7 depending on size of pot), turn off the heat, fry for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring gently.

Turn the heat on to medium, fry for another 2.5 to 3 minutes, flipping the dumplings for an even fry. Maintain a temperature between 266°F to 320°F (130C° to 160°C) with each fry.

Remove dumplings with chopsticks and a spider strainer and set aside to drain.

Repeat steps until all dumplings are fried.

Serve while hot!

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FAQ

Can I use a different kind of meat?

Yes, you can substitute chicken or another meat for the pork or omit it all together. You can also make a vegetarian filling using ingredients like mushrooms and kohlrabi. Just stay away from vegetables with a high water content!

Why are these rice dumplings so light in color?

The reason why Toisanese glutinous rice dumplings are paler in color than Fried Glutinous Rice Dumplings is due to a slight difference in ingredients. The wrapper of the dim sum variety has wheat starch and sugar, giving them a darker, golden color once fried.

Summary

Print Recipe

Made With Lau

madewithlau.com/recipes/toisanese-glutinous-rice-dumpling

Toisanese Glutinous Rice Dumplings (臺山鹹水角)

Crispy, chewy, succulent dumplings from Daddy Lau's childhood. Learn to make this special Lunar New Year dish!

Prep Time: 45 min
Total Time: 70 min
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

10 oz glutinous rice flour
2 oz rice flour
0.50 teaspoon salt
9 oz hot water
2 oz sesame seed
12 oz corn oil (
or any oil with a high smoke point
)

Filling Ingredients

2 oz dried shrimp
2 oz dried radish
1 Chinese sausage
3 oz pork (
use a lean cut
)
3 clove garlic
0.50 oz green onion (
2 pieces
)
0.50 oz cilantro
4 oz jicama (
about 1/2 of a jicama
)

Filling seasonings

1 tablespoon oil
0.50 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoon light soy sauce
0.25 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Step 1 - Prep the dough

↑ Jump to details

Add the glutinous rice flour (10 oz), regular rice flour (2 oz) and salt (0.50 teaspoon) to a large, heat-resistant bowl.

Slowly add in the hot water (9 oz) and mix it into the flour using a pair of chopsticks, adjusting for more or less if it’s not the right consistency. Pour in the water a bit at a time while mixing to prevent clumps.

Switch to kneading the mixture with your hands until a dough comes together, about 4 minutes. If you need to add more water, mix it in with chopsticks so you don't burn your hands.

Cover with saran wrap to prevent it from drying out and set aside.

Step 2 - Prep the filling

↑ Jump to details

Rinse the dried shrimp (2 oz) with water, agitating them to remove any dirt and debris, then drain. Soak in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain out the water and mince into small pieces.

Mince the dried radish (2 oz) into small fine pieces. Place in a small bowl, add a bit of water and soak for 5 to 10 minutes.

Rinse the Chinese sausage (1 ). Dice into small pieces.

Mince the pork (3 oz) into small fine pieces.

Peel and mince the garlic (3 clove).

Dice the green onions (0.50 oz).

Roughly dice the cilantro (0.50 oz).

Using a small sharp knife, cut and peel off the outer skin of the jicama (4 oz). Dice into small pieces, then chop into small fine pieces.

Step 3 - Stir fry filling