My Shu Mai

Not long ago, I was watching Episode 36 of "Diary of a Foodie" which focused on "Fine Fast Food", i.e. cheap, quick eats across the globe that are good enough even for serious gourmands despite their pedestrian origins. One of stops included a Hong Kong noodle shop known for its wonton. In fact, its recipe is considered to be the perfect wonton.

My brother is the one in the family with an affinity for wonton, but I still found myself desperately yearning for some wonton of my own.

The hitch is, I am still following the rigid rules of a restricted diet, not so much for my own benefit, but to force myself to think more creatively in the kitchen. The diet doesn't let me combine meat with any forms of rice or wheat. Wonton or potsticker wrappers are of course made of rice or wheat flour.

My solution was to use collard greens as wrappers. The leaves are broad enough to wrap around a reasonably-sized dumpling. They are thick and hardy -- able to withstand a lot of handling and heat. When roasted, they caramelize a bit and yield a slightly sweet, mildly seaweed-like flavor.

My initial thought was to call them "Wanton Wontons" until I realized that my wrapper substitution would work better (and look better) in the form of shu mai. So here is the recipe for "My Shu Mai". If you come up with a better, cheekier name, please share!

My Shu Mai
Makes 24 dumplings
[AP: This is an Option #2 recipe]

1 package (approx 350-500g) ground turkey or chicken
1 egg
2 scallions
1 tsp rice vinegar
½ tsp sesame oil
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
2-3 Tbsp plain yogurt
⅓ cup rolled oats, ground up coarsely
6-12 large leaves of collard greens, stalks removed

NOTE: You will need a mini-muffin pan, which will help the leaves keep shape and are the perfect size for shu mai.

1. In a large bowl, combine the ground meat, egg, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sea salt, and black pepper.
2. In a smaller bowl, mix the yogurt and oats until it has the consistency of thick oatmeal. If too dry or crumbly, add more yogurt one spoonful at a time. If too liquid, add more oats a small amount at a time. This is the restricted diet's version of a panade: normally a paste made of milk and bread which is added to hamburgers, meat loaves, and meat balls so that they turn out tender and juicy.
   
3. While the mixtures in the two bowls sit and marinate, cut round wrappers (approx 3" in diameter) out of the leaves of the collard greens. A small ramekin worked for me; you may have cookie cutters, cups or other round objects that you can trace around with a paring knife. Avoid the thick central veins of the leaves because it will be difficult to bend or fold around the dumpling fillings. Cut out 24 wrappers.
4. Add the oat mixture to the meat mixture and blend until all ingredients are uniformly distributed.
5. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
6. If your mini-muffin pan isn't sufficiently non-stick, then lightly grease each slot with oil, butter, or whatever you prefer.
   
7. In each slot of a mini-muffin pan, push in a collard green wrapper, and fill it with about 1 Tbsp of the mixed ingredients. Don't be concerned if a wrapper doesn't stay in its slot on its own; the weight of the filling will press it down. Don't stuff the filling past the edges of the wrapper.
   
8. Put the pan in the oven and bake 20-30 min, or until the interior temperature of the dumplings reach at least 170°F.

Serve on their own or with chicken broth and vegetables (such as mushrooms, herbs, etc.).