Red Bean Dumplings

Have cozy afternoon tea or cap an Asian-inspired home-cooked meal with these sweet dumplings.

Makes about 10 to 12 dumplings

4 to 6 cups water
2 cups red kidney beans, washed very well
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup shortening (optional)
dumpling skins
      (10 to 12 freshly made cuapao dough
      or 20 to 24 store-bought wonton
      (siomai) wrappers, 2 wrappers per dumpling)

1  Place water, beans, and sugar in a pot. Allow to boil and cook covered until beans are soft and mushy, about 1 to 2 hours.

2  Mash softened beans using a fork or potato masher until smooth.

3  If using, fold in the shortening. (This adds creaminess to the puree's texture.)

4  Stuff the puree into prepared dumpling skins, 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons filling per dumpling. Seal top securely. If using cuapao dough, let the sealed dumplings rest before cooking.

5  Steam dumplings for about 7 to 10 minutes. (To keep dumplings from sticking to the steamer, place each dumpling over a sheet of parchment paper.)

Filling tip: You can also use this filling to make red bean mochi. Just make your own sticky rice flour by mixing together 1/2 cup sticky rice flour and 1/4 cup water. Knead and then roll into a long strip and cut into small balls, about 1x1-inch in diameter. Flatten and stuff with the red bean filling; seal top. Drop dumplings in about 1 liter boiling water. You’ll know they’re cooked when they float to the surface.

Learn more about bamboo steamers and other kitchen gadgets here: Bring Out Your Gadgets

Photography by Kai Huang | Styling by Elaine P. Lim