Make High Protein Dumplings in Egg White Wrappers
Dumplings are the perfect food, but there’s always room for some spirited modification, like changing the wrapper. By replacing the flour wrapper with something more protein-oriented, you can make dumplings that will benefit people who are gluten sensitive, people who are minimizing their carb intake, or anyone who needs to use up a little extra egg whites.
Dumplings are essentially a dough-like piece, in this context stuffed with meat or vegetables. While wrappers are typically made from flour, we’re going to swap it all out for thin egg dumpling skins. You can use thinly fried whole eggs , or make the dish simpler (and fat-free) by using egg whites.
How to Make Egg White Wrapped Dumplings
I felt sick and the thought of breaking eggs and beating them seemed like a daunting task. Instead, I bought a box of pasteurized egg whites. They were already homogenized, and all I had to do was open the spout. If using freshly separated egg whites, lightly beat them before cooking.
Melt a small amount of butter in an eight- to six-inch skillet over medium-low heat. You want just enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan, so the amount may vary, but it should be about 1/4 teaspoon. Pour two to three tablespoons of egg white into the pan and stir until the egg coats the bottom. This should be a very thin layer of egg; Depending on your pan, you may need more or less eggs. Let it set completely, loosen the edges and flip over. Remove the thin egg wrapper from the pan and place it on a sheet of parchment paper. Repeat about eight times or as many dumplings as you like, placing parchment between each wrapper.
Prepare filling in a medium bowl. My dumplings are Thai flavored with chicken, pork, ginger and chili, but you can stuff them with just about anything, like mushrooms and onions, tofu and cabbage, or minced shrimp and scallions. For eight large dumplings you will need about 1 1/2 cups of filling.
Add a half-inch of water to a large saucepan or wok with a steamer basket. I was making a steamer on a steamer, which seems silly at first, but I wanted to use a bamboo basket and needed to keep it floating above the water. Be sure to line the steamer. (If you don’t know how to line a bamboo steamer, read here .)
Take one egg white wrapper and place a tablespoon of filling in the center. Gather the edges up and over the filling, folding as needed to create a small purse.
Tie the scallion loosely at the top to secure the bundle and place it in the steamer. If this proposal sounds absolutely absurd, I understand. Are my clumsy fingers tying a single bow? You will need a longbow. I could only find pre-cut onions at ShopRite that were too short and I was only able to tie one dumpling. It looks cute, but let’s be honest – it’s not. If you can’t find a bow long enough, you can easily poke a toothpick through the folds. It’s quick, holds up, and acts like a little handle if you want to lift the dumplings out of the steaming pan later.
Once the steamer basket is full of dumplings, cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to medium until the water comes to a boil. Reduce temperature slightly to medium-low. The water should still be boiling. Steam the dumplings for 10-15 minutes until the meat is cooked.
Serve the flourless dumplings immediately with soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, or any other sauce that complements their flavor. The following recipe is for the chicken and pork filling I used above.
Filling for chicken and pork dumplings
Ingredients:
- 4 ounces ground pork
- 4 ounces ground chicken
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped cabbage
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pinch of white pepper
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon fish sauce
- 1-2 finely chopped Thai chili peppers
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Wear gloves and use your hands to avoid stirring the mixture and to avoid getting the capsaicin from the chili peppers on your fingers. Use this filling to fill flour or egg white dumpling wrappers.