Chai Kue (adapted from Teochew language) - Vegetable Dumpling

Adapted: family's recipe

Chai Kue is a popular steam dumpling among the Teochew and Hakka. The soft chewy skin made from rice and tapioca flour, with slightly crunchy yam and fried garlic as the topping. 

A bit info about yam (Jicama):

Jicama, known as Bengkuang or Yam Bean, is high in Carbohydrate and Vitamins. It is composed of 86-90% water. There is a city in Indonesia, Padang-West Sumatera, is called the city of bengkuang. The local people use it as the complementary ingredient in rujak (a kind of spicy fruit salad combines with peanut sauce).

Ingredients

Pastry Skin:

500 gram rice flour

75 gram tapioca flour

3-5 tbsp of oil

1 tsp salt

2-3 cups of water

Filling:

750 gram - 1kg Yam Bean, skin removed and shredded

50 gram dried shrimp

100 gram shiitake mushroom, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

shallot (optional)

1 tsp sugar

salt

pepper

Instruction for the filling:

Heat oil in a wok and fry garlic until light brown. Add dried-shrimp and shiitake mushroom, stir-fry until fragrant.  

Add yam bean and other seasoning, stir-fry for about 10-15 minutes. 

Dish out and set aside to cool.

Instruction for the pastry skin:

1. Put rice flour, tapioca flour and salt in the mixing bowl.
2. Pour water and stir until dissolved.
3. Add boiling water gradually and stir with a wooden spoon. Add in the oil and knead into a smooth dough.
4. Remove dough out on to a lightly floured tabletop. 
5. Cut the dough into small pieces, so it's easier to roll out to form a thin layer (dumpling layer). Make it into the round thin layer about 8 cm in diameter.
6. Put a tablespoon of filling in the center of the pastry skin, gather up the edges and pinch to enclose the filling.
7. Arrange the dumpling on the lightly greased banana leaves, and steam for about 10-15 minutes in the medium heat. I prefer the banana leaves to cover the steaming tray, it smells good with it.
8. Served with fried garlic and chili sauce as the topping.

I enjoy eating Chai Kue with banana leaves as my plate, I don't have to wash the dishes and can smell the natural leaves and the fried garlic, it tastes yummy. 8 shouldn't be enough for me.