Shrimp Dumplings with Chile Oil and Saffron-Coconut Milk Sauce
De Arbol (Capsicum Annuum) means tree like in Spanish. The plant has thick, upright, woody stems and the chile itself is narrow, curved and bright red in color. Believed to be closely related to the pequin, the De Arbol is thin fleshed, with tannic, smoky, grassy flavor and searing heat. This chile has a heat range of 7.5 on the heat scale of 1-10. De Arbol Chiles are comparable to a Cayenne Pepper. Scoville heat units 15,000 to 30,000.
Suggested Use:
De Arbol is a hot chile and a staple in Southwest kitchens. Add some heat to your next salsa or Mexican dish. Be adventurous and add them to your next stew or chili along with the other spices Add some heat to your next salsa or Mexican dish.
Ingredients:
Shrimp Dumplings:
12 round wonton wrappers
12 cilantro leaves
12 medium shrimp, uncooked, peeled, deveined, tails removed
1 recipe Chile oil, recipe follows
1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
semolina, for dusting pan
vegetable or peanut oil, for frying dumplings
1 recipe Saffron-coconut milk sauce, recipe follows
mango slices, as accompaniment
Chile oil:
7 Thai bird or de arbol chiles, seeded
2 tsp sambal olek*
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
Saffron-coconut milk sauce:
1/8 tsp. saffron
2 Tbsp. white wine
13 oz. can coconut milk
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 Tbsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
Instructions:
Shrimp Dumplings:
Pull one wrapper off the stack and place on a flat work surface. Lay 1 cilantro leaf in the centre of the wrapper, followed by 1 shrimp curled into a circle. Drizzle 1/8 tsp. of the chile Oil on top of the shrimp. Egg-wash with a pastry brush around the top edge of the wrapper and fold it in half, firmly pressing the edges together. Place the dumplings on a baking sheet dusted with semolina.
Fill a wok with 2 cups of vegetable oil and bring it to 350F. Cook the dumplings (3 or 4 at a time) for about 2 minutes, turning after 1 minute or when golden brown. Drain the dumplings on absorbent paper towels, then serve warm with the mango slices and the Saffron-Coconut Milk Sauce, along with Chile Oil on the side.
Chile oil:
Pulse the chiles, sambal and grapeseed oil in a food processor and transfer to a squeeze bottle. Allow the flavours to infuse for at least 30 minutes prior to serving. Serve at room temperature.
Saffron-Coconut Milk Sauce:
Place the saffron in the white wine and set aside for 20-30 minutes. Pour the coconut milk and heavy cream into a small pot and over medium heat and cook down by half. Whisk in the saffron wine, lemon juice, kosher salt and cayenne pepper. Serve the sauce warm.
Recipe from Donna Dooher.