上湯水餃 Soup Dumplings

我們中國人很喜歡吃餃子，無論是上海或北方式的水餃、蒸餃、煎餃；或廣東、香港式的上湯水餃，都是人們自小吃大，心愛的民間食物之一。

We Chinese love dumplings. Whether it be the Shanghai, Beijing style boiled, steamed, pan-fried; or the Guangdong, Hong Kong style soup dumplings; they are some of the most popular folk foods that we ate and grew up with.

「外省」餃子的種類，做法和餡料的選用比較多；因為上海和北方人的主要食糧是用麵麥製成的，所以對他們，餃子是很傳統和重要的日常和年節食品。

南方人生自「魚米之鄉」，日常主食以米為糧；因此我們在香港吃的水餃是以米粉為主要原料搓成的。港式麵店賣的水餃與茶樓點心的蒸餃不同。在香港吃港式水餃，即是指在麵檔或麵店那兒，與雲吞麵同賣的「上湯水餃」。

Compare to Guangdong and Hong Kong; dumplings made in "other provinces" come in a greater variety, and their ingredients can be made up of all different kinds of meat; seafood, as well as a mixture of preserved and fresh vegetables. This is because in these provinces, their daily diet is based on food that's made with wheat flour like dumplings; therefore dumplings have become traditional family food which they consume on a daily basis and on special and festival celebration times in these places.

On the other hand the southern part of China is well known for their valuable access to fish and rice produces; the dumplings we have in Hong Kong are mainly made with rice flour. Bear that in mind though, the dumplings that are sold in noodle stalls and noodle shops are different to those "dim sum dumplings" that we have in Cantonese restaurants. In Hong Kong, if you want to eat soup dumplings, it's better if you go to noodle stalls or noodle shops, as you can only have the proper and genuine Hong Kong style "soup dumplings" there.

我是甚麼形式的餃子也愛。但平常做的，多是上海和北方的口味； 水煮、蒸或煎。也通常都是自己做餃子皮去包。

最近天氣苦熱翳悶，胃口不怎麼好。卻突然間緬懷起以往吃麵的日子，很想念在香港時吃的水餃。

I love all different types of dumplings, though I normally made the Shanghai and Beijing type a bit more often. And I usually made the wrappers myself too.

It was so hot and humid lately; didn't feel like eating or cooking. Somehow I started to miss having those soup noodles and dumplings in Hong Kong. 

湯餃習慣要用很薄的皮。家中剛巧又正用完了米粉，想到一個方法，可以把麵粉做的皮也擀得薄薄的。捲起衣袖，馬上動手搓粉！餡料方面也是很容易就準備好了。

With soup dumplings, you have to use very thin dumpling skins. And it so happened that I had just run out of rice flour, so I came up with an idea which could produce super thin wheat flour wrappers. Rolling up my sleeves, I put my plans into action. The fillings were very simple to prepare too. 

上湯水餃

( 可做 30 - 36 個 )

材料：

水餃皮

• 中筯麵粉 300g + 多預些作搓粉時補充和灑桌面之用
• 沸水 50ml
• 室温水 100ml + 多預些作搓粉時補充之用
• 鹽 1/4 茶匙

水餃內餡：

• 粗剁梅頭豬肉 200 g 與切粗粒蝦仁 200g 在小碗內拌勻
• 香菇 4 隻洗淨用熱水完全浸軟切薄幼絲
• 木耳 1 - 2 朵浸軟洗淨切幼絲
• 筍片 80 g 切幼絲
• 葱或韮菜两支切粒

醃料：

• 鹽 2 茶匙
• 生抽 ( 醬油 ) 2 茶匙
• 糖 2 茶匙
• 蠔油 2 湯匙
• 麻油 1 湯匙
• 胡椒粉 1/2 茶匙
• 生粉 2 茶匙
• 紹興酒 1 湯匙 ( 可以不加 )

          雞蛋 1 隻打勻

做法：

水餃內餡：

• 除了雞蛋液外，把全部材料置大碗內，用筷子或長餐匙用順時針方向把餡料攪拌至略富彈性，加 1 - 2 湯匙蛋液拌勻便成水餃內餡。蓋上保鮮紙置冰箱內醃 半小時。   

水餃皮：

1. 大碗中篩進麵粉，加入熱水，用矽膠棒把水和麵粉快手拌在一起；然後把餘下的水加入。用手攪拌均勻成為無粉粒狀態的麵團。如太軟的話可多加點粉，太乾了可以多加些水；直至麵團軟硬適度。用手掌根部把麵團搓揉 5 - 6 分鐘至光滑。
2. 把麵團放進底部與四壁均已塗油的盆內，蓋上保鮮紙；靜置鬆弛 1 小時。

      3.  桌上灑麵粉，把鬆弛好的麵團放在桌上，麵團表面也灑些麵粉；然後搓揉 2 - 3 分鐘，
           使麵團更光滑更有彈性。
      4.  桌上再灑麵粉，擀麵棍也抹上麵粉。把搓好的麵團輕輕推擀至闊大而厚度均勻的一張
           薄麵皮。              
      5.  用直徑 7½ cm 的圓切模印出圓形水餃皮。
    

        6.  小心把每塊水餃皮輕輕取起，排放在另一方已灑了麵粉的桌面。
        7.  桌上灑麵粉，擀麵棍也抹上麵粉。把每一塊水餃皮用擀麵棍再两面推擀成更圓大和更
             薄；每塊約 10½ cm  左右圓徑的水餃皮。推擀期間桌面、水餃皮和擀麵棍都補充麵
             粉，以保持不黏的狀態。把全部水餃皮擀好便成。
       
包水餃：

1. 把 1 塊水餃皮置手中，放上適量的餡料，不要太多，以能合起時不會有餡料外露為準。
2. 左手用虎口夾著水餃，左手指頭定著內面下方之時把上方邊部向外推；右手在外邊從右向左推摺。記著摺疊是在外面，內面向著自己這方不要摺疊的。
3. 摺好後把邊緣按緊收口，用雙手提起餃子，两指頭從餃子後面，揑緊中央部份圍成半月形並向前推，把餃子按坐在檯上定形便成。
4. 做好的水餃要排放在鋪抹了麵粉的盤子或大碟上，更要每個之間都保持距雖；那取起時才不會黏底或扯穿餃子。

上湯水餃：

1. 先熬好一煲美味上湯備用 ( 口味隨自己喜歡 )。
2. 煮水餃：大煲內煲滾一大煲水，下少許油以防水餃煮時互相黏貼。先放一隻鏟子在煲底才下餃子，小心輕力從底部細細翻攪。
3. 水再沸開後轉用中火把餃子多煮 5 - 6 分鐘，不用掩蓋。期間要小心把水餃翻動好方便煮透。用筷子夾著餃子時感到硬實便是熟了，可切開一隻查看。
4. 用有空隙的杓子把餃子撈起，放進上湯去；灑下韮黃或葱花，便成為「上湯水餃」了，即時進食。

在香港吃的水餃內餡都不會把菜包進去的。習慣上，湯餃上桌時碗內會先放幾株川燙得綠油油的菜芯；盛進餃子，淋下上湯，灑上一大撮的韮黄粒。一碗香噴噴、熱騰騰的「上湯水餃」，佐著紅醋、辣椒油；吃一口餃子的爽滑香軟，喝一口上湯的鮮甜美味。這就是港式水餃的特色。

We don't put vegetables inside the fillings in Hong Kong. Instead we arranged some branched green vegetables on the bottom of the bowl, spoon in the dumplings, and pour in the soup; sprinkle some chopped yellow chives on top. Then a large bowl of steaming and aromatic " soup dumplings" is ready. Served with red vinegar and chilli oil; imagine enjoying a mouthful of these delicious, soft yet crunchy dumplings, accompanied by a mouthful of fresh tasting soup. This is the soup dumplings Hong Kong style.

被推擀得薄薄的麵皮內裏著又大又肥美的水餃；滿足了腸胃，消解了鄉愁。

Kneaded and rolled out the dough thinly to make my own dumpling wrappers. Eating these homemade soup dumplings later, my stomach felt a lot more settled, and so was my homesickness.