Sesame chicken potsticker dumplings with ginger chilli sauce

On special occasions, Malaysians serve a range of dishes, rather than one main event – more south-east Asian meze than roast with all the trimmings. Some of those dishes will invariably feature the kind of stuff we eat every day at hawker markets: these dumplings are inspired by Hainanese chicken rice, a Malaysian staple. With their fragrant filling and crisp bottom, they’re a real crowd-pleaser. The chilli sauce is highly addictive, so make extra: it’s delicious stirred into all sorts, from fried eggs to boiled rice and stir fries. Makes 20, to serve four or five.

For the dumplings
450g chicken thighs, skinned, boned and roughly chopped
4 spring onions, washed and trimmed 
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp each salt and ground white pepper
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 egg
One pack fresh Shanghai dumpling wrappers (these are eggless and pure white; from any Chinese supermarket)
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 tsp unsalted butter
80ml water

For the ginger chilli sauce
2 fresh red chillies, stalks removed, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled
10g peeled ginger
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp distilled vinegar
1 tbsp oil

Make the ginger chilli sauce by putting all the ingredients in a food processor and blending until fine. Tip into a small nonstick pan, cook on a medium heat for three minutes, until fragrant, then pour into a small serving bowl and set aside.

For the filling, put the chicken, onions, soy, salt, pepper, sesame oil and egg in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste.

Working with one wrapper at a time (keep the other wrappers covered to stop them drying out), spoon a tablespoon of the filling into the centre of each wrapper. Moisten the edges of the wrapper with water, and bring two opposite points to the centre, pinching along the edges to seal. You should end up with a semi-circle of a dumpling with a flattish base. Put the filled dumpling on a large baking tray sprinkled with corn flour, and cover loosely with a clean damp tea towel, to keep it from drying out. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.

Heat the vegetable oil and butter in a large, nonstick frying pan on a medium heat. Lay in the dumplings seam side up and cook, uncovered, for three minutes, until the bases are lightly browned. Add 80ml water to the pan, cover with a lid and cook for four minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed and the dumplings have taken on a crisp, lacy crust – this is what gives them their name. Serve at once with the dipping sauce.

Chicken satay

Every Malaysian feast worth its salt features satay of some kind: you can make it with prawns, beef, tofu or veg, but chicken is my favourite. If you’re anything like me, you may want to double these quantities, which make enough for six to have two skewers each as part of a spread.

500g chicken thighs, skinned, boned and cut into bite-sized pieces
12 wooden skewers, soaked in water

For the spice mix
1 stalk lemongrass – only the bottom, white half, roughly chopped
2 medium white onions, peeled and roughly chopped
5 garlic cloves, peeled 
5g coriander powder
5g chilli powder
5g turmeric powder 
2g fennel seeds
2g cumin powder
63g dark brown sugar
13g salt

For the peanut sauce
187g dry roasted peanuts, finely ground
45g spice paste (see method below)
600g coconut milk (ideally without emulsifiers)
84g dark brown sugar 
44g tamarind paste (from Chinese and Asian supermarkets)
1g salt
2g chilli powder

Blend all the spice mix ingredients to a smooth, fine paste. Set aside 45g for the peanut sauce, and put the rest in a large plastic tub. Add the chicken, toss to coat, then put in the fridge to marinade for at least four hours, and ideally overnight.

For the peanut sauce, put all the ingredients in a medium saucepan Turn the heat to medium and bring to a boil, stirring now and then to prevent it sticking. Turn the heat to low and simmer for five minutes, until the sauce thickens, then keep warm on a very low heat. (It will also keep in the fridge for up to a week.)

Skewer the chicken pieces, and grill on a high heat for 10 minutes, turning halfway through. Transfer to a platter, put the sauce in a bowl, and serve with wedges of cucumber and coriander leaves, to garnish.

Laksa

Malaysians tend to save laksa for special occasions because it is time-consuming to make from scratch. If you can find them, laksa leaves (Polygonum odoratum) add a distinctive fragrance to the dish; if you can’t, use fresh coriander instead, which will add both a lovely aroma and a beautiful depth to the broth. Laksa is a great dish for entertaining, because you can prepare everything in advance, and heat the broth just before serving. Serves six.

80g oil
24 cooked prawns
12 deep-fried tofu puffs, each cut in half (from Chinese food shops)
120g green beans, cut into 5cm lengths
120g beansprouts
400g pack rice vermicelli, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes
Mint leaves, finely sliced, to garnish

For the laksa broth
2 400g cans coconut milk (preferably without any emulsifiers)
7 tbsp dark brown sugar
1.5 litres chicken stock (if homemade, make it a day ahead. Put 2 chicken carcasses, 2 star anise, 10g ginger, 3 lengths of spring onion, 1 small onion chopped into quarters, 2 cloves garlic in a large pan, add water to cover, bring to a boil, skim, then simmer for 2 hours)
2 tbsp salt 
1 large bunch coriander (or laksa leaves)
2 lemongrass stems – only the bottom, white half, chopped and pounded to release the juices
3 tbsp tamarind paste (from Chinese and Asian food stores)

For the spice paste 
80g oil 
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped 
30g ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
8 garlic cloves, peeled
3 red chillies, stalks removed, roughly chopped 
15 dried chillies, soaked in hot water (from Chinese food shops) 
1.5 tbsp cumin powder 
1.5 tbsp turmeric powder 
3 tbsp coriander powder 
3 tbsp chilli powder
5 tbsp dried shrimp, soaked in hot water (from Chinese food shops)

Blend all the ingredients for the spice paste until smooth and fine.

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil while you get on with making the broth. In a large saucepan on a medium heat, add 80g oil and the spice paste, and cook, stirring continuously, for 30 minutes, until rich, dark red/brown in colour. Add all the broth ingredients and the chilli and shrimp soaking liquids, bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 30 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the coriander leaves and lemongrass, and adjust the seasoning to taste. Add the tofu puffs to the broth, so they soak up the flavour, and keep warm.

While the broth is simmering, blanch the following in boiling water one after the other: green beans for three minutes, vermicelli for a minute, beansprouts for 30 seconds. Refresh them all in cold water to stop them cooking, and drain well.

Portion everything into bowls ready for serving – some vermicelli, then beansprouts, green beans and prawns. Pour hot broth into each bowl, add four half tofu puffs per serving, garnish with mint and serve.