Recipe: Baan Lao’s Chor Chompoo (Thai Flower Dumplings)

Delicate, pale pink steamed dumplings with a sweet and savoury chicken, preserved radish and peanut filling.

Prep time: 45 minutes.

Steaming time: 10 minutes

Yield: 15–20 dumplings

These traditional Thai flower-shaped dumplings are filled with a fragrant mixture of chicken, sweet preserved radish and roasted peanuts. Their delicate wrappers are tinted pale pink with natural beetroot extract, then carefully shaped by hand using tweezers to create intricate flower petals.

Ingredients

Chicken and Radish Filling

● 1 cup ground chicken breast

● ½ cup sweet preserved daikon radish (chai po wan), finely minced

● ¼ cup unsalted roasted peanuts, finely crushed

● 1 tbsp coriander root or cilantro stems, minced

● 2 garlic cloves, minced

● ½ tsp ground white pepper

● 3 tbsp palm sugar, chopped

● 1 tbsp fish sauce, or to taste

● 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Pale Pink Dumpling Wrappers

● 1 cup rice flour

● ½ cup tapioca flour, plus extra for dusting

● 2 tbsp coconut milk

● ⅔ cup boiling water

● A few drops of pure beetroot extract, enough to achieve a pale pink colour

For Finishing and Serving

● Garlic oil, for brushing

● Fresh lettuce and cilantro leaves, for serving

Method

1. Prepare the Chicken and Radish Filling

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the coriander root, garlic and white pepper. Sauté for about 1 minute, until fragrant.

2. Add the ground chicken, breaking it into small pieces with a spoon. Cook until the meat is no longer pink.

3. Stir in the palm sugar, preserved radish and fish sauce. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture becomes thick, sticky and cohesive.

4. Stir in the crushed peanuts. Remove from the heat and allow the filling to cool completely.

5. Once cooled, roll the filling into small, evenly sized balls, approximately the size of marbles. Set aside.

2. Make the Pale Pink Dough

1. In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the rice flour and tapioca flour. Stir in the coconut milk.

2. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Add a few drops of beetroot extract, adjusting the amount to achieve a delicate pale pink colour.

3. Gradually pour the coloured boiling water into the flour mixture, stirring vigorously with a sturdy wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.

4. When the mixture is cool enough to handle, knead for 2–3 minutes until the dough becomes smooth, supple and no longer sticky.

5. Keep the dough tightly covered with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.

3. Shape the Flowers

1. Portion the dough. Pinch off a piece of dough slightly larger than one filling ball. Roll it into a smooth sphere.

2. Make the wrapper. Flatten the dough with your thumbs into a small circular disc, keeping the edges slightly thinner than the centre.

3. Add the filling. Place a ball of chicken filling in the centre. Fold the dough around the filling, pinching the edges together to seal completely. Gently roll into a smooth ball.

4. Shape the petals. Using clean kitchen tweezers, gently pinch the surface of the dough to form small, overlapping petals. Work in concentric circles, starting at the outer edge and moving toward the centre, to create a delicate flower shape.

5. Repeat. Continue with the remaining dough and filling, keeping the shaped dumplings covered until ready to steam.

4. Steam the Dumplings

1. Line a steamer basket with parchment paper or banana leaf and lightly brush with oil.

2. Arrange the dumplings in the basket, leaving approximately ½ inch (1.25 cm) between each flower.

3. Lightly mist the dumplings with water to help prevent the wrappers from cracking during steaming.

4. Steam over rapidly boiling water for 8–10 minutes, until the wrappers appear glossy and slightly translucent and the dough is cooked through.

5. Carefully lift the dumplings from the steamer with a spatula. Immediately brush with a thin layer of garlic oil to keep the wrappers moist and shiny.

5. Serve

Arrange the steamed flower dumplings on a platter lined with fresh lettuce and cilantro leaves. Serve warm.

Cook’s Notes

● Keep the dough covered. Rice flour dough dries out quickly, which can cause the wrappers to crack during shaping.

● Use a finely minced filling. Smaller pieces make the dumplings easier to shape and help prevent tearing.

● Cool the filling completely. Warm filling can soften the dough and make it difficult to handle.

● Work gently. Use light, precise pinches with clean tweezers to create the petals without piercing the wrapper.

● Use beetroot sparingly. Add just enough extract to give the dough a delicate, pale pink colour.

● Adjust the seasoning. Sweet preserved radish varies in sweetness and saltiness. Taste the filling and adjust the fish sauce as needed.