Spiced chicken dim sum

Here’s a wonderful asian inspired dish, with a nod to both North African cuisine, the spice rub being a version of Ras-El-Hanout and Danish cuisine with a pickled cucumber, which is what is classically served with a roast chicken in Denmark. This one is pickled in rice wine vinegar and with fresh chilies for extra punch.

Ingredients 4 Servings

Pickled cucumber

Best made the day before, but can still be made as the first thing before the rest of the dish, if you are in a pinch:

1. Slice the cucumber in very thin slices.
2. Slice the chili in thin slices.
3. Disolve the sukrin (or sugar) in vinegar.
4. Add the cucumbers to a mason jar, crush them between your fingers as you put them in.
5. Scatter the chili slices over the cucumbers.
6. Pour the vinegar over the cucumbers. Seal and refrigerate until needed.
   

   The vinegar and the sweetner (or sugar) gives the cucumbers a wonderful sweet and sour taste that is great with chicken

Ras-El-Hanout Spice Rub

1. Crack the cardamom pods with the flat side of your chefs knife.
2. Break up the cinnamon stick into small pieces
3. Toast the cloves, cardamom pods, cinamon stick, cumin seeds, dried chili flakes, and peppercorns in a medium hot pan for about 4 miniutes.
   

   When you toast spices make sure you toss them around on the pan so they don’t get burnt
4. Let the spices cool.
5. Grind the mix in an electric spice grinder or crush them very finely in a mortar.
   

   If you do not own a spice grinder you can grind the spices really fine in a mortar
6. Add the remaining ingredients; all-spice, nutmeg, garlic powder and ginger.
7. Store in an airtight container. It keeps for 6 months.
   

   Have a whiff. It smells absolutely amazing 🙂

 Dumplings

1. Add the milk, flour, baking powder and salt to a food processor and pulse it until you have a dough.
   

   If you do not have a food processor you can pour the ingredients in a bowl and mix them together using a wooden spoon

2. Flour your work surface, knead the dough lightly and then roll it to a sausage-shape and divide it into 8 evenly sized pieces.
   

   First cut the sausage in half, then cut each piece three times. It makes it easier to make the sizes equal.

3. Put each piece in a double layer of muffin cases and put them into the steamer basket (fits in a 28cm steamer in one layer). If you do not own a steamer, you can still steam your dumplings using a pot and a colander.
4. Boil water in your wok. You should reserve a little room from the top of the water to the steamer basket.
5. Put the basket of dumplings in there with the lid on. The dumplings should steam for about 15 to 20 minutes.
   

   The dumplings will rise and become super fluffy. Yum.

 Putting it all together

1. Toast the sesame seeds in a medium hot dry pan until golden and set aside for serving.
   

   Toasting the sesame seeds will change their taste and make them super crunchy.
2. Cut the chicken into mouth right cubes.
3.  In a bowl put the hoi sin sauce and the teriyaki sauce and a pinch of salt.
4. Add the spice mix you made earlier and combine. If you want it spiced add ½ tablespoon; if you want it spicy add 1 tablespoon, and if you want it HOT add 2 tablespoons 😉
5. Toss the chicken pieces in the sauce using your hands.
   

   Make sure every piece of chicken is coated by the sauce.
6. Heat a pan to medium high heat and add the chicken. Stir once in a while.
   

   The chicken is done when it is brown. Personally I lake to the point where it has a little bit of black on it. Go with what you like 🙂
7. Clean and cut the broccoli and add the the second steamer basket and lift the lid off the steamer, add the second basket and put the lid on top.
8. Once everything is done; serve the chicken and dumplings with the sesame seeds, hoi sin sauce for dipping, broccoli and the picked cucumbers on the side. Enjoy.
   

   Spiced chicken dim sum