Chinese Chayote Squash Dumplings Recipe (Boulette Chouchou)
These Chinese chayote dumplings, or boulette chouchou, are a Mauritian Hakka classic that you can find at almost every street corner on the island. Enjoy them with red chili paste or on their own!
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Servings: 4
Equipment
- 1 Large steamer or any makeshift steamer
- 1 food processor like Cuisinart or a grater
Ingredients
Chayote preparation
- 6 chayote squashes (chouchou)
- 2 teaspoons salt
The rest
- ½ cup vegetable oil I used avocado oil
- 1¾ ounces rice vermicelli 50 grams (or 1 large handful)
- 3 whole dried shiitake mushrooms 4 tablespoons worth of minced shiitake mushroom that has been reconstituted
- 2 tablespoons Asian dried shrimp
- 7 ounces ground chicken 200 grams
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- ¾ cup tapioca flour/starch la poudre manioc
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
Prepare the chayote
- Be sure to wear gloves for this part because the chayote can release a sticky substance that is hard to remove even with soap and scrubbing, plus it can make your skin itchy!
- Using a pairing knife, peel the chouchou, including all the little bits of skin in between the folds.
- Cut the chouchou in half, and carefully remove the flat seed. Grate the chouchou pieces into a large mixing bowl using a grater or a food processor like Cuisinart.
- Add 2 teaspoons of salt to the grated chouchou. Mix everything really well and transfer into a large strainer (or colander). Put the large strainer over a large mixing bowl to collect all the water.
- Set aside and let it sit for 45 minutes to 1 hour. If you only set it aside for 10-15 minutes (which is what most recipes will tell you to do), the grated chouchou will not release enough water.
Prepare the dried shiitake and dried shrimp
- While you wait for the salt and grated chayote to do their thing, reconstitute the dried shiitake mushroom and dried shrimp in a bowl by adding enough warm water to cover them by an inch.
- They'll take about 15-20 minutes to soften. Once they are soft enough to cut, mince them and set this shiitake and dried shrimp mixture aside.
Fry the rice vermicelli
- Heat 1/2 cup of vegetable oil in a wok or large deep pan over medium heat. When the wok is hot, add the rice vermicelli. This step takes just a few seconds.
- Once you add the rice vermicelli, it'll expand quickly in the hot oil. Remove it immediately and set aside this fried rice vermicelli to drain in a strainer or on paper towels.
Cook the dried shiitake, dried shrimp, and chicken
- Carefully remove all but 2 tablespoons of oil from the wok. Heat the oil again on medium heat and add the shiitake and dried shrimp mixture. Cook until they turn slightly golden.
- At this stage, add the chicken and cook while continuously breaking down the ground chicken into smaller pieces. This will take about 12 minutes.
- When the chicken is almost cooked, add the fish sauce and the soy sauce until chicken is completely cooked. Set this chicken mixture aside.
Squeeze the water content from the chayote
- After 45 minutes to 1 hour, squeeze out all the excess water from the grated chouchou by hand.
- If you have a large tea towel, even better! Use it to squeeze out even more water from the squash. Transfer the grated chayote into the tea towel and squeeze out as much water as you can. Set aside.
- Add 3 inches of water in a large steamer and heat it on medium high heat. While this is heating up, you can proceed to the next step.
Roll the dumpling balls
- In a large mixing bowl, add the grated chayote, chicken mixture, fried rice vermicelli, tapioca starch, and sesame oil.
- Mix well and form into golf-sized balls. See NOTES section for more info.
Cook the dumplings
- By now, the water in your steamer should be gently boiling and ready. Spray the steamer tray with a little bit of oil and add the uncooked chayote dumpling to it, making sure to leave a little bit of space in between them. Leave just enough space to let the steam circulate so that the dumplings cook evenly, about half centimeter in between them should be enough.
- Steam on medium high heat for 20 minutes.
- These Chinese chayote dumplings are best eaten fresh. Top with chopped green onion and serve immediately with a hot chili sauce like my Chinese Red Chili Paste. Enjoy!
Notes
If it's your first time handling chayote squashes, refer to the Recipe Tips and Tricks section for extra details and accompanying pictures on how to handle them.
The chayote dumplings should have a sticky consistency and mostly hold their shape. It's okay if they fall apart a little as long as they keep their shape for the most part. The steaming process will seal the dumpling together nice and tight!
If it's falling apart a bit too much, add 1-2 teaspoons of extra tapioca flour. You can add up to 3 teaspoons, not much more because you'll change the consistency of the dumplings.