Crab dumplings - slimmed

Special equipment: 9cm round biscuit cutter, bamboo steamer

1) To make the salad: In a small non-stick skillet, stir together the oil, jalapeno, and garlic. Stir-fry over medium heat until fragrant, about 5 mins. Remove the skillet from the heat and add the sugar. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, and cool slightly. Toss the carrot, coriander, lime juice, fish sauce, and spring onion together with the jalapeno mixture. Set aside.

2) To make the dumplings: In a medium bowl, combine the crabmeat, water chestnuts, egg white, 15ml of vinegar, coriander, and salt.

3) Lay 6 to 8 wontons out on a work surface. Trim into rounds with the biscuit cutter. Lightly brush the surface of each wrapper with vinegar. Place a level tablespoon of the crab filling in the centre of each wrapper. Gather the wrapper around the filling, in a loosely-pleated open dumpling. The dumpling should be flat on the bottom with about a 1cm of the wrapper unfilled at the top in order to hold the salad after steaming. Repeat until the filling is used up.

4) Arrange the dumplings about 0.5cm apart in 2 lettuce leaf-lined bamboo steamers. Fill a wok or pan with enough water to come up to the bottom of the steamer rack, and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Stack the steamers in the pan, cover, and steam the dumplings until the filling is set, about 10 minutes.

5) Remove the steamer from the pan. Top each dumpling with 1/2 heaping tsp of the carrot salad. Serve immediately in the steamer pan.

Tips:
- Use this vegetable salad with other seafood and meat hors d'oeuvres instead of mayonnaise or cream based sauces.
- Thai cuisine is often low in fat, just avoid dishes made with coconut milk.