Soi Fita (Rice Dumplings)
 
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 pint of water
  • 1.5 tsp salt
  • 1.5 cups ground rice
  • 2 cups rice flour
Method
  1. In a large pan measure and bring to boil 1 pint of cold water....
  2. add 1.5 tsp of salt and stir with a wooden spoon to dissolve, cover and allow to boil.
  3. Once the water is boiling, turn down the heat and add 1.5 cups of ground rice....
  4. followed by 2 cups of rice flour and stir in quickly ensuring all the dry ingredients become moistened. Leave covered to cook over a low flame for about 10 - 15 mins, till you can smell the aroma of cooked rice or you can see balls of steam rolling off of the inside of the lid; using a glass lid for this stage helps, as you can see when the steam starts to form on the top of the lid. I always place a clove in the vent to prevent steam from escaping.
  5. Once 10 - 15 minutes have passed and you can smell the aroma of cooked rice check your mixture; take a small amount and roll back and forth between your fingers to see if it comes together to form a dough. If it does (top right photo), your mixture is ready to knead.
  6. You will need to allow the mixture to cool before handling, the mixture will look very crumbly at this stage and this is quite normal, kneading is the process that helps the mixture bind together to form a dough. I usually take a wide large dish/tray and tip all of the mixture into it and allow it to cool a little. It is best to knead the dough before it cools completely as it is more pliable whilst still warm, however be careful as the mixture will be EXTREMELY HOT immediately after cooking. Alternatively allow the entire mixture to cool in the pot till warm.
  7. Take two handfuls of the warm Soi Fita mixture and place on your worktop....
  8. and using the base of your palm, knead the mixture between the worktop and your hand. The mixture might be sticky/dry and crumbly, keep going until it starts to form a ball of dough. The more you knead the dough the smoother your finished Soi Fita will be.
  9. As I doubled this recipe I had 6 medium sized balls of dough in total, if you are following the quantities in this recipe you will most likely have 3 balls of dough.
  10. Break each dough ball into smaller pieces and begin to roll them back and forth between the worktop and the palm of your hand. Shape them into traditional shapes as shown in the bottom left and right photos....
  11. some other shapes you may want to try!
  12. Once you're happy with the shapes and you've completed rolling the Soi Fita you need to place them in a steamer and cook them through. Steam for approximately 20 - 25 mins. My mother in law tells me the longer these soi fita are steamed the better and firmer the texture is.
  13. After steaming the Soi Fita, allow them to cool completely before storing. The best way to store them is to place them in an airtight container in the fridge if you are planning on using them within a couple of days. If you are planning on storing them for a longer period, freeze them on a flat tray in the freezer and once hard place in an airtight container or zip lock bag.
  14. When you want to serve the fita, place them on a hot tawa/pan until crispy and brown if you're cooking them straight from the fridge; if you're using them from frozen be sure to defrost first and then heat them on a pan. Serve your Soi Fita with a curry of your choice, this is our favourite combination, Soi Fita and Lamb Shanks. Or you can try serving them using any of the techniques mentioned above.
Recipe by www.afeliaskitchen.com at https://www.afeliaskitchen.com/soi-fita/