"Ran home from the airport and made these babies, because dumplings are like oxygen to us.
Do ya have a must have post-travel food?"
Spicy Pork Dumplings
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- Recipe Card
Prep time 30mins
Cook time 20mins
Serves or Makes: 35 dumplings
Recipe Card
ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork, 80% lean 20% fat
- 3 stalks scallion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons chili oil
- 3 dashes white pepper
- Black pepper, for garnish
- Chili flakes, for garnish
- Kosher salt
- Water, placed in a small bowl
- 1 pack potsticker wrappers, purchase circle wrappers if you want to make crescent dumpling pleats
Method
Step 1
Finely chop the scallion and cilantro (you'll also want to chop a little additional for garnish). Add chopped the chopped herbs, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili oil, and spices into your pork. Make sure you try to purchase 80% Lean, 20% Fat pork. This will be juicier than the 90% lean mix. Get in there with your hands and mix all of the ingredients together.
Step 2
Create the delicious dumpling shape. Holding one of your round wonton wrappers, place a spoonful of the filling inside. Make sure you leave enough space to fold your dumpling; this isn't a Chipotle burrito! Dip your finger in the bowl of water and wet the outer edges of the wrapper. Fold the dumpling in half like a taco. Pull the front edge forward and pinch to crease, if the pleat isn't holding, you can use more water to seal. Continue pleats on the side you started until you reach the edge (should only be 1 or 2 more pleats). At the edge of the dumpling there will be a small air pocket. Poke that in with your thumb and press together. Make as many dumplings as you want. It's very therapeutic, just like a spa day (except that it ends with you to eating dumplings). This video can help your wrapping skills.
Step 3
Cooking your delicious dumplings. Pan fry - Add 3 tablespoons of canola oil to a skillet on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, place the dumplings, making sure that they are not touching. Fry them for 5-6 minutes, or until the bottoms develop a crispy brown surface. Now, add a splash of water and cover with a lid. Once the water has evaporated, remove the lid and let the dumplings pan-fry a little longer to have a nice crispy bottom. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce (see below for recipe).
Step 4
Boil - Cook for 8-10 minutes in boiling water. Steam - Place all the dumplings in a rice cooker steaming tray (it will have holes to let steam in). Add 1/3 cup of water to the bottom the cooker. Place the tray in and steam for 15 minutes. With any of these methods, you'll want to garnish with your remaining chopped herbs.
Step 5
Dip your delicious dumplings. Create a dipping sauce with a few simple ingredients. In a pan, heat up equal parts soy sauce and water. Add a few drops of chili oil and sesame oil and simmer for 30 seconds. Stir it all up then pour it in a serving bowl. Now enjoy your delicious dumplings. Any of the extra uncooked dumplings can be frozen and saved for later!