Hands up who loves dumplings! And if you’re not nodding right now and thinking yes, well then I don’t know if we can be friends. I LOVE dumplings. I love everything about them. Making them, and most importantly eating them. They’re quite cathartic to make, the methodical assembly is quite soothing. When it comes to eating them, well, each mouthful is an absolute delight! They’re just so damn enjoyable. Now there’s so many different variations and different fillings, but these are my go to when I want super easy dumplings. They can be frozen and enjoyed at a later time too, but are best enjoyed immediately. Makes approximately 30 dumplings.
Preparation: 20-25mins
Cooking: 25mins
Ingredients
Dumplings
- 500g minced pork
- 1/4 (approx 120g) wombok/ nappa cabbage/ Chinese leaf, shredded
- 4 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp chilli oil, optional
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tin (approx 60g) water chestnuts, finely diced
- 1 packet of Jiaozi dumpling skins/ gyoza wrappers, defrosted
- 4-6 tbsp vegetable oil
- 40-60ml water, plus extra
Dipping sauce
- 100ml soy sauce
- 100ml rice wine vinegar
- 1 spring onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Add pork, cabbage, oyster sauce, oils and water chestnuts into a large mixing bowl. With clean hands, thoroughly mix until well combined.
- Place the dumpling skins on a clean work surface, evenly spaced out. Add some lukewarm water into a small bowl and have to hand.
- Spoon the filling onto the centre of the dumpling skins. Wet your finger and then wet half of the edge of the dumpling skin. Fold the dumpling in half and pinch together to seal well. Then crimp the edges by making four small folds along the seam, moisten the edge as needed. With the seam side up, press the dumplings on the work surface so the dumpling has a defined base. Repeat until all dumplings are made.
- To make the dipping sauce, combine the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and spring onion in a small bowl.
- Place a large shallow, lidded, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the pan. When the oil is hot, add a portion of the dumplings, base side down, making sure they are evenly spaced and not overcrowded. Fry for 3 minutes until the base is golden brown.
- Carefully add 20ml of water to the pan and cover with the lid. The water and oil will spit, so have the lid ready (I use it as a shield! 😉 ) Allow to steam fry for a further 3 minutes. Remove lid and allow remaining water to evaporate, and for the base of the dumplings to crisp up; allow for a further 1-2 minutes frying. Remove dumplings from the pan.
- Repeat until all dumplings are cooked. Serve with the dipping sauce and enjoy!
Nik Nak Food. 