If I could pick one food to eat for the rest of my life (pasta is a given), it would be these. I love dumplings, especially the really good ones. Unless you live in a city, good-quality dumplings are really hard to find – most of the ones I order around here are either too thick, not flavorful enough, or some sort of variation on Asian pierogies.
That said, these are fantastic. Perfect consistency, great filling, light and super tasty. Brendan and I made them together, and it was amazing how many of them we got out of 1 lb. of pork. I gave in and stuck to the basics with this recipe, but I’m already planning what version we’re going to make next. These were a really fun kitchen project, AND they froze really well too. Who needs city Chinese food?? Ok, me. I do. But when I can’t have it, this is a pretty great substitute.
CHINESE PORK DUMPLINGS (makes a ton. Freeze whatever you don’t make in an airtight container)
- 1 lb. ground pork
- 3 scallions, green parts only, thinly chopped
- 1 tbsp. sesame oil
- 1 egg
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tsp. minced ginger
- Pot Sticker wrappers (I found these at a little Asian specialty store)
1. In a large bowl, combine the pork, scallions, sesame oil, salt & pepper and minced ginger. Mix to combine.
2. Get a little bowl of warm water, and a helper.
3. One at a time, take out a pot sticker wrapper and place it on a plate. Wet your fingers in the little bowl of water, then run them around the perimeter of the wrapper that’s facing upwards. This will seal the dough once it has fillings in it.
4. Take a LITTLE bit of the pork filling (I had a real problem with this and kept overstuffing them until I got the hang of it) and plop it in the center of the wrapper.
5. Gently press the edges of the wrapper together to seal it. You can just fold it over on top of each other, or be all fancy like Brendan and make them into little tortelloni-shaped dumplings.
6. Bring a pot of unsalted water to just a boil.
7. Drop the dumplings in gently. They’ll sink, but don’t worry. Keep an eye on them – they’re ready when they float up to the top and stay there for about a minute.
8. Drain, and serve with soy sauce, rice, basil, tomato and cucumber (like Bren did), or just dig in (like I did). Enjoy.
