Dumplings | 饺子

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Dumpling wrapper steps

Dumpling wrapper steps

Making dumpling steps

Making dumpling steps

Dough:

  • 3 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface
  • 1 cup cold water

Filling:

  • 1 small napa cabbage
  • 1-2 teaspoons salt, plus more for sprinkling
  • ½ pound shrimp
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 4-6 green onions
  • 2 tablespoons ginger
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • ¼ cup canola oil

Dipping sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup black vinegar
  • 2-3 garlic cloves

White Boyfriend dipping sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon-ish sweet chili sauce
  • 1 tablespoon-ish soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon-ish sriracha  
  • 1 teaspoon-ish hot chili oil

Refer to the Meat Pancakes recipe for making the dough. The only difference here is that the water needs to be cold instead of warm and the dumpling dough should come out a little harder. Cover and set aside. 

While the dough is resting, work on getting the filling ready. Chop up the whole napa cabbage finely, either by hand or in a food processor. Set in large metal bowl and sprinkle with salt.  Set aside to allow the water content to come out of the cabbage.

Chop up the half pound of shrimp and combine with ground pork and egg. Add sesame oil and white pepper. Finely chop up ginger and green onions. Add to pork and shrimp mixture. Set aside. 

Go back to the chopped cabbage at this point. Using a cheesecloth, put small amounts of cabbage into the cloth and squeeze out the water. When all excess water is removed from the cabbage, use your hands to combine thoroughly with the rest of the pork mixture. Add 1-2 teaspoons salt, soy sauce, and canola oil. Stir vigorously until almost pasty in texture. Taste and add more salt if needed. 

Refer to Dumpling wrapper steps image for this next section:

  1. Remove cover from dough. Knead until smooth.
  2. Cut off a section and roll out into a "snake" with your hands on a floured surface. 
  3. Cut off small pieces of the "snake" dough with a sharp knife, making sure to turn the dough a quarter turn each time. Dust pieces thoroughly with flour. 
  4. Flatten the pieces into round disks.
  5. Roll wrappers with a Chinese-style rolling pin. This should be done with one hand rotating the disk while the other rolls. This technique will ensure that the center is thicker than the edges. Dust work surface frequently with flour as needed.
  6. See finished product. 

Refer to Making dumplings steps image for this next section:

  1. Set up your work station so that the filling is next to your wrappers and there is a floured tray for your finished dumplings. 
  2. Put filling into the center of a wrapper.
  3. Pinch one edge to the other.
  4. Make sure all edges are secured around the filling.
  5. Squeeze the dumpling in your hands so that you're applying pressure to the edges and not the filling. This will ensure that the dumpling is tightly closed and will form a nice shape. 
  6. See finished product.

Boil water in large pot. Drop dumplings into the water and cover until water boils again. Take care as the water can boil over so you have to be ready to remove the lid quickly. Stir the dumplings so they don't stick together. They should be done in about 5 minutes when they all float to the top of the water. You can also remove one and test that the filling and dough are cooked through. 

A traditional dipping sauce involves combining peanut butter and Chinese vinegar, stirring until smooth. Add minced garlic to taste. The White Boyfriend dipping sauce is a combination of random sauces to taste--sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, sriracha, and chili oil. Make the sauce of your choice and serve! 

If there are leftovers, heat up oil in a wok and sauté dumplings on all sides to make potstickers.

Did any part of this recipe confuse you? For detailed instructions, click here.