Chinese Dumplings 101

This Saturday marks Lunar New Year, and whether you come from Asian decent or not, this is a wonderful opportunity to eat delicious food and try something you wouldn’t ordinarily undertake in the kitchen.

Almost every culture has some version of a dumpling: perogies, gnocchi, samosas, empanadas, potstickers… They are delicious by any name! A dumpling at its heart, is a dough wrapped around a (usually savory) filling. They can be spicy or vegetarian; the possibilities are endless. My favourite thing about dumplings is how easy they are to freeze. They are the perfect weekend project, gifting yourself a quick and delicious weeknight meal when you are short on time but don’t want to order takeout.

In honour of the Lunar New Year- these are my go-to, favourite Chinese Pork Dumplings. I have included a recipe for hot water wrappers, if you want to try to make the wrappers yourself. They are also available for purchase at your local Asian market and some grocers. Look for the round white ones (not to be confused with wonton wrappers). My preference is usually a steamed dumpling, but these can easily be boiled or used as potstickers if that is your preference.

Both the wrapper dough and the filling need to sit for a bit. Make your wrapper dough, and while it is sitting, make the filling. You can then start to roll out the wrappers while the filling sits.

From beginning to end, if you are making the wrappers, this is a 2-3 hour cooking project, depending on your skill and how much practice you have. If you enlist helpers, you can get that down to 1 ½ to 2 hours. Either way, this is best to do as a weekend project.

Looking for help folding your wrappers? Here is a helpful tutorial:

Pork Dumplings

Loosely adapted from A Very Chinese Cookbook: 100 Recipes from China & Not China (But Still Really Chinese), Kevin Pang and Jeffrey Pang

Dumpling Wrappers

Makes 40 dumplings

2 ½ cups (12 ½ oz) all-purpose flour
1 cup boiling water

Place flour in the bowl of a food processor. With the processor running, add boiling water. Continue to process until the dough forms a ball and clears the sides of the bowl; about 30-45 seconds. Transfer the dough to the counter and gently knead until smooth, 2-3 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

When you are ready to make the dumplings:

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter and roll into a 12-inch cylinder. Cut the cylinder into 4 equal pieces. Set 3 pieces aside and cover with plastic. Roll the remaining piece into an 8-inch cylinder. Cut the cylinder in half and cut each half into 5 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Place dough balls on a lightly floured counter and lightly dust with flour. Using a pie plate, tortilla press, or the palm of your hand, press each ball into a 2-inch disk. Cover the disks with a damp dish towel.

Using a rolling pin, take one of the discs and continue rolling on the edge of the dough to create 3 1/2-inch round wrapper with tapered edges. Re-cover the wrapper with a damp dish cloth and repeat with the remaining wrappers and dough. Do not overlap the wrappers.

Pork Filling

5 cups, 1-inch nappa cabbage pieces
½ tsp table salt, plus salt for salting cabbage
12 ounces ground pork
1 ½ Tbsp soy sauce
1 ½ Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine
1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/4 tsp white pepper
4 scallions, chopped fine

Pulse cabbage in a food processor until finely chopped; 8-10 pulses. Transfer the cabbage to a medium bowl and stir in ½ tsp salt. Let sit for 10 minutes. Using your hands (or a clean dish towel), squeeze the excess moisture from the cabbage. Drain the bowl, and transfer the cabbage back to the bowl and set aside.

In the food processor, pulse the pork, soy sauce, sesame oil, vegetable oil, Shaoxing wine, hoisin sauce, ginger, salt and pepper until blended and slightly sticky, about 10 pulses. Scatter the cabbage mixture over the pork mixture. Add the scallions and pulse until the vegetables are evenly distributed, about 8 pulses. Transfer the pork mixture to a small bowl, and using a rubber spatula, smooth the surface. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.

When ready to assemble:

Place a scant 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of the wrapper. Brush away any flour clinging to the surface of the wrapper. Pinch together the top and the bottom edges to form 1 ½-inch wide seam. Continue lifting the left corner and bring it to the center of the seam. Pinch to seal. Continue with the remaining dough on the left side to seal and then repeat pinching on the right side.

At this point the dumplings should be cooked right away, or they can be placed on a baking tray and flash frozen and then transferred to a zipper lock bag for storage in the freezer. Cook directly from frozen. Serve with the dipping sauce, or sauce of your choice.

Ways to Cook Dumplings

Boiled

Bring a heavy-bottomed, wide pot of water to boil. Add no more than 20-25 dumplings at a time, to avoid over-crowding. Once added to the pot, stir the water gently to keep the dumplings from sticking. Maintain the water at a light simmer. When the dumplings float to the surface, continue cooking for 1 minute more and then transfer them with a skimmer to a plate.

Steamed

Line a steamer basket (preferably bamboo) with nappa cabbage or liner sheets and place over a pot of boiling water. [Alternatively this can be done in your wok- place the bamboo steamer directly into the base of your wok and fill the wok with water up to the half-way line on your steamer basket]. Continue steaming, checking often with an instant read thermometer. The dumplings are ready when the internal temperature reaches 150F.

Potstickers

Heat a tablespoon of vegetables oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, place the potstickers in the skillet, pleated side up. Swirl 2 Tbsp of water in the skillet, and cover immediately, turning the heat down to medium. Cook, covered, until the water has evaporated and the potstickers are cooked through, 3-4 minutes (longer if frozen). Remove the cover and flip one of the potstickers. If the bottom side is not brown, continue cooking at medium-high heat until a golden brown.

Dumpling Dipping Sauce

1 tsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp chili oil (or to taste)
½ tsp sesame oil

In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar in the water. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.