“I used to love this Chinese-restaurant appetizer so much that my mother reverse-engineered the recipe. These dumplings have an interesting taste and are great for parties. They also freeze well. Hope you enjoy them–it’s worth the work involved.”
Ingredients
for dumpling dough
2cupsflour
1egg
1/2 teaspoonsalt
water( enough for a thick, bread-like dough)
for filling
1/2 lbground pork
2scallions, finely chopped
1 (1inch) piece fresh ginger, finely-chopped
1/4 cuppeas( thawed if frozen)
1teaspoonchili pepper flakes(optional)
for sauce
2tablespoonssoy sauce
1/2 tablespoonrice vinegar( rice vinegar)
1tablespoonhoney
1teaspoonsesame oil(optional)
1/2 teaspoonsesame seeds(optional)
Directions
Mix ingredients for dipping sauce and set aside.
Lightly oil a large bowl.
Put the flour and salt in another large bowl, piled up.
Make a dent in the top of the pile, and crack the egg into it.
Mix the egg into the flour.
Add enough water to the mixture to make a thick dough.
The consistency should be like bread dough.
In any case, don’t add too much water–it shouldn’t be like batter at all!
Turn the dough out onto the flour-dusted counter, and form into a ball.
(It helps to flour your hands first).
Place the dough into the oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap (cellofane).
Let stand 1 hour.
Meanwhile mix all ingredients for filling and place in the fridge.
Next, remove dough and place on flour-dusted counter (or work surface).
Knead a bit and flatten until very thin (but not see-through or falling apart).
Using a large, round cookie-cutter (or bottom of coffee can or top of glass) cut three-inch rounds.
Don’t place them on top of each other, as they could stick together!
Knead the leftover pieces together again and cut more rounds until there’s no dough left.
Spoon a bit of the filling into the center of each round and fold in half (to make a semi-circle shape).
Seal edges with a bit of water, and use tongs of a fork to decorate the edge.
To prepare, either steam the dumplings (if you have a steamer) for 15 mins, or boil for 10 mins.
If you boil, add some oil to the water and don’t overcrowd the pan–make them in batches.
If you like, you can fry the dumplings in a skillet or wok to brown them before serving.
Handle gently!
Reviews
“Wonderful!!Just be sure not to overcook them- but an excellent clone, thanks!”
“This was fabulous!We loved the sauce and the dumplings both.I left out the peas, cause I didn’t have any, but we didn’t miss them.Other than the peas, I followed the recipe exactly.My husband and I and our todlers were all big fans. Steamed dumplins are my favorite thing to get from Chinese take out, but now we can make our own at home.I will make these again and again.i may try freezing them too.”
“The sauce was the best, I actually bought frozen dumplings but when I have the time, I will try to make it from scratch following your recipe.”
“These are a bit labor intensive , but so totally worth it!!!!!!!My husband just kept saying , “Wow, wow”!! And he’s normally not a Chinese food eating person.Unlike other reviewers, I have never had these in a restaurant so I have nothing to compare them to, but oh my gosh! These are such tasty little morsels!!!!I used the filling stated in the recipe.I was a bit hesitant about the dipping sauce , but let me tell you , it was the perfect accompaniment with the dumplings!I had to boil mine , as I don’t have a steamer , then I did fry them to get them brown.SO tasty and will definitely be made again!!!!Made for PAC ’08”
“I also used a different filling, but the dumpling dough was right on!”
“I used a different filling, but the sauce was absolutely wonderful and the dumpling dough just like in the restaurants. “
