Homemade Pork & Chive Dumplings

Dumplings are a project.

Why you should cook this

Dumplings are a project. Two hours, ten people in the kitchen, three hundred dumplings in the freezer, a Saturday afternoon you’ll remember. The technique is what your grandmother taught your mother. The recipe is mine: pork mince, garlic chives, ginger, soy, sesame.

Buy round wonton wrappers (in the fridge at any Asian grocer). Don’t try to make the wrappers from scratch the first time. Walk before you run.

What to drink with it

Cold tsingtao beer, a coconut espresso martini (our recipe), or hot jasmine tea. Soy sauce, black vinegar, chilli oil for dipping.

Notes from the kitchen

Salt the cabbage if you use it. Wilts and releases water that would otherwise leak from your dumplings. Don’t overstuff. A teaspoon of filling per dumpling is plenty. Overstuffed dumplings burst. Freeze on a tray first, then bag. A thousand dumplings will not freeze stuck-together if you flash-freeze on a tray.

The recipe

Homemade Pork & Chive Dumplings

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 6 serves

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

Filling

• 500 g pork mince (20% fat)
• 1 bunch garlic chives, finely chopped
• 3 cm fresh ginger, grated
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp cornflour

To assemble and serve

• 1 x 250g packet round wonton wrappers
• Small bowl of water (for sealing)
• Vegetable oil for pan-frying
• Black vinegar, soy, chilli oil, for dipping

Method

 

Make filling

1. Combine all filling ingredients in a large bowl. Mix with a chopstick in one direction for 2 minutes — the filling will become smooth and sticky. This is the texture you want.

Fold dumplings

1. Lay a wonton wrapper on a clean dry surface. Place 1 tsp filling in the centre. Wet the edge with a finger dipped in water.
2. Fold in half, pinching the centre top first, then pleating each side toward the centre (3-4 pleats per side). Press to seal.
3. Place on a tray dusted with cornflour. Repeat. (You can freeze at this stage on the tray; once solid, bag.)

Cook (potsticker style)

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high. Place dumplings flat-side-down in the pan in a single layer. Cook 2 minutes until the bottoms are golden.
2. Pour 80mL water into the pan. Cover. Steam 6 minutes.
3. Uncover. Cook 2 more minutes until the water has evaporated and the bottoms re-crisp.
4. Serve with black vinegar, soy sauce, chilli oil, and sliced ginger and shallots.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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