Homemade Chinese Dumplings Recipe

Dumplings are seen as a staple in northern Chinese cuisine. Part of the childhood memory of many, making dumplings is often a family affair.

While frozen dumplings and takeaways maybe a more convenient option, you just can’t beat that freshness and satisfaction from making your own! You can also customize the wrapper, filling and taste according to your dietary needs and specifications.

Don’t worry if you make too many, you can always freeze them for a lazy day; perfect with a bowl of noodles or simply on its own, Dumplings are definitely the ultimate comfort food!

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Makes ~ 60 dumplings

Dumpling Wrappers

• Recipe linked here

Filling

Ingredients & tools:

• 1 Kg Pork mince (or whichever meat/ vegetable combination you prefer)
• 1 head  Chinese Cabbage, Shredded
• 2-3 Stalks  Spring Onions, chopped (white & green parts).
• 1 Teaspoon        Salt
• 1 1/2 Teaspoon White pepper
• 1 Tablespoon    Sesame Oil
• 1 Tablespoon    Light Soy sauce

Possible Filling Variations: Lamb mince, Spring Onion & Coriander, Mince Pork & Pak Choy, Mince Beef & Coriander… 

How to: 

Pork Mince Prep:

1. Add Salt, White pepper, sesame oil, soy sauce and spring onions to the Pork mince. Mix until well combined.
2. Punch / pick up and slap (yes sounds bizarre) pork mince in the bowl, until the mince becomes sticky. [this ensures the filling stays moist and ingredients are evenly distributed in the mix.] Leave to marinate for at least 20-30 minutes in the fridge.

Cabbage Prep:

1. Shred Cabbage with either a food processor or using a knife to a ‘confetti-like’ thickness.
2. salt
3. Let sit for 10min
4. add water & drain

Filling Prep:

1. Picture as above; mix equal portions of “drained cabbage” and marinated mince pork until well incorporated.
2. Using a Teaspoon, you can start wrapping your dumpling!

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Wrapping Dumplings:

While there are many different ways of wrapping your dumplings, this has been my go-to for many years!

1. Place a quarter size or 1 1/2 Teaspoon amount of filling in the centre of the wrapper
2. Lightly brushing water on the edges of the wrapper (like edges of an envelope), with your finger tips, fold the two sides of the wrapper to close up the dumpling (present shape).
3. Lightly pinch the edges of your half-moon dumpling to seal the edges.
4. Starting from one corner of the moon, fold a small section onto the next (~2mm folds), lightly pinching each time to allow them to stick.
5. Flour or dab the base of the dumpling, to prevent sticking, and set aside for cooking or freezing!

Here are a few videos I found interesting on Youtube that may inspire you to experiment with some other techniques!

• 8 Fun Ways to Wrap Dumplings – Courtesy of CiCi Li
• 6 ways to fold a dumpling – Courtesy of The Oregonian

Cooking:

1) Boil for 8-10 minutes in Chicken Stock, or until the dumplings float to the top.

2) Steam for 8-10 minutes, or until the wrappers become semi-translucent.

3) Pot-stickers:

1. In a Shallow Pan, add 1 Tablespoon of cooking oil and enough Chicken stock to cover half the height of the dumplings (~a cup depending on size of pan).
2. Cover for about 10 minutes and open lid.
3. Let the stock evaporate, until the dumplings start to fry.
4. Add more oil if the dumplings start to stick. Fry for a further 5 minutes or until the base of the dumpling is nice and golden brown, and crispy!