Dumplings!

Dumplings, you are the bane of my existence.  I cannot resist you…  Whether it’s chicken, pork, shrimp, or veggie, I love ’em.  You can steam this recipe, buttttttt my favorite way to eat them is pan fried like a potsticker!  That nice golden crust is so yummy! 

Dumplings are pretty simple to make, but they do take a long time, so it is best to have help along the way!  

Start by whipping up the dough. Put your flour in a bowl and make a nice little well with your hand.  

 

Pour the salt and a little oil into the well.

Then add in HOT water, yep hot.  I know it sounds weird.  I don’t know the science behind it, but you want hot.

Stir it around with a fork first, and then use your hands.

At first it will look like this…

Then after you knead it with your hands a bit, it will look like this…

A little more rollin’ and it will look like a smoother ball.

Now let it sit for a little bit, make sure to cover it so it doesn’t dry out.

Now it’s time for the filling!

Garlic is a must!  Scallions are a definite.  Also, you can use garlic chives (pretty much only sold in Asian markets, it’s so good.) Then there’s the cabbage.  Napa is the best choice, but you can also use the savoy cabbage like I used. 

Roughly chop your scallions, cabbage, and garlic.  You’re going to put it all in the food processor later so no need to chop too finely.

 

 

Throw it all in the food processor…

Add the soy sauce and agave syrup to the veggies…

Now I ground up my own pork from a butt roast (hehe, butt) because we bought part of a pig!!!  It’s from a local farmer and is so insanely yum.  But you can use a 1 of regular ground pork.  Add all of your spices directly too the pork.

Ginger, onion powder, and garlic powder…

 

Then combine both the mixtures together and add an egg.

Grab a chunk of the dough and roll it out roughly. Then cut out some nice circles using a tiny biscuit cutter! You can also just pull off tiny chunks of dough.

 

Take a round and roll it into a flat, thin circle.  Thinner than this…real thin.

 

I tried using one of these crimpers…

but figured out my hand works much better!

Place a nice amount of filling in the center of your circle.

 

Fold and crimp the edge all the way around.

It’s hard to explain and takes a lot of practice to get it looking decent.

 

I’m still workin’ on mine 😛

 

 

Once you’ve got them all done you can either cook them or freeze them!  you wan to freeze them on the pan just like this and then once they are frozen, consolidate them into a big plastic baggie.  So great for weeknight meals!

Here’s how to fry them!

Get a pan nice and hot.

 

Add some oil, I used grapeseed.

Add the dumplings.

Then add some water.

Cover the pan and turn down the heat a little.

Let them steam up for about 5-6 minutes. Then remove the cover and let them brown for another minute or two.  Use a smaller pan than I did if you are only makin a few, so the oil doesn’t splatter so much!

 

When they are golden on the bottom, they are done!

Whip up some dipping sauce too!

Start with soy sauce.

Then garlic, grate it on a microplane.

Add brown suga.

And some rice vinegar.

and ginga.

Whisk it all together and cook on low for about 10 minutes, until it is a little reduced.  Refrigerate it and let those flavors merry.

Here are the printables!!  Gather up a group and get wrappin’!

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