It takes time to fold all these dumplings, but the effort is well worth it. You end up with a gallon sized bag stuffed with dumplings and can take them out of the freezer whenever you’re too lazy to cook.
Make sure you get fatty ground pork. Don’t go for the lean stuff. The fat is what makes the dumplings juicy. The cornstarch also helps the meat retain that juice.
Wrapping can be tricky but is really easy once you get the hang of it. There are many ways to wrap but this is my favorite. I realize a video is much easier to follow than pictures, and I’ll try to have one up soon!
My favorite method of cooking these dumplings is pan frying, but you can also steam or boil them. I just love having the crispy bottoms. Make sure you set them on the plate crispy side up so they stay crispy as they cool.
I usually end up making both types of dumplings. The worst part is deveining and peeling shrimp. I just can’t stand it. The orange brains always ooze all over my fingers. It’s always cheaper to buy the whole shrimp but I decided I hated deveining enough to pay the extra $2 per pound for the store to do it. (Yes I know it’s barely more to just pay for the cleaned up shrimp).
Finally, be sure to chop everything yourself. You’ll be tempted to use a food processor but that tends to destroy the flavors. I hope you find chopping meditative because you’re about to do a lot of it.
Dumplings (Pork or Shrimp)
Ingredients
Pork Filling
- 1 lb ground pork
- 4 large napa cabbage leaves minced
- 3 green onions just the white parts, minced
- 7 shitake mushrooms minced
- 1/4 cup ginger root minced
- 3 tbs soy sauce
- 2 tbs sesame oil
- 2 tbs corn starch
Shrimp Filling
- 1/2 lb raw shrimp peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 3 stalks green onions minced
- 1/4 cup ginger root minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp corn starch
For Both
- Round wonton wrappers (you'll need 2 packs if you're making both types)
Instructions
- Combine all filling ingredients for either pork or shrimp. One of the recipes will use up one pack of wrappers.
- To wrap, dip the edges of the wonton wrapper in a bowl of water. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the wrapper.
- Fold in half, pinching the centers together.
- Begin making pleats. You will be pleating one edge of the wrapper and sealing it to the opposite edge. (See pictures above.)
- To cook, heat 3 tbs of vegetable oil in a skillet on medium heat. Sear dumpling bottoms for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Then add enough water so it rises to half the height of the dumplings. Cover with lid. Continue simmering for 2-3 minutes. Uncover and cook until water is gone.
- If you want to steam the dumplings, steam for about 10 minutes.
- If boiling, boil for about 8 minutes or until dumplings have risen to the top of the water.
- If cooking from frozen: If steaming, steam for 15 minutes. If boiling, boil for 15 minutes and add one cup of cold water to the pot halfway through boiling. If pan frying, simmer for 5 minutes and uncover and cook until water is gone.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. We like this dumpling sauce.
