Dumplings are one of my go-to snacks. I usually by them frozen and they are ready in less than 10 minutes. Gathering with some friends I found out that one of them knows how to make dumplings from scratch. This was my opportunity to learn how to make them myself.
Michelle makes pork dumplings and goes by the feel and smell. You know how that goes. You feel the spirit of the ancestors telling you when it's enough of an ingredient. I need more of a list of measurements. That's what I'm going to give you below.
In the pork dumplings Michelle uses a lot of fragrant ingredients like ginger, garlic, scallions, and cilantro. Other ingredients used are soy sauce, bamboo shoots, white pepper, and sesame oil. We used a lot of ground pork in video because we had quite a few people coming over to make dumplings. Michelle says that making dumplings are more fun as a group effort. It's like the scene in the movie Crazy Rich Asians (2018) where the family is making dumplings for the upcoming festivities.
To set up your dumpling making station you will need:
A damp paper towel
A small bowl filled with room temperature water for dabbing your fingers
Your dumpling wrappers kept under a damp towel (to ensure they don't dry out)
A teaspoon to scoop filling
To fill and fold your dumplings, first place about a half teaspoon to full teaspoon of filling into the center of your dumpling.
Dip the tip of your finger into your bowl filled with water and wet the edge of your dumpling wrapper with water.
Fold the dumpling in half without sealing the ends together. Instead on one side create three folds by gathering and pinching together. Make 3 folds on one side and do the same three folds on the other side. A better visual is seen in the video above.
The key to folding your dumplings is to wet the seal with a little bit of water on your fingertips and make sure you pinch 3 folds on each side. Michelle shows us in the video above all the tips of the trade.
Potstickers are made by arranging the dumplings in the skillet tightly so that they stick to the pot and to each other during cooking. Once they are browned on one side, add in a tablespoon or 2 of water into the hot pan which lifts the dumplings from the bottom of the pan. Once steamed, you can flip them over onto a platter to serve. As you can see, my dumplings aren't as tight as they should be in the photo below.
I haven't mastered the good flip yet, so I cook my dumplings with lots of room in the pan and just pluck them out when done.
The recipe below is for spicy shrimp dumplings because I like most of my foods with a kick. To blend your ingredients and chop your shrimp, use a food processer. It makes it so much easier than doing it by hand. I used a lot of the same ingredients that Michelle used in her pork dumplings but I substituted chives for scallions and added Sriracha sauce for my desired kick.
Now that I feel more comfortable making dumplings by hand, I can't wait to start experimenting with different flavors and combinations.
Spicy Shrimp and Chive Dumplings
Makes appr. 28 dumplings
Ingredients
1/2 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 Cup Chopped Chives
1/2 inch Ginger, roughly chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce, Low Sodium
1 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
1/2 - 1 tsp Sriracha Sauce, adjust according to taste
1 Tbsp Cilantro, minced
Packet of Gyoza or Dumpling Wrappers
2 Tbsp Canola Oil
2 Tbsp Water
Steps
Add the shrimp, chives, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, sriracha sauce and cilantro into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until thoroughly combined and shrimp is finely chopped but not pureed.
Once combined, put into a small bowl and set up your dumpling making station as outlined above. Place about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of filling into each dumpling wrapper. Pinch closed as shown in the video above.
Heat 1 Tbsp of canola oil in a pan. Add in your dumplings. Be careful as they should sizzle. Heat until the bottom flat side of the dumpling has browned, about 3 - 5 minutes. Then add 2 Tbsp of water to the pan and quickly cover. This will steam the dumplings. Cook about 2 - 3 minutes more until the dumplings are steamed through. Remove from pan. Continue until all your dumplings are cooked. Enjoy!
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