Aside from Italian food, Asian food is one of my favorite cuisines, in that cuisine, dumplings rank high on my favorite’s. These are fun to make when you have a few extra hands in the kitchen. They’re not as hard as you might think, and the assembly really goes quickly if you’re working together. So gather up the kiddos and make it a family affair;)
A few things to remember when making the dumplings is NOT to OVERFILL the dumpling. If you do, it will burst when steaming and you don’t want that. If you don’t think you can eat all the dumplings in one setting, you can freeze them. Flash freeze them first by simply placing them onto a baking sheet so they’re not touching, and place into freezer until frozen. After they’ve frozen, transfer to a freezer bag. No need to thaw prior to using.
Ginger Pork Dumplings
What you’ll need:
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 packages wonton wrappers
- 1”³ section of fresh ginger peeled & minced
- 4 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 2-3 scallions chopped thinly
- 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
Dipping Sauce:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons Honey
- 1.1/2 tablespoons orange marmalade
What to do:
1. In a large bowl add: ground pork, ginger, garlic, scallions {use 2 if large and 3 if small} and soy sauce {start with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, if mixture isn’t wet enough add additional tablespoon}. Mix together.
2. To assemble dumplings: Take a wonton wrapper, place a small dollop {approximately 1/2 teaspoon} of pork mixture in the middle. Lightly dampen the sides of the wrapper with water (using your finger or a small pastry brush). Fold wrapper so that it forms a triangle. Gently press the wrapper together, around the filling and seams to remove any air. Take the two ends and fold them over each other {see photo}. Secure together with a dab of water if necessary. Continue until all are assembled.
3. To steam: I use my ManPans 6 quart sauce pan with steamer insert and lid to steam my dumplings. It works like a champ, and it holds a lot of dumplings. I’ve found that I do not have to turn my dumplings when using this particular pan/steamer.
If using a traditional bamboo steamer: place a large pan filled about half way with water onto boil (large enough to comfortably hold your steamer) Line the trays of your bamboo steamer with cabbage leaves {so dumplings do not stick} Place your dumplings into the steamer, careful not to crowd the dumplings (cook in batches). Reduce heat to a simmer, place your filled bamboo steamer trays into the simmering water. Cook dumplings until translucent. Flip your dumplings half way through cooking process.
4. To prepare dipping sauce: mix, hoisin sauce, honey & marmalade together.
5. Serve dumplings with dipping sauce.
Food , Recipes
