hungrykaty The best dumpling flavor combination you’ve probably never tried before!
Makes about 130 dumplings | about 2 hours of work (the more hands to help the faster it’ll go!)
Ingredients
- 3 packets of pre-made dumpling wrappers
- 3 cups of rinsed and drained sauerkraut
- 2 cups of finely chopped Chinese Chives
- 3 tbsp finely chopped ginger
- 1 lb of ground pork
- 1 lb of ground beef
- 2 tbsp cooking oil (any neutral oil works: peanut, olive oil, canola, vegetable, etc)
- 2 tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Garlic powder
- 2 tsp Ginger powder
- 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp Sugar
- 2 tsp Chicken stock powder
- 1 tsp Black pepper
- 1 tsp 5 spice powder
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 2 tsp Sesame oil
- 2 tsp MSG (optional, if you have concerns about the impact of MSG on health please read this article that summarizes FDA research done on MSG!)
- All purpose flour, for flouring surfaces
Steps
Make the filling:
Start by rinsing and draining the sauerkraut. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Place the sauerkraut into a large bowl. Finely chop the Chinese chives and add them into the bowl. Add finely chopped ginger, ground pork, ground beef, and cooking oil. Then add all of the spices: soy sauce, garlic powder, ginger powder, dark soy sauce, sugar, chicken stock powder, black pepper, 5 spice powder, shaoxing wine, sesame oil, and MSG. Mix everything together well.
Fold the dumplings:
Set up the working space by laying out a few cutting boards and flouring the surfaces well with all purpose flour. Fill a small bowl with filtered water and set aside.
Take a dumpling wrapper and place it in your palm with the more floured surface facing down. Add about 1.5 tbsp of filling into the center of the wrapper. Wet your fingers in the bowl of water and create a circle around the outer rim of the dumpling skin. This will help the dumpling stick on itself when you start folding. Start by folding two ends over on each other so it resembles a taco shell.
Next, on one end of the wrapper, push the tip into the center of the fold. Continue to push each rounded tip into the center until the dumpling seams are closed. Then do the same thing on the other end of the dumpling. Lastly, take the dumpling and press the ends between both thumbs and index fingers at the same time to create a curved shape. Practice will make the dumpling folding go faster!
To store the dumplings, place all of the folded dumplings on the cutting board directly into the freezer. Make sure there is space between each dumpling. After about 30 minutes to 1 hour, the dumplings can be put into a large ziploc bag and frozen completely. The initial freezing will dry the outside of the dumplings so that they do not freeze together in a clump. Do not defrost the dumplings before cooking!!
Cooking the dumplings:
There are three ways to cook dumplings: pan frying, steaming, and boiling. Do not defrost frozen dumplings before cooking! This will lead to a sticky messy dough.
To pan fry the dumplings, use a thick bottomed non-stick pan for the best crispy dumplings. Heat the pan on high heat and add 2 tbsp of neutral oil. Once the oil is hot add the dumplings into the pan and organize them into concentric circles. This will allow you to place more dumplings in. After 1 minute, add 1/2 cup of filtered water and cover the pan with a lid. Turn the heat down to medium. If your dumplings are frozen, cook for 6-7 minutes or until the inside meat has reached 165F. If the dumplings are freshly made and not yet frozen, they will be done in about 4 minutes. Remove the lid and let the water evaporate. Turn the heat back to high and remove from heat once the bottoms have become crispy. Serve with Chinese dark vinegar, (also known as Chinkiang vinegar or Zhenjiang vinegar).
To boil dumplings, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Gently add in the frozen dumplings and stir to prevent them from clumping together. Boil for about 8 minutes, keeping a constant eye on the water so that it doesn’t boil over. Make sure the internal temperature reaches 165F. Ladle out the dumplings and serve with Chinese dark vinegar, (also known as Chinkiang vinegar or Zhenjiang vinegar).
