Cheats Pork and Chive Pan Fried Dumplings
Recipe and Forward by Angie Ma
If there’s one dish that reminds me of my family, it is homemade dumplings. It is a family affair in the Ma household. Everyone knows their place and their expertise. Mum makes the filling with all the right balance of flavours, Dad makes and kneads the dough with his strong home DIY hands, Mum is also the expert in rolling out fresh dumpling dough. My Dad and I furiously fill and shape the dumplings like workers in a Chinese restaurant and the rest of the family gobble them up immediately after serving.
Making and rolling the dough from scratch takes quite a bit of practice and technique so this is a cheats recipe where you can use pre-made dumpling/gyoza wrappers either from the supermarket section or the fresh noodle stall at your local wet market. I get really amazing homemade-style quality thick white dumpling wrappers from the fresh noodle stall at either Empress Market or Ghim Moh market and then freeze any that I don’t use for next time.
Dumplings are my ultimate quick ready made dinner as they freeze really well and take less than 10 mins to cook straight from frozen.
INGREDIENTS
Approx 24-28 pack of premade dumpling wrappers
500g of fatty pork mince (approx 25-30% fat) don’t use lean pork, it won’t be juicy
½ cup of finely cut Chinese chives called Jiu Tsai (avail at all supermarkets or wet markets)
½ inch finely grated ginger root using a microplane
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp white pepper
1 tbs sesame oil
2 tbs Chinese cooking rice wine
2 tbs Standard Soy sauce (not dark)
1/3 cup of Chicken broth (homemade is best as gelatinous but bought ok too)
Bowl of a little water for moistening the dumpling wrappers. This will be the glue.
For dipping sauce mix 2 tbs soy sauce, 2 tbs vinegar, some finely chopped ginger and chill oil if you like
METHOD
Mix pork mince, chives, seasoning, stock etc all together very well. It should be a pasty consistency. Let it sit for at least 20 mins to let all the flavours seep in.
Fill the dumpling wrappers with about 1 teaspoon of the pork mix. You may need a little less or more depending on the size of your wrappers. Make sure you don’t overfill otherwise you won’t be able to seal the dumplings. Using your finger, moisten the top semi circle of the wrapper with water and fold the wrapper in half so it becomes a semi-circle. Press the edges along the whole way to seal.
There are lots of different ways to fold a dumpling. I find the easiest method is to make little folds and pinching and sealing into a crescent moon shape as you go. Place your finished dumplings on a plate and cover with a damp tea towel so they don’t dry out as you work.
To pan fry, heat 1 tsp of vegetable oil in a non-stick pan and heat on med-high heat. Place the dumplings in the pan until browned on one side - about 3 minutes. You want them to be crisp on one side only so there is no need to turn them.
The next stage is steaming them by adding ¼ cup of water to the fry pan. It will instantly steam up so be careful. Place a snug fitting lid to the pan and reduce the heat to medium to steam and cook evenly.
When the water is nearly evaporated and a toothpick comes out clean when you stick it in a dumpling, take the lid off and turn the heat up to med-high to crisp up the bottoms again for about 2-3 mins.
Serve immediately as dumpling are at their best when they are hot from the pan. Serve with dipping sauce.
(If you prefer your dumplings steamed with no crispy edge, then heat water until just boiling in a bamboo steamer or steamer. Place the dumplings on parchment paper and steam for about 8-10 mins. You can use a toothpick to check if cooked).
To freeze, lightly flour a tray and place the dumplings on it. Then store in a sealed container or sealed plastic freezer bag. To cook from frozen add more steaming time and check if cooked with toothpick test.
