Chinese Dumpling Filling Recipes

HOW TO MAKE GREAT DUMPLING FILLINGS

Steps:

• Place pork in a mixing bowl. Add scallions, ginger, 1/4 teaspoon salt, Sichuan pepper / five-spice, soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil.
• Gradually add water to the meat while swirling in one direction until no more liquid can be seen.
• Add the remaining salt to the celery then leave to rest for 10 minutes. Squeeze out excess liquid then add to the meat. Mix well with coriander.
• Soak shiitake mushrooms in water (ideally overnight) then chop into small pieces (remove the stem).
• Place chicken in a mixing bowl. Add salt, Sichuan pepper / five-spice and soy sauce.
• Gradually add 5 tablespoons of the water in which the mushrooms have been soaked to the meat while swirling in one direction until no more liquid can be seen.
• Add chopped mushrooms and water chestnut. Place scallions on top of the mixture. Pour hot oil over then mix well.
• Heat up oil in a wok / frying pan. Pour in the egg when the oil smokes. Dish out as soon as there is no more liquid. Coarsely chop when it cools down.
• Add Chinese chive, wood ear mushroom, salt and sesame oil. Mix well.
• Blanch tofu in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and cut into small pieces.
• Briefly blanch pak choi then chop small. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt. Leave to rest for 10 minutes then squeeze out excess liquid.
• Heat up oil in a wok / frying pan. Add scallions, carrot and the remaining salt. Fry until soft.
• Put all the ingredients into a bowl then mix well.

CHINESE PORK DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Combine 1/2 cup soy sauce, rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon chives, sesame seeds, and chile sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Mix pork, garlic, egg, 2 tablespoons chives, soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Place a dumpling wrapper on a lightly floured work surface and spoon about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the middle. Wet the edge with a little water and crimp together forming small pleats to seal the dumpling. Repeat with remaining dumpling wrappers and filling.
• Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place 8 to 10 dumplings in the pan and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Pour in 1 cup of water, cover and cook until the dumplings are tender and the pork is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Repeat for remaining dumplings. Serve with soy sauce mixture for dipping.

POTSTICKERS (CHINESE DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Place the shrimp in the work bowl of a food processor, and process until the shrimp are finely ground. Set aside in a large bowl. Working in batches, process the ground beef to a fine grind, and set aside with the shrimp. Combine the shrimp and ground beef with ginger, shallot, green onions, napa cabbage, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper, and white sugar, and mix the ingredients until thoroughly combined.
• To fill the pot stickers, place a wrapper on a work surface in front of you, and place a scant teaspoon of filling in the center. With a wet finger, dampen the edges of the wrapper. Fold the dough into a half-moon shape, enclosing the filling, and press and seal to remove extra air and tightly seal the edges together. It's nice to fold several small pleats in the top half of the wrapper for a traditional look before you seal in the filling. Refrigerate the filled wrappers on a parchment-lined baking sheet while you finish filling and sealing the pot stickers.
• Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet with a lid over medium heat. Place pot stickers into the hot oil, flat sides down, without crowding, and let fry until the bottoms are golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the dumplings over, and pour the water over them. Cover the pan with a lid and let the dumplings steam until the water has nearly evaporated and the dumplings have begun to fry in oil again, 5 to 7 minutes. Uncover the skillet, and let the pot stickers cook until all the water is evaporated and the wrapper has shrunk down tightly onto the filling, another 2 to 3 minutes.

CHINESE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• For Dough:.
• Place flour in a bowl and make a well.
• Crack eggs in a separate bowl and lightly whisk.
• Add eggs, oil, and half the water and mix together to make a dough.
• Add more water as needed. The dough should not be sticky (similar to pasta dough).
• Knead dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes.
• Cover and set dough aside to rest for 1/2 hour.
• For filling:.
• Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl to combine. Do not overwork the meat.
• Cover filling and put in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour for flavors to blend.
• To assemble:.
• Roll out dough into sheets, as thin as you can but won't break. I use a pasta roller, it makes it so much easier.
• Use a large round cookie cutter (about the size of a tuna can or a little larger) to cut out the rounds.
• Fill 1 round with 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture and dampen the edges of the round with water and then seal.
• Do the rest of the rounds.
• To cook:.
• Steam the dumplings for 12 minutes.
• You can serve them as is or you can then:.
• Stir-fry them in a little peanut oil just until they get a little crispy.
• Serve them with your favorite dipping sauces.
• Enjoy.
• If you're not going to eat them right away, after you steam them let them cool off and place them in a zip top bag and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

ASIAN STEAMED DUMPLING FILLING

Steps:

• Whisk all ingredients for the dipping sauce well and set aside.
• Mix all of the meat mixture ingredients together and let it marinade for an hour or so for best flavor.
• Place a scant tablespoon of filling in the center of a wrapper and fold and tuck. You know how it is done or look up a video tutorial on Youtube.( I really suck at folding those little time-consuming dumplings so for years I have just bought egg roll wrappers and make them like that) They aren't as pretty as the little cute parcels but it is a huge time saver for me.
• Steam them for 9 minutes. If you have a Chinese steamer- fine. (I don't) You can use a vegetable steamer in a large sauce pan or I use my electric wok with the steamer attachment. Spray the steamer rack with Pam or vegetable and you will have no problem with them sticking.
• The serving size is subjective depending on whether you use little wonton wrappers or egg roll wrappers so don't pay any attention to that -- but I had to enter something. The recipe will feed four however you decide to make them unless you are a glutton like me and then the serving size is just for one with a little bit left over for a snack the next day :-).
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• Bon Apetit in Japanese!

CHINESE PORK DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• The filling: Place the cabbage in a food processor, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pulse until finely chopped but not puréed. Wrap the chopped cabbage in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze to remove juices, then transfer to a large bowl. Add ginger, garlic, scallions, and, if desired, garlic chives. Add the shrimp and pork and season with 1/4 cup soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt and pepper. Mix together by hand.
• Taste the filling by poaching or frying a small amount, and adjust seasonings to taste. To prepare the dipping sauce, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, scallions, and toasted sesame seeds in a small bowl.
• To wrap, place 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of a dumpling wrapper. Wet the wrapper's edges, then fold in half to form a taco-like shape. Make a pleat on the side facing you about 20 degrees from the apex of the half-circle and seal with your fingers to the back of the skin. Repeat on the other quarter, in mirror fashion, and seal the dumpling completely, trying to eliminate any air pockets. Repeat until all filling is used.
• To pan fry, heat oil in a large, nonstick pan over high heat. Add the dumplings in one layer so that they do not overlap. Add water to come halfway up the dumplings, and cover the pan. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook until all water is evaporated and the bottoms are browned and crispy, about 10 minutes. Alternatively, the dumplings can be steamed until cooked through, about 5 minutes in a steam basket.
• Transfer the dumplings to a plate and serve with a dipping sauce.