Amateur Jack

I learned to make dumplings by reading celebrity chef Lee Anne Wong’s “Dumplings All Day Wong“. I can’t recommend this book enough for the variety of dumpling style and quality of the recipes contained! My wife and I bought both the book and dumpling making paraphernalia with an eye towards making Xaiolongbao, also known as ‘soup dumplings.’

If you are a fan of Asian dumplings, but aren’t so sure about going all in on the necessary steamer baskets and the helpful wok, then this post offers an easy recipe that likely only needs tools available in your home kitchen.

The steps for this recipe are generally:

1. Make the dough (Follow Lee Anne Wong’s recipe here)
2. Cook the ‘Precooked Filling Ingredients’
3. Mix the ‘Precooked Filling Ingredients’ with the ‘Raw Filling Ingredients’.
4. Roll out the dumpling wrappers
5. Fill and fold your dumplings
6. Fry your dumplings and enjoy!

Garlic and Shrimp Dumpling

A pan fried dumpling stuffed with garlic and shrimp

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 hrs

Cook Time 20 mins

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 24 dumplings

Ingredients

  

Dumpling Dough Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 pinch kosher salt

Precooked Filling Ingredients

• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp bird's eye pepper optional, can substitute red chili flakes
• 1 cup chopped green onion

Raw Filling Ingredients

• 4 oz minced shrimp peel and devein
• 1/3 cup minced water chestnuts
• 2 tbsp rice wine or mirin
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp corn starch Acts as a binder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

 

Make the dough

• This dough can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and refrigerated until use. Follow Lee Anne Wong's recipe posted above.

Cook the 'Precooked Filling Ingredients'

• Our goal here is to roast the garlic to be fragrant with a bright, sweet flavor. Starting with a cool pan let's add our oil, garlic, and optional peppers.
• Stir-fry over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant, this should take less than a minute.
• Transfer to a mixing bowl and allow to cool.

Mix the 'Precooked Filling Ingredients' with the 'Raw Filling Ingredients'

• Once the cooked mixture is cool we can add all the ingredients in the 'Raw Filling Ingredients' list. Once thoroughly mixed move to the fridge while we roll out the dough.

Roll out the dumpling wrappers

• If you followed the linked instructions you should have a ball of dough ready to go. Allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before beginning to work it. Unwrap it and set it on a lightly floured surface.
• I like to use a dough knife, but any knife will do! Cut the dough into roughly 4 quarters.
• Work one quarter of the dough at a time. First roll into about an 8 in long, 1 in thick cylinder. Cut the cylinder in half to have two even sections. Then cut each of these sections into 3 pieces.
• You should now have 24 pieces of dough a bit bigger than one inch cubed.
• I think the next step works best with a partner. One partner rolls out the wrappers while the other stuffs and folds the dumpling.
• If you are reading this: congratulations! You are partner one or you are going solo. Either way, this should be fun! First, lightly flour your hands, work surface, and a rolling pin. Roll one of your dough pieces into a ball, place it onto the work surface, then smush it into a 2 – 3" wide pancake.
• Use the rolling pin work the dough into a circle about 1/16 inches thick and 4 to 5 inches around. If they'll sit for more than 10 minutes without filling and folding I suggest patting gently with flour after forming. Repeat for all pieces. Cover if you aren't immediately stuffing.

Fill and fold your dumplings

• Place 2 heaping tspns of your filling into the center of the wrapper. Bring the edges of the wrapper over the filling to a bit over center.
• As you fold you should create folds along the top of your dumpling. Once all edges are folding in and you are holding a 'puck' shaped dumpling pinch the center closed to seal the dumpling.

Fry your dumplings

• Our goal is to cook the dumpling through without burning the wrapper. We will crisp the dumpling, steam in the pan a bit with low heat, then crisp again.
• Add 1 tbsp of oil to a pan at medium-high heat. Add dumplings to fill the pan leaving space around each dumpling. Try to work with 6 to 8 dumplings at a time.
• Fry each side of the dumpling until golden brown. Reduce heat, add 2 tbsp of water, then cover the pan.
• After 2 minutes the water will have steamed off. Increase heat back to medium high heat and cook each side of the dumpling until crispy.

Serve your dumplings

• We are a big fan of a simple dipping sauce of soy sauce with a few drops of spicy chili oil. Plate the dumplings with a ramekin of your favorite dumpling sauce and enjoy!

Keyword dumpling