Chinese Pork Dumplings (餃子)
User Reviews
5
Chinese Pork Dumplings (餃子)
Description
Chinese Pork Dumplings (餃子) are made by salting and squeezing Napa cabbage to remove moisture and then mixing it into ground pork along with garlic, green onions, soy sauce, sugar, salt, sesame oil, five-spice powder, optional chicken bouillon powder, and cornstarch. Mixing until the filling is cohesive ensures a tender texture. The mixture is placed in round dumpling wrappers and sealed using water on the edges.
The dumplings are traditionally boiled, pan-fried, or steamed, offering savory bites with a juicy pork and cabbage center combined with the umami and spice from the sauce components. The use of cornstarch helps bind and give the filling a firm yet tender consistency.
This recipe yields about 50 dumplings, suitable for serving as a main meal or appetizer. They can be served alongside a dipping sauce made from Chinese black vinegar, soy sauces, sugar, chili oil, and sesame oil to complement the flavors.
Portioning about 3-5 dumplings per person makes for a suitable starter serving. Proper salting and squeezing of the cabbage prevents excess moisture and sogginess.
Ingredients
Dumplings:
- 250 g Napa cabbage shredded, Chinese name 紹菜
- 1 teaspoon sea salt coarse; Chinese name 課程鹽
- 500 g ground pork Chinese name 豬肉末
- 4 cloves garlic minced, aka 蒜
- 4 talks green onion chopped, Chinese name 蔥
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce 醬油
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 砂糖
- ½ teaspoon sea salt 鹽
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil 麻油
- ½ teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder 五香粉
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder optional, Chinese name 雞粉
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch Chinese name 玉米澱粉
- 1 lb dumpling wrappers about 50 wrappers, 1 package, round; Chinese name 餃子皮
Dumpling sauce:
- 2 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar Chinkiang brand
- 2 teaspoon soy sauce light
- ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoon Chili oil optional
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
Make the filling:
- Place shredded Napa cabbage into a colander.
- Sprinkle coarse sea salt over the cabbage and gently massage. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, squeeze the cabbage tightly and drain excess moisture.
- Add the cabbage to a stand mixer bowl fitted with paddle attachment.
- Next, add in the ground pork, garlic, green onions, soy sauce, sugar, salt, sesame oil, Chinese 5-spice powder and chicken bouillon powder (if using), and cornstarch.
- Mix on low speed until the ground pork mixture is homogenous and small strands begin to appear, about 5-7 minutes.
- Tip: if you don't have a mixer, you can use stir the mixture by hand in one direction using a pair of chopsticks.
Assemble:
- Take one dumpling wrapper and place it onto a plate or work surface.
- Add about 1 tablespoon of filling to the center of the wrapper, dab one half of the wrapper with water and fold the dumpling to seal.
- This is the easiest way to seal the dumpling. You can seal the dumpling using different pleating techniques.
- Place the completed dumpling onto a large baking tray lined with parchment paper, or a plate lightly greased with sesame oil.
- Repeat with the remaining dumpling wrappers and filling.
Cook the dumplings:
Boil:
- Bring a pot of water up to a boil.
- Add in the dumplings, stir gently and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the dumplings float. Add a few extra minutes if cooking from frozen.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and serve with your choice of soy sauce, black vinegar, or chili oil.
Steam:
- Add the dumplings to a steaming rack (allow space in between the dumplings so they don't stick).
- Tip: lightly oil the steaming rack with sesame oil, use parchment paper with a few holes cut out, or a wet calico cloth on top of the steaming rack to prevent the dumplings from sticking.
- Bring a pot of water up to a boil.
- Carefully place the steaming rack over pot of boiling water and cover with a lid.
- Steam dumplings for 6-8 minutes, until cooked through. Add a few extra minutes if cooking from frozen.
Serve:
- In a bowl, combine the dumpling sauce ingredients and give it a good mix. Omit chili oil if you don't like it spicy.
- Serve dumplings hot with dumpling sauce or chili oil.
Notes
- This recipe makes approximately 50 dumplings in total.
- A typical appetizer serving is about 3 to 5 dumplings per person.
- Salting and squeezing the cabbage well is important to avoid excess moisture in the filling.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 10Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 149 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 149kcal | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 3g | 1% |
| Protein | 9g | 18% |
| Fat | 11g | 17% |
| Saturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Cholesterol | 36mg | 12% |
| Sodium | 536mg | 22% |
| Potassium | 229mg | 5% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 132IU | 3% |
| Vitamin C | 8mg | 9% |
| Calcium | 34mg | 3% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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