Chinese dumplings

Clara Elsewhere:
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Published on main spring summer fall winter

Ingredients

Dumplings

  • 450 g ground pork
  • 900 g Chinese cabbage (or bok choy, Swiss chards, etc.)
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 1–2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp shaoxing wine
  • White pepper
  • 60 wrappers

Dipping sauce for two

  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
  • 1 tsp chili oil
  • 0.5 tsp sesame oil
  • White pepper

Instructions

  1. A few hours before making the dumplings, mix the ground meat with the onion, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, shaoxing wine and pepper. Let rest in the fridge.
  2. Blanch or sauté the cabbage until wilted (but not cooked all the way). Drain in a large colander and allow to cool.
  3. Finely mince the cabbage.
  4. Working in batches, squeeze most of the liquid out. Don't overdo it or your final filling might be too dry — aim to remove 80% of the liquid.
  5. Combine the cabbage with the meat, and thoroughly mix by hand. This step is to tenderize the meat and pull everything together to form a tighter, more paste-y consistency, which will yield a bouncier mouthfeel when you bite into a dumpling. Your arm will be very tired doing this but don't skip it!
  6. Wrap the dumplings.
  7. To steam, place dumplings in a steamer basket lined with perforated parchment paper or thin cabbage leaves. Bring water in a steamer to a simmer, and steam over medium-high heat for 8–10 minutes (shorter for fresh dumplings, longer for frozen).

Adapted from this original recipe