Chili Oil Pork and Shrimp Dumplings

dump·ling | ˈdəmpliNG | (noun)
a small ball of dough (usually stuffed) that may be boiled, fried, or steamed.

These pork and shrimp dumplings are the next on my Asian kick this month. They are chewy, and savory, and the shrimp and pork combo mixed with garlic, ginger and onions make it almost impossible to just have a few. Why make these dumplings instead of cooking frozen ones? Honestly the taste is unmatched, there is nothing better than a homemade dumpling. They are chewier, the spices taste fresher, and you have more control on what goes in and what you omit. While these chili oil dumplings do take a bit or time and elbow grease the end result is absolutely worth it.

If you read my Black Bean Garlic Chili Noodles post then you know that I recently found my solution for obtaining Asian ingredients and products living in the suburbs. Thank you Umamicart for being extremely convenient and having all my go-to staples. So what is my favorite staple that is almost always in my fridge or freezer? Dumpling wrappers.

I swear I have a second stomach when it comes to dumplings, and good thing too since this recipe makes 35-40 dumplings! Yes, that might seem a lot but trust me you are going to want them. In the event, you don’t have a second stomach these pork and shrimp dumplings are good in the fridge for 1-2 days and can also be frozen. If you plan on freezing them, freeze them immediately and use them within a month.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR SHRIMP AND PORK DUMPLINGS

• Ground Pork
• Shrimp – Fresh, frozen is alright too just make sure they are defrosted, deveined, tails removed.
• Garlic – Fresh only!
• Ginger – Fresh only!
• Scallions or Green Onion
• Dumpling Wrappers – Either wonton or gyoza wrappers. The shape doesn’t matter here. I used square for this specific fold, however, if you can only find round wrappers you can do a basic semi-circle fold.
• Chili Oil – There are so many brands and varieties out there, pick your favorite. I use Laoganma in almost everything.
• Soy Sauce
• Sesame Oil

TOOLS NEEDED

• Food Processor – You can technically make this by hand, but it will require a lot of chopping and mincing and the end result will be more on the chunky side. To save time and energy use a food processor to make the filling

HOW TO FOLD DUMPLINGS

Let’s talk folding for a second. As I mentioned above, it is time-intensive, this is not your twenty-minute meal. Some of you might find it therapeutic, and some of you might not. Below are just a few tips on folding dumplings.

BE ORGANIZED

Sometimes folding can feel chaotic. Have your station prepped with your filling, dumping wrappers, bowl of water, some paper towels, and a dry place to place them at the end. I like to use a sheet tray to keep them all single layer so they don’t stick.

HAVE AN EXTRA BOWL OF WATER

I like to fold my dumplings with an additional bowl of water. Every few dumplings i dampen my hands so that the filling doesn’t stick to them as much.I personally don’t scoop my filling out with a spoon, i just eye ball it with my hands, you can imagine how messy it can get.

DO NOT OVERFILL

I know it is tempting, especially when you see that only 1 tsp of filling goes into each dumpling. The more you fill the wrappers the harder it will be to seal properly resulting in messy dumplings or even worse BUSTED dumplings during cook.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Don’t do a fancy fold if you don’t want to so a fancy fold, it’s all about the taste here so if folding in half is more your style and you want to skip the fancy folds go for it! If you care about how they look, see below photo for an easy fold.

HELLO BEAUTIFUL

HOW TO MAKE SHRIMP AND PORK DUMPLINGS

Make the Filling – In the food processor pulse the shrimp until minced. Add in garlic, ginger, and scallions. Once combined add in the pork, soy, sesame oil and combine until the filling is paste-like consistency.

Fill + Fold – Fill each dumpling wrapper with 1 tsp of filling, lightly brushing the edges with water and folding diagonally followed by folding in the corners. Or folding as you please. See above for filling tips.

Cook the Dumplings – In a pot of salted boiling water drop a few dumplings at a time, making sure not to overcrowd the pot. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Strain, and top the dumplings off with a generous amount of chili crisp.

STORING

The filling can be made and stored in the fridge for 1-2 days before filling the dumplings. To store already filled dumplings, lay the finished dumplings on a sheet tray and pop them in the freezer just so the outside can freeze, approx. 20 minutes. Then you can pop them in a ziplock bag and store them for up to a month. Frozen dumplings can be popped right into boiling water, just give it a few extra minutes to cook. Cooked dumplings should be consumed right away, which you shouldn’t have a problem with that.