chinese dumplings

I love dumplings. I had the best dumplings I’ve ever had in Chinatown in NYC – 5 for a dollar. Piping hot, I burned my hands and tongue trying to get them in my mouth quickly on the 40˚ snowing day. But they were worth it!

These are not those dumplings. I have told you before, I am no Asian chef. I cannot even come close to those delicious morsels. (As you will be able to tell by the lack of artistry in the “folding” technique. Do not judge me.) But in an effort to make those babies healthier, (i.e. not deep fried) I came up with this recipe. Same flavors, lower fat. It’ll satisfy your craving and for much less time and cost than you can order takeout.

You should probably serve these with rice or something, but, as I do not like white rice and I’ve spent the whole afternoon efforting these, Mike and I tend to just eat dumplings for dinner. And the dipping sauce. You must have the dipping sauce.

Chinese Dumplings

Makes about 50 little dumplings, or about 4 servings.

These are great frozen too! Just lay them out in a single layer until frozen and then package them in zip locks.

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup rice wine vinegar

1 inch ginger, peeled and sliced (peel by using the back of a spoon…it works great!)

½ - 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ head of cabbage, shredded (I used plain this time but Napa is great)

2 carrots, peeled and shredded

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 inches ginger, peeled and minced

8 ounces spicy ground pork, bulk

50 wonton wrappers

1 egg, beaten for egg wash

Cooking spray

Begin by making your soy dipping sauce. Combine soy sauce and vinegar in a small bowl. Add ginger slices and red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Set aside to marry flavors until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, heat about 2 inches of water in a large spaghetti pot until just boiling. Add shredded cabbage and carrots and steam for about 2 minutes. Drain immediately and run cold water over veggies. Working in batches, squeeze out water from veggies using a clean dish towel. Chop squeezed and drained cabbage mixture and put in large mixing bowl. Add garlic, ginger and ground pork and stir until combined. Set aside.

Meanwhile, get your dumpling station ready. Beat the egg into a small bowl and open your wontons. When working with a wonton wrapper, keep the others covered with a damp kitchen towel to keep from drying out.

Brush the wrapper with the egg wash and put about a rounded teaspoon in the middle. Fold over and press to seal the edges. If you want to make these decorative and pretty, by all means, go for it! I am not there yet.

Lay out on parchment until ready to steam.

Bring about a half of a pot of water to a boil and fit with a steamer insert. Lower to a simmer, spray with cooking spray and lay about 7-8 dumplings in at a time. Steam for 8-10 minutes and remove. Serve immediately with sauce!