Pork Dumplings

Ingredients

Filling

500 g pork mince (~15% fat)
1/4 napa cabbage (wombok), finely chopped
2-3 spring onions, finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely grated
1 Tbsp ginger, finely grated

Seasoning

2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sake
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper

Binder & liquid

1 egg
2-3 Tbsp salt-reduced chicken stock

Wrappers

60 round dumpling wrappers

Method

Prepare cabbage. Finely chop the napa cabbage, toss with 1/2 tsp salt, and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Squeeze out excess water thoroughly before using.
This step is critical to prevent a watery filling.
Combine base. In a food processor, combine the pork mince, cabbage, spring onion, garlic and ginger. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your processor.
Mix filling. Add the seasoning, egg and sake, then mix vigorously for 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the chicken stock while mixing, until the filling is sticky, slightly elastic and fully combined.
A stand mixer makes this much easier if you have one.
Rest filling. Let the filling sit for a minimum of 10-15 minutes before wrapping.
Shape dumplings. Place about 1 Tbsp of filling in the centre of each wrapper, lightly wet the edges with water, then fold and seal (pleated or a simple half-moon).
Keep finished dumplings covered with a damp cloth so they don’t dry out.

Cook

Pan fry. Heat a pan with vegetable oil over medium heat. Add dumplings in batches of 8-10, flat-side down, and cook for 2-3 minutes until the bottoms are golden.
Steam. Add about 1/3 cup of water to the pan and cover immediately with a lid. Steam for 5-6 minutes.
Crisp. Remove the lid and let any remaining water evaporate. Allow the bottoms to crisp up briefly again before serving.

Freezing

Arrange uncooked dumplings on a tray so they aren’t touching and freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Cook directly from frozen - do not thaw first.