Monday, March 26, 2012

SRC Reveal - Chinese Pork Dumplings

This month for the Secret Recipe Club , I was paired with Bean of Without Adornment  and her Gluten-Free kitchen.  Bean has a lovely philosophy on life, and beautiful photography which shines through on her blog!  I am not familiar with gluten free cooking, and don't have many of the ingredients for her recipes, but I did come across her recipe for Ginger Beef and Chinese-esque Pork Dumplings .  I did have store bought won ton wrappers in the fridge.  I tried 2 different cooking methods - Shu Mai (steamed) and pan fried and steamed (pot sticker style).  These little gems had a bit of a kick from the ginger - so delicious!

Pork Filling for Dumplings
1 lb. lean ground pork
1/2 cup chopped green onion
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sesame oil(original recipe called for 2 tsp. oil)
1 Tbsp. cooking sherry 
1 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp. sugar(my addition)
1 Tbsp. cornstarch(my addition)
1/4 cup finely grated carrot (for garnish)

 In a medium bowl, mix pork, with above ingredients and mix until well combined.
Using a 3" biscuit cutter (I used an empty tuna can - perfect for this), cut rounds from won ton wrappers.  Cover rounds with moist paper towel to prevent drying.

Working with 6 rounds at a time, brush edges of each round lightly with water.   Place 1 Tablespoon of filling into center of each round.  Form dumplings by crimping wrapper around sides of filling and leaving top exposed.

Pinch opposite sides of wrapper.  Continue until you have eight folds.  Gather sides and squeeze gently.  Lightly pack down filling.

Top center of each dumpling with pinch of grated carrot.  These can be frozen up to 3 months.  When steaming add an additional 5 minutes.  This will make about 40 dumplings.  Any leftover meat can be used to make Asian Style Meatballs (as Mr. Bean suggested) or a nice Pork Fried Rice!

Cut a piece of parchment slightly smaller than diameter of steamer basket and place in basket.  Poke about 20 small holes in parchment and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.  Place batches of dumplings on parchment liner, making sure they are not touching.  Set steamer over simmering water and cook, covered until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes.
Serve with chili oil.


To cook them pot sticker style, heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a non-stick skillet,  Fry dumplings on one side until golden brown.  Add 1/2 cup water to skillet, cover and steam 8-10 minutes.


Chili Oil Dipping Sauce 

1/4 cup soy sauce
2-3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar (or rice wine vinegar)
1 tsp. Chinese Chili Garlic Sauce
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

Combine all ingredients and let stand one hour to meld flavors.

I know this is quite different from Bean's gluten free kitchen, but she gave me the inspiration to try these homemade dumplings!  Thank you Bean!

~Method from American's Test Kitchen

Secret Recipe Club


19 comments:

  1. I love steamed dumplings, especially with a spicy dipping sauce.

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  2. Gorgeous...and I bet amazing! I need to add this to my "must make" list. Happy reveal day!

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  3. These look FABULOUS!! I've never had too much success with dumplings and potstickers, but your steaming method looks like it works perfectly :)

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  4. I've never made these before, they look incredible!

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  5. I've made pot stickers before, but I've never steamed them. Your dumplings look fantastic! I need to make more again soon!

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  6. Your dumplings are pure perfection! Great job!!

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  7. They look perfect! I made wontons for my SRC choice last month, so I can attest to the hands on time. They're totally worth it though (:

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  8. Oh, gorgeous! Dumplings are absolutely in my top 3 snacks and yours look beautiful. Glad to have found you through SRC!

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  9. I'm glad that you liked them! Yours look so pretty and I'm really impressed with your dumpling making skills. :)

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  10. Stunning! Simply stunning!!! From your photography skills to your completed dumplings, you've mastered the art of combining food photography and recipe. I'm completely impressed!!!

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  11. I adore dumplings! These look beyond amazing. I just love Secret Recipe Club for sending me to lovely blogs like your's :)

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  12. oh, yum! i love dumplings + these look absolutely wonderful. the pan-fried version especially sound great to me - i love the little crispy caramelization that they get. glad to meet you through the SRC - i'm a fellow group D'er! =)

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  13. Great job, Patti! I LOVE Chinese dumplings and haven't had them in ages! Your post is soooo very appetizing, a great reminder :) Love ya!

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  14. Those look beautiful. I can just bet how good they tasted!

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  15. Fabulous, mouth-watering post! I adore pot stickers but have never made them. You've given me the inspiration to try.

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  16. great job at adapting a recipe to work for you. these dumplings look great!

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  17. what beautiful photography you have!

    i also think you've put together something in a very simple way that often gets way too complicated. good choice my dear! :)

    happy (belated) src reveal day!

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  18. I love dumplings and these look absolutely amazing!! I bet they tasted good too :)

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