Ingredients:

• 500g ground pork
• 1 tbsp salt
• ½ medium napa cabbage, remove core, cut in half and thinly slice
• 1 cup green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp ginger, grated
• 2½ tbsp sesame oil
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 1 can of water chestnuts (~227ml), finely chopped
• 1-2 double packs dumpling wrappers – circular (approx. 400g per pack or 50 wrappers)
• 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Toss the cabbage in a large mixing bowl with salt and let sit for 5-10 minutes. This will help remove excess water.
2. Squeeze out excess water from cabbage and place in a new bowl. Add the pork, green onions, cilantro, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil and eggs into the bowl and thoroughly mix all of the ingredients.
3. Prepare a work station for dumpling wrapping with a small bowl of water and a parchment lined baking sheet.
4. Add roughly ½ tbsp of filling into the middle of the dumpling wrapper. Wet the outer edge of half the wrapper with water and fold it over, pinching together at the meeting point at the top. Make 1-3 fan-like folds on either side, sealing the dumpling by pinching it closed after each fold. Feel free to use your preferred method of wrapping; the key is to make sure the dumplings are completely sealed before placing them on the parchment lined baking sheet. Continue the process until all of the filling is gone. This recipe can make anywhere from 100-150 dumplings depending on how much filling is added into each dumpling.
5. Heat a skillet to medium high heat and add 1 tbsp of neutral oil. Once the oil is hot, place the dumplings into the skillet and fry until the bottoms are golden brown about 2-5 minutes.
6. Add a thin layer of water to the bottom of the skillet, cover, and reduce heat to low to steam the dumplings for 3-5 minutes (or 7-8 minutes if frozen).
7. Enjoy with homemade chili oil or dipping sauce of choice. See below recipe for Sichuan Chili Oil

Note:

• Uncooked dumplings freeze well. To avoid them sticking together, place dumplings on a tray in your freezer, and once completely frozen, move to a freezer bag or tupperware to store.
• If you run out of wrappers, the filling makes great asian-style meatballs to eat on their own or in an aisan stir fry, noodle, or rice dish.
• The wrappers can dry out if left out for too long. Cover with a damp towel to avoid dumpling wrappers drying out.
• Chinese ingredients were sourced from our local asian grocery store. Amazon is not suggested as they have limited options for significantly increased prices. Click the following links for the harder-to-find asian products at T&T: Dumpling Wrappers.

Sichuan Chili Oil

Ingredients:

• 1½ tbsp sichuan peppercorns
• ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (3tsp)
• 1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
• 1 green onion, finely sliced, separating the green and white parts
• 3 tbsp chili flakes
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp black vinegar (per serving)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (per serving)

Directions:

1. Toast the Sichuan Peppercorns in a dry pan for 2-3 min over medium heat until the peppercorns become fragrant.
2. Using a mortar and pestle, grind up the toasted peppercorn until they are the same consistency as the chili flakes.
3. In a small saucepan, add the oil and heat on medium heat for approximately 5-10 minutes until the oil is hot.
4. Meanwhile in a heatproof bowl or saucepan, add the Sichuan Peppercorns, garlic, ginger, white part of the green onions, chili flakes, sugar and salt. Pour the hot oil over and thoroughly mix. Caution: when you pour the oil it will immediately begin to boil and sizzle.
5. In a separate bowl finish off the sauce by combining 2 heaping tbsps of the chili oil, followed by 1 tbsp of black vinegar and 1 tbsp soy sauce.
6. Pour over dumplings and garnish with green parts of the green onions.

Notes:

• Chinese ingredients were sourced from our local asian grocery store. Amazon is not suggested as they have limited options for significantly increased prices. Click the following links for the harder-to-find asian products at T&T: Black Vinegar & Sichuan Peppercorns.
• Perfect for dumplings, but also great for fried rice, asian noodles or soups.