This grandma-approved pork dumplings recipe (or guo tie in Mandarin) is insanely flavourful, juicy, and all things wonderful.
To me, there isn’t much that beats devouring my way through a platter of homemade dumplings. I remember sitting with my grandma, learning to fold these. In all honesty, I don’t think she was as excited as I was back then as my six-year-old self kept getting the wrappers way too wet, or putting in too much filling. Regardless, this is one of my favourite memories with her. We used to do a lot of trips together and she would always bring along a box of dumplings, both pan fried and boiled, for the journey – I know, how lucky was I?!
Anyway, though a little time-consuming, this pork dumplings recipe is actually really easy. Don’t be afraid of the wrapping, it’s not as hard as it looks! You, dear reader, are probably not a six-year-old child with clumsy hands, and you’ll probably figure it out way faster than I did. Feel free to change the ratio of meat to vegetable in this dumpling recipe, but I definitely recommend not going all vegetarian with these.
You will be able to buy the dumpling skins at the Asian grocery store – you’re looking for the white round ones! If left out in the open air for too long, the edges may start to dry out. If this happens, wrap them in a damp paper towel and put them in a zip-lock bag for a couple of hours to soften back up. You can freeze any unused dumpling wrappers in an airtight zip-lock bag for later.
This grandma-approved pork dumplings recipe (or guo tie in Mandarin) is insanely flavourful, juicy, and all things wonderful. Chop the cabbage very finely, and then give them a rise. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of salt over the leaves and let it sit until it wilts and release water - this should take 10 to 15 minutes. Squeeze out the water and leave aside. (Don’t skip this step, the water released while cooking can result in soggy dumplings). Combine the cabbage and pork together in a large bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, the spring onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine, garlic, ginger and sugar and mix well. Sprinkle the corn starch evenly over the mixture and mix again until well combined. Cover and leave in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Before pleating the dumplings, set up your dumpling station - a small cup or bowl of water, a damp cloth over the thawed dumpling wrappers, another damp cloth to cover your dumplings, and your meat mixture. When ready, dip your finger in water and run it along the circumference of the dumpling wrapper to dampen it (this acts as a seal to keep all the goodness inside). Place 2 to 3 teaspoons of filling in the centre of the wrapper. Gently fold the wrapper in half to make a half-moon shape and pleat the dumplings, pressing one side to the other as you go (Note 1). Alternatively, after filling the centre of the dumpling, simply pinch the edges shut to form a flat half-moon. Set aside and cover with a damp cloth while you pleat the rest. In a large wok or skillet that can be covered, heat about 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add as many dumplings as will fit in a ring around the edge of the pan, flat side down - leave a little room in between the dumplings to ensure they won’t stick to one another. Cook the dumplings until the bottoms are nicely browned and crispy, about 2 minutes. Drizzle 2 to 4 tablespoons of water into the pan and cover. Steam for another 4-6 minutes until the dumplings are cooked through and the wrappers are no longer doughy. If the water cooks off during that time, add another tablespoon or so and reduce the heat to medium. In the meantime, make the dipping sauce. Mix all the sauce ingredients together and set aside until ready to eat. Once the dumplings are cooked through, remove the cover and let any residual liquid in the pan cook off - this ensures nice crisp crusts form on the bottom of the dumplings. Remove to a plate, wipe out the skillet or wok, and repeat as necessary with the remaining dumplings. Serve immediately with dipping sauce on the side. 1. Watch this tutorial on how to pleat dumplings.
Pork Dumplings
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Notes
2. Before wrapping all the dumplings, make a test dumpling and boil it. Taste it for salt and flavour, and adjust the remaining mixture accordingly.
3. If you prefer to boil your dumplings, ensure that the dumpling wrappers bought are for that purpose. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add as many dumplings as can comfortably fit in a single layer in the pot. Let cook and once the dumplings float to the top (this should take about 3 minutes), leave it in for another 1 to 2 minutes, until cooked through, then use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a plate.
4. You can freeze any uncooked dumplings and take them out whenever you’re craving dumplings.
Let me know what you think of this pork dumplings recipe in the comment box below. Looking for a dish to pair this with? Check out my Rice & Noodles section for some ideas!
