The Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year, is only a week away. It’s a wonderful time of year for family and friends to get together and celebrate. So for this post I wanted to showcase pan-fried Chinese dumplings. The best part (besides eating of course) is assembling them around the table with a good group of friends!
This dumpling recipe is adapted from my friend and popular food blogger Diana Kuan. I love dumplings of ALL types and this particular recipe is simple yet flavorful. A delicious mix of ground pork, finely diced mushrooms, sesame oil, ginger and soy sauce will make these little bundles into the star of your next gathering.
Click for recipe…
Pan-Fried Pork Dumplings
- 1 package dumpling wrappers (about 50)
- peanut or vegetable oil for frying
- 6-8 mushroom caps, finely diced (crimini or shiitake)
- 1 pound ground pork
- 2 scallions, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
For the filling:
Prepare the filling by mixing all the filling ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside a small bowl of water for wrapping.
To assemble the dumplings, spoon a heaping teaspoon of the pork and mushroom filling onto the center of the wrapper, making sure to not overfill. Dip your finger into the bowl of water and moisten the outer edges of the wrapper. In your hand, fold the dumpling in half and pinch and pleat the edges (see Diana’s helpful guide to folding dumplings); seal tightly. Arrange the wrapped dumplings on a plate. Repeat steps until the filling and wrappers are used up.
In a large flat skillet or wok with a lid, heat about a tablespoon of peanut or vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Place 6-8 dumplings in the pan and fry the dumplings for 1-2 minutes, until the bottom turns light brown. Pour in a 1/2 cup of water to the pan and cover with a lid and allow to steam for 4-5 minutes, until the water has completely evaporated. Remove lid and loosen the dumplings with a spatula. The bottoms will be golden brown and crisp.
Cleaning the pan in between batches, continue to pan-fry all of the dumplings and place on a serving platter. Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce.
*Note – I like to double the recipe and freeze the dumplings to use for later. To freeze, simply place the wrapped dumplings on a plate sprinkled with flour. Then pop into your freezer and freeze for about 30 minutes, or until frozen. Remove dumplings, place in a freezer bag and store the dumplings. Follow pan frying steps when ready to eat!
Total Time: 60 minutes
Yield: makes about 50 dumplings, 8-10 appetizer servings
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