Dumplings can be found in variations across all cultures. Whether steamed, fried, filled with soup, or stuffed with a wide spectrum of fillings, they make a great snack across the world. My personal favorite has always been fried with either a vegetable or chicken filling inside, so I want to share the joy that these can bring.
Dough: Dumpling dough is one of the easiest types to make, consisting of four, easily accessible ingredients. For a portion of about 25 dumplings, use two cups of either all-purpose flour or a specialized dumpling flour that you can get at any Asian grocery store. Either one will work, but the texture varies slightly. Then, slowly add around one cup of hot water; be careful not to add too much, as this will make the dough too soft and not malleable enough. Add water slowly to achieve a crumbly dough that clumps into small sections, but not so much that the dough looks wet. Once the dough has this texture, add about one tablespoon of toasted sesame oil and mix with your fingertips. When the dough reaches a ball shape, you can knead with your palm, adding pressure for 10-15 minutes. The dough should be a relatively smooth ball at this point, but if it still has a few cracks, that isn’t concerning, as they should be easy to fix after the dough rests. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it sit covered in a bowl for an hour or longer, at which point it should be fully softened. Roll the dough into a long cylindrical shape, and cut into inch-wide squares. Let those sit for half an hour, then cut them in half again.
Shaping: To shape the dough, flatten each ball with your palm, and roll out the edges to make them thinner than the middle. This ensures that the filling will stay inside and the outer edges will be easy to shape. Once the filling is in, you can shape the dumpling by adding water around the edges and pinching it into a purse shape, sealing the ends with a fork if needed.
Filling: Using about three ounces of raw ground chicken, I mixed in a raw egg, five cloves of garlic, and two tablespoons of ginger. Vegetables are optional, but I would recommend finely chopped scallions and chives, to add more texture and flavor. To finish, add one tablespoon of soy sauce and oyster sauce and give it a good stir to ensure that there aren’t any large particles. Scoop about a teaspoon of this filling into each dumpling.
To cook, add water to a deep pan and fill with dumplings, with the water reaching the height of the middle of each dumpling. Steam until the water is evaporated, at which point you can fry each side until it reaches a golden crisp. They are then ready to serve with any sauce of choice. While this process may take a few hours, taking a bite of the golden-brown pastry at the end makes all the hard work worth it.
