Nov 13, 2023 | 0 comments
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Serving up a big platter of juicy, homemade dumplings is guaranteed to impress. Pork is a classic dumpling filling, but these use my favourite shortcut to juicy flavour: a little sausage meat in the filling. They’re easy to prep-ahead, making them perfect for entertaining, or for quick weeknight meals.
If I could live off dumplings, I honestly would. They’re the absolute perfect, juicy little bite and jam-packed with flavour. They’re always a go-to for me when I’m entertaining – everyone loves them, they look super impressive and you can do all the hard work in advance, throw them in the freezer, then pop them in the steamer when you’re ready to serve.
The key to a great dumpling is a lovely, moist, packed with flavour filling and my shortcut of using a little sausage meat gives you that straight away. It has a higher percentage of fat, which equals juiciness and flavour, everything you want in a dumpling. I like to mix the sausage meat with ground pork mince, for the best combination of flavours and texture.
While making dumplings might be a bit of a labour of love, they are 100% worth it. Plus, if you use store-bought wrappers, you’ll save a lot of time (though, I would definitely recommend trying making your own – the flavour and texture is so superior and they’re actually very easy). I love spending an afternoon in the kitchen making a big batch of these beauties and stashing them in the freezer for quick, flavour-packed meals.
Ingredients
- Ground pork mince. Go for good quality, free-range pork if you can, with a decent percentage of fat.
- Sausage meat. This is my little shortcut to super moist, flavourful dumplings. Sausage meat has a high-fat percentage, which is necessary for a great dumpling filling. Use sausages without a lot of added flavours, or flavours that don’t mesh well with the Asian ingredients included here.
- White cabbage. You could also use Napa cabbage here.
- Ginger. Fresh is best if possible. I like to grate ginger using a microplane or the fine side of a box grater – that way, you don’t need to peel it. If you don’t have any fresh, use 1 teaspoon of ground ginger.
- Cilantro (coriander). Swap this for mint or Thai basil if you’re not a cilantro fan.
- Fish sauce. This brings a lovely deep savouriness to the dumplings (nothing fishy at all!) and I definitely encourage you to try to include it.
How to make them
Chop your scallions and cilantro finely, crush your garlic cloves and grate your ginger, then massage a little salt into your shredded cabbage (this will help to soften it and bring out any excess water). Add to a mixing bowl with the ground pork, sausage meat and the rest of the ingredients. Use a chopstick to vigorously mix everything together.
PRO TIP: I always like to pan-fry a little bit of the filling before filling dumplings, to check the seasoning.
Spoon roughly a tablespoon of the filling onto your dumpling wrapper. Shape your dumplings however you’d like – pictured here is the shape I normally go for (and I promise it’s easy once you do it a few times). If you’re new to dumpling making, have a look at my guide that shares three easy ways to shape dumplings which will help.
Line a steamer with baking paper and make little cuts with a knife through the paper, so that the steam has somewhere to go. Arrange your dumplings in the steamer, leaving about an inch in between each. Steam the dumplings for 10 minutes.
They’ll look plump and glossy, and the filling should feel firm. Serve with chilli oil or my favourite speedy dumpling dipping sauce (or both!)
Got a question?
Can I make the filling ahead of time?
You can – it will keep well for 3 days in the fridge.
Could I pan-fry the dumplings?
Yes! Often when I make dumplings I steam half, then pan-fry the rest. To pan-fry the dumplings, heat a little oil in a frying pan or skillet you have a lid for, then arrange the dumplings in the pan, leaving a little space in between each. When the bottom of the dumplings starts to get golden brown (pick one up to check), pour in enough water so that it comes about halfway up the sides of the dumplings, then pop the lid on. Cook until most of the water has evaporated, about 5 minutes, then remove the lid and cook for another few minutes, until all the water has evaporated and you’re left with gorgeous, crispy-bottomed dumplings.
What’s the best way to store uncooked dumplings?
Hands down, freezing them. Formed dumplings don’t keep well in the fridge – the filling will start to seep through the bottom and make them soggy. I like to freeze the dumplings on a lined tray, transfer them to ziplock bags and then you can cool them straight from frozen.
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Juicy Pork Dumplings
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- Author: Kate Alexandra
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 40 dumplings 1x
Description
Serving up a big platter of juicy, homemade dumplings is guaranteed to impress. Pork is a classic dumpling filling, but these use my favourite shortcut to flavour: a little sausage meat in the filling. They’re easy to prep-ahead, making them perfect for entertaining, or for quick weeknight meals.
Serve with plenty of chilli oil and dumpling sauce on the side.
Ingredients
Scale
- ¼ of a white or Napa cabbage, finely shredded and chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 400g/14oz ground free-range pork mince
- 200g/7oz pork sausage meat
- 4 scallions (spring onions), finely chopped
- Handful cilantro (coriander) leaves, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1-inch piece of ginger, grated
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine (optional)
- Dumpling wrappers
- Dumpling dipping sauce, to serve
- Chilli oil, to serve
Instructions
- Mix your filling.Add the shredded, chopped cabbage to a small bowl and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt, then use your hands to massage the salt into the cabbage. This will help it soften and release any excess water. Transfer the cabbage to a large mixing bowl, then add the ground pork, sausage meat, chopped scallions, cilantro, crushed garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, fish sauce, white pepper and the Shaoxing wine if you’re using it. Use a chopstick to vigorously mix everything into a sticky, cohesive filling. PRO TIP: I like to pan-fry a little of the filling to check the seasoning at this point.
- Form your dumplings.Lightly flour a flat surface and prepare your dumpling wrappers. Spoon roughly a tablespoon of the filling onto your wrapper. If you’re using store-bought wrappers, you’ll want to use your finger to brush a little water around the edge of your wrapper, to help it stick to itself and seal properly.
- Shape your dumplings.Choose the way you’d like to fold your dumplings (I have a guide that goes into three easy ways to shape dumplings if you need help). The simplest way is to bring the edges together and form a half-moon shape. Make sure you seal your dumplings well – you don’t want them to burst when they cook.
- Cook your dumplings.Line a steamer (either a bamboo steamer or a regular steamer pot) with baking paper. Use a knife, or scissors, to make a series of small slices in the paper, so that the steam has somewhere to go. Arrange your dumplings in the lined steamer, leaving about an inch in between each. Steam the dumplings for 10 minutes, until they look plump and glossy and the filling feels firm to the touch.
- Garnish and serve.You can serve the dumplings straight from the steamer basket, or, transfer them to a serving plate and drizzle with lots of chilli oil and a little dumpling dipping sauce. Serve with more chilli oil and dipping sauce on the side, and enjoy.
Notes
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS:The filling itself will keep well for 3 days in the fridge. If you want to store your shaped dumplings, I always recommend freezing them. Whenever I make these I make a big batch to stash in the freezer for easy meals. All you have to do is arrange the dumplings on a lined tray or plate, then freeze until solid. After that, transfer them to ziplock bags (and label them so you remember what the filling is!) You can cook them directly from frozen.
INGREDIENT NOTES: Use your favourite sausages, just be careful they’re not too strongly flavoured, or you risk them overpowering the rest of the ingredients.
LOOKING FOR MORE? Try these gorgeous, crispy sesame seed chicken and mushroom potstickers or fluffy Korean chicken steamed buns.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: fakeaways
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 10 dumplings
- Calories: 516
- Sugar: 0.9g
- Sodium: 821mg
- Fat: 21.7g
- Saturated Fat: 6.8g
- Carbohydrates: 41.1g
- Fiber: 2.2g
- Protein: 36.9g
- Cholesterol: 81mg
