I consider dumplings to be their own food group, and I’m obsessed with them. There is something just so comforting about the doughy exterior, the surprise inside and the relenting chew. When it comes to dumplings of the world, I don’t discriminate – shumai and gyoza, manti, pierogis, pelmeni, vareniki, khinkali, tortellini and ravioli, momo, wontons and soup dumplings – I love them all. And while these dumplings are all a little different (doughs, fillings, textures, cooking techniques) what they have in common is that they’re a real labor of love. Or frustration. But mostly love.
I went through a bit of a dumpling “phase” last winter, around Chinese New Year. I picked out 4 types of Chinese dumplings and spent basically an entire weekend making dough (several different kinds), rolling little circles, cooking various fillings, steaming and panfrying. Nowadays it’s easy to find fresh Chinese dumpling wrappers in the refrigerated section of your well-stocked grocery store, but when I can swing it (and, let’s face it, I usually try to, even if it’s not a good idea), I like to make fresh wrappers. They really don’t compare.
You should probably not try to make four different types of dumplings in a single weekend. Another set of hands certainly helps, but it’s a lot of work. So maybe focus on just one recipe- maybe this one! These are some of my favorite dumplings, though I did have to modify a bit from the original recipe because I could not get the crispy bottom that is meant to hold these dumplings together in sort of a delicious dumpling webbing to work. Instead, it completely burned into my nonstick pan and needed to be scraped out. So, I course corrected and decided to pan fry these babies the old fashioned way instead. They’re still amazing.
The filling of these dumplings is very rich – beef and sesame oil – and hardly even needs a dipping sauce, though soy sauce never hurts. They are fantastic right out of the pan, obviously, but also freeze very well uncooked, and can be pan-fried right out of the freezer for a great weeknight dinner. And they don’t require any pleating (I’ll share that with you another time) which makes them easy to throw together compared to some of their fancier peers. So, if you don’t have plans for the three-day weekend that’s upon us, how about a project? In the form of dumplings?
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 large egg whites
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil, plus more for frying
- 1 medium onion, minced (1 1⁄3 cups)
- 1 tsp. chile oil or more, to taste
- 1 lb. fatty ground beef
- 3 scallions, white and green parts minced (scant 1⁄2 cup)
- 2 tbsp. oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger
- 1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
Instructions
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add 1 1⁄2 cups lukewarm water and the egg whites and stir with fingers. (Dough should be shaggy with dry pockets of flour, like biscuit dough.)
- On a well-floured work surface using floured hands, knead the dough, dusting with more flour as needed, until smooth, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a lightly floured bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let rest 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
- Make the filling: In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 7–9 minutes. Stir in the chile oil. Let cool.
- In a large bowl, combine the beef, scallions, oyster sauce, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, pepper, and salt and mix with hands. Fold in the cooled onions.
- On a floured surface, knead the dough briefly until satin smooth. Cut into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 3⁄4-inch-thick log and cut with a cleaver or a sharp knife into 12 equal pieces about the size of an egg yolk. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the balls generously with flour and drape with a damp paper towel to hold.
- Flatten each ball slightly with the palm of your hand. Using an Asian-style rolling pin, flatten the dough a bit more. Roll from the edge of each dough disk to its center, rotating the disk between rolls. Repeat until the wrapper is 3 inches in diameter and the edges are half as thick as the center. Transfer back to the well-floured work surface and tent with a damp paper towel. Repeat with the remaining wrappers.
- Holding a wrapper in your palm, fill the center with a tablespoon of filling. Pinch the edges of the wrapper shut to form a half moon, squeezing out any air bubbles. Tug the ends of the dumpling slightly to elongate, then curve into a slight crescent shape. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers (you may have a few extra wrappers).
- Coat the bottom of a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet with oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add 8 dumplings to the pan and let them cook in the oil on one side for about 2-3 minutes. Flip the dumplings to the other side, add about 2 tablespoons of water to the pan and cover with a lid, letting the dumplings steam for about 3 minutes. Uncover and cook for approximately 2 more minutes, until the dumplings are golden all over and the inside is cooked. Repeat with the rest of the dumplings. Serve immediately.
Notes
From Saveur January 2017
