Hello everybody, today I will be sharing how I make one of my FAVORITE foods- dumplings 💙
My family has made + perfected our dumpling recipe and it has become a family tradition for us to make and eat them together almost every Sunday. They are a pretty fun quarantine activity to do with your family or friends, and made with ingredients you probably already have in your fridge. They are actually very easy to prepare, and even more fun to make. And, they taste delicious.
Here is an authentic, scrumptious, made-from-scratch dumpling recipe that I am so happy to share with you all today.
THE RECIPE
Ingredients:
For the dough:
- Water
- Flour
For the filling:
- Ground meat (literally anything works- turkey, pork, chicken, beef or a mix of everything)
- Finely chopped vegetables (celery, carrots, cabbage, the list goes on)
- Salt (a generous amount)
- Pepper
- Garlic, ginger, soy sauce, mushrooms, chives... anything else you have on hand that you think would taste good in a dumpling
For the sauce (optional)
- Soy Sauce
- Chinese vinegar
- Sesame oil
Steps:
1. Make the dough
Add flour into a bowl. The amount of flout you add depends on how many you are making, but I would say a 4:1 ratio of flour to water is generally accurate. With your flour, add water by increments and knead until a dough forms.
2. Prepare the dough
Leave dough covered for a couple hours to rise. When done, transfer the dough on a floured surface. Roll into a snake-like formation and cut into quarter sized cubes.
3. While you are waiting for the dough--> prepare the meat filling!
Combine all materials into a bowl. Stir until everything is evenly mixed. Pro tip: you can take a tablespoon of your meat filling and microwave it for about 45 seconds so it's cooked. Try taking a bite and seeing if you should adjust your seasoning to taste.
4. Make the dumplings!!
This is the best part! Separate roles with your family/friends, or do it all yourself. Have someone take each quarter-sized dough piece and roll into a circle with a rolling pin (or wine bottle). Add flour as needed.
Take the rolled out dough and fill about one tablespoon of meat filling into the middle. Close the edges and pinch tight. Repeat until everything runs out!!
Here's a great video showing how to roll out the dough and create the dumplings:
5. Cook
My family traditionally likes to boil our dumplings until they float to the surface and are thoroughly cooked. They can also be steamed, but I believe boiling them is the easiest method.
6. Sauce
Again, creating the sauce is optional but I would definitely recommend going this extra step since it really raises your dumpling game to the NEXT level. My go-to dipping sauce is a 2:1 ratio of soy sauce to Chinese vinegar, with a splash of sesame oil.
6. ENJOY!!
These are so lip smacking. Enjoy your dumplings ;)
What about leftovers?
I have definitely had my share of experiences with leftover dumplings or dumpling ingredients. Here are my favorite ways to enjoy everything and leave no waste:
Leftover meat filling
If you have leftover meat filling, I would absolutely recommend saving it. You can simply cook them and eat them as meatballs, or my family has loved to stuff them in peppers and cook them for another tasty meal.
Leftover dough
SO many possibilities with this one. I would highly recommend rolling the dough into a thin sheet and cutting vertically for easy noodles (once boiled). This dough can also be stuffed and pan-fried for an easy scallion-pancake consistency.
Leftover dumplings
SAVE YOUR DUMPLINGS!!! They can either be reheated, or fried. Air frying leftover dumplings have been a LIFESAVER for me- I definitely recommend.
Now I have shared my treasured family dumpling recipe to the world. I hope you guys enjoyed and let me know if you ever get the chance to try this out!! Have a great day and stay safe! 💙 :)
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