A lot of people are intimidated by dumplings, but they shouldn’t be! Dumplings are not complicated to make – and once you make them yourself, you are not going back to store-bought. My grandmother taught me this recipe and I would make dumplings with her every New Year and Lunar New Year. They’re full of vegetables and have my secret weapon – kimchi! Kimchi gives them that extra zing of flavor. The filling is very forgiving, and you can easily substitute the ground pork for ground chicken, turkey, beef or shiitake mushrooms, or skip it all together and double the tofu instead. You can also use store-bought dumpling wrappers, but I strongly suggest making your own dough, at least once. Dough is half the battle and making your own takes the dumplings to the next level. Save your dough scraps! Throw them into a hot broth – they make delicious homemade noodles.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Yield: | 40 to 50 dumplings (depending on the wrapper size and your dumpling-making skills) |
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Yield: | 40 to 50 dumplings (depending on the wrapper size and your dumpling-making skills) |
Ingredients
- 1 cup julienned zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini)
- Kosher salt
- One 14-ounce package extra-firm tofu, cubed and drained
- 1 cup chopped kimchi
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 cup finely chopped garlic chives
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon chile flakes or chili oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- All-Purpose Dough, recipe follows, rested for about 30 minutes, or 40 to 50 store-bought round dumpling skins, defrosted
- Cornstarch, for dusting and mixing
- Vegetable oil, for cooking the dumplings
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- For the filling: Put the zucchini in a strainer set over a bowl and toss with a big pinch of salt. Let stand for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a couple of layers of cheesecloth and ring out excess moisture. Add the zucchini to a large bowl. Add the tofu to the same cheesecloth and wring out excess moisture, crumbling the tofu into small bits as much as possible (you want it to be crumbled like feta, not in chunks). Add to the same bowl with the zucchini. Add the kimchi to the same cheesecloth, squeeze out extra moisture and then add it to the same bowl. Add the pork, garlic chives, garlic and onion to the bowl. Stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, fish sauce and cornstarch and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the flavors and textures meld together.
- For the sauce: Mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, chile flakes and sesame seeds in a bowl. Leave at room temperature. (Or make ahead and refrigerate.)
- For the dumplings: If using homemade All-Purpose Dough, set a pasta machine at the widest setting and clear a large space on a counter. Pat the dough into a rectangle that will fit through a pasta roller, dust with cornstarch and pass it through the pasta rollers a couple of times. If the dough goes through the rollers easily, change to a thinner setting and pass the dough through a couple of times, dusting with cornstarch each time. Continue to pass the dough through until it is about as thin as it will get for ravioli. (Use the guidance that comes with your pasta machine for the exact setting.) Cut the dough into sheets if a single sheet becomes too long to fit on your counter. Use a 4-inch ring (the lid of a quart container works well) or cookie cutter to cut out circles, dusting with cornstarch as you work so the wrappers don’t stick. (If using store-bought wrappers, you can keep them stacked and covered so they don’t dry out.)
- To shape the dumplings: Fill a small bowl halfway with water, add a big pinch of cornstarch and mix; dust a rimmed pan with cornstarch. For each wrapper, wet your finger with cornstarch water and moisten the edges on one side. Add about 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling to the center, then fold the dough in half into a half-moon. Starting at one end of the half-moon, pleat one side, leaving the other side flat. Try to make the pleats even, but be patient; you’ll have lots of practice as you work through the wrappers. After a dumpling is pleated and sealed, form it in your hand to make it look even.
- To cook the dumplings, in a nonstick skillet, heat a small amount of vegetable oil (less than a tablespoon) over medium heat. Add as many dumplings as will comfortably fit without crowding on the flat side and let sear until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add about 3 tablespoons water, cover with a lid and let the dumplings steam until the skins are translucent and the filling is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Un-cover and if there’s water remaining, continue to cook, uncovered, until all of the water is gone. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce. Repeat with the remaining dumplings
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sesame oil, salt and 1 cup boiling water and knead by hand until a smooth, elastic dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 45 servings |
| Calories | 103 |
| Total Fat | 5 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 10 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 0 g |
| Protein | 4 g |
| Cholesterol | 7 mg |
| Sodium | 274 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 45 servings |
| Calories | 103 |
| Total Fat | 5 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 10 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 0 g |
| Protein | 4 g |
| Cholesterol | 7 mg |
| Sodium | 274 mg |