Pork and Shrimp Dumplings
Dumplings come in all shapes and sizes and Zoe loves all of them. Gyoza, shumei, har gow, wontons, potstickers, pierogies even ravioli are all different variations on the same theme of a thin dough wrapper, almost always wheat based, with a filling. For this recipe, we are making a pork and shrimp filling because I love how the shrimp give a sort of springy, almost squeeky, mouthfeel. We enhance that with a quick brine in a baking soda solution which makes the shrimp super juicy.
You can easily use other fillings to suit your taste. For meats, try to use those with a decent fat content, like chicken thighs, which will keep the dumplings moist and tender. For vegetables I like shitake mushrooms and cabbage but many recipes also use other vegetarian items like cellophane noodles, to add bulk and create a unique texture.
We make two shapes in this episode - japanese gyoza, which use a thin wheat wrapper and get pan fried, and shumei, wich are steamed. As I mention in the video, shumei are best made with extra thin wonton wrappers but you can definitely use the gyoza wrappers for both. On the other hand, wonton wrappers do not work great for potsticker style dumplings but if you wanted to deep fry or air fry, you will get a fantastic crispy result.
Happy Cooking
Ingredients
- 2 oz Large Shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tsp Baking Soda (optional)
- 1/4# Fatty Pork Shoulder or Belly, cut in 1/2" cubes, placed in freezer 15 minutes before chopping
- 1/2" Ginger, peeled and grated on a microplane (about 1/2 tsp)
- 1 Small Garlic Clove, finely chopped (about 1/4 tsp)
- 1 Scallion, green part onion, sliced thin
- 1/2 tsp Organic Tamari Soy Sauce or Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
- 1/4 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
- 1/4 tsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 tsp
- 1/4 tsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Chinese Rice Wine, Dry Sherry or Mirin
- 1 tsp Cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt plus more to taste
- Ground White Pepper to taste
Instructions
Optional Shrimp Brine: Place shrimp in a bowl with cold water to cover and add baking soda. Brine 30 minutes then drain and rinse.
1. Place chilled pork in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped (partially freezing the pork will keep the fat from getting overly mixed into the meat and create a juicier texture.
2. Add ginger, garlic and scallion and pulse once more to combine. Transfer mixture to a bowl.
3. Add shrimp to the food processor and pulse to coarsely chop. Transfer to the bowl with the pork.
4. Add soy sauce, oils, wine or sherry, sugar, salt and pepper and cornstarch. Mix, using a rubber spatula until combined.
5. Heat about 1 cup of water in a small pan or pot and heat to a simmer. Drop a teaspoon of filling mix into the simmering water and cook until springy to the touch and cooked through, about 1 minute. Drain and taste to check for seasoning, adding more salt, peper, soy or sesame oil if necessary. Reserve in the refrigerator until ready to form dumplings, up to 2 days.
To Form Potsticker Style Dumplings:
1. Hold a wrapper like a little taco and fill with a heaping tablespoon of filling.
2. Moisten the entire edge with water.
3. Starting at one edge, press firmly to seal. Continue pressing to seal around the rest of the filling, making pleasts if you want, but making sure to press out any air pockets and to seal well.
To Pan Fry Dumplings/Gyoza:
1. Get a pan hot, spray or add 2 TBS oil.
2. Add Dumplings and cook until browned.
3. Add 1/4 C water, cover and steam 1-2 minutes until filling is cooked and wraps look glossy and puffed slightly.
4. Drain water, cook another minute to re-crisp and you're done!
To Steam Dumplings/Shumei:
1. Heat a wok or pot with a lid with about 1/2" of water.
2. Place steamer basket on top (or make a base of foil and put a plate on top) and line with cabbage or lettuce leaves.
3. Add shumei, cover and steam until cooked (160° F), about 5 minutes.
Notes
Fresh dumplings should be cooked within a day or two after cooking as the wrappers start to dry out and the filling will make the bottoms soggy. Luckily dumplings freeze well and it is worth making a big batch of filling and getting the kids to help fold so you can have dumplings whenever you want. Freeze the formed dumplings on a plate or sheet pan until totally solid then transfer to a airtight freezer bag. To cook, thaw for 20-30 minutes or just cook right from frozen.