Juicy Chinese Beef Dumplings with Homemade Wrappers
Cook: Sharon Yam (@yamsandchips)
Prep time: 1 hour 30 minutes (shorter if you are very good at wrapping dumplings!)
Cook time: 15 minutes
Servings: ~30 dumplings
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Chinese
Difficulty: Difficult
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My mother was a great home cook. One of my favorite childhood memories was buying freshly made dumpling wrappers together from the neighborhood wet market, and sitting down at the dinner table with my mom to make dumplings.
Since moving to the US, I often use mass-produced dumpling wrappers commonly found in grocery stores. While they got the job done, the texture was lacking. I started making my own wrapper a year ago, and quickly realized how easy it was. I have not gone back to store-bought wrappers since. Instead of rolling out each wrapper individually, I have devised a lazy person’s method to cut down on time and labor.
In this recipe, I use beef and scallion as fillings for my dumplings. Feel free to experiment with whatever you have in the fridge! Asher and I once made kimchi and cheese dumplings and they were strangely delicious when fried.
Dumpling-making is usually a familial activity among Chinese people. During Lunar New Year, families usually get together to make dumplings from scratch and eat it at the beginning of a new year to symbolize wealth.
Depending on regions and family traditions, the dumplings may take different shapes. They can be steamed, boiled, or pan-fried.
Ingredients
Wrapper:
250g all-purpose flour
130 ml water
Filling:
200g ground beef
¼ cup stock
6 stalks scallions, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp garlic paste, or 3 cloves of minced garlic
1 tsp grated ginger
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
½ tbsp sesame oil
Salt, to taste
⅛ tsp white pepper
A pinch of sugar
Method
Mix flour and water together in a bowl. Stir to mix with a pair of chopsticks until it forms a shaggy dough with no loose flour remaining in the bowl.
Knead the dough with your hand inside the bowl until it forms a solid dough ball. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.
Knead the dough again until the surface is smooth.
Cover the dough and let it rest for about an hour.
While the dough rests, make the filling by combining all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Use your hands to make sure that they are well combined.
Tip: To make sure that the filling is seasoned properly, microwave a small spoonful and taste it. Adjust the seasoning of the filling accordingly. You may add salt to taste as well.Divide the dough into two sections. Roll each out into a flat sheet with a rolling pin on a lightly floured countertop. If you have a pasta maker, you may use it in this step.
Use a small round glass to cut out individual wrappers from the two sheets. If the individual wrappers are too thick, roll them out quickly using a thin rolling pin.
Spoon filing into the wrapper. The amount of filling for each dumpling depends on how big your wrappers are. Make sure not to overfill them or you may have a hard time completing the next step.
Close the dumpling to form a semicircle.
Pinch along the rim of the filling. Fold the two corners towards each other.
Tip: There are many different ways to assemble dumplings. Check out Red House Spice’s guide on 10 different ways to do it.Prepare a tray or a large plate. Line the tray with parchment paper. Put assembled dumplings on the tray, making sure that there is space between them.
Dust the dumplings with flour to prevent them from sticking together.
Pour 3 cups of water into a wok, and line your steamer with cabbage.
Turn up the heat until the water starts to boil.
Place the dumplings carefully into the steamer, and turn the heat down to medium.
Cover the steamer, and let cook for about 15 minutes.
Serve immediately.
Side Notes
If I am pressed for time (or if I am really hungry and impatient), I often boil the dumplings. Put dumplings into a pot of boiling water. Turn the heat down a little. You know the dumplings are cooked when they float. Rinse with cold water afterwards to prevent them from sticking to one another.
For a simple dipping sauce, add slices of ginger into a small bowl of Shanghai black vinegar and a little soy sauce. Check out Red House Spice’s guide for more dipping sauce ideas.
If you want to freeze the dumplings, make sure to first freeze them on a tray lined with parchment paper. Dust them with flour. Once they are frozen hard, you can transfer them into a Ziploc bag.
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