Introduction
A good pork dumpling is a small act of engineering. Too much filling and the seam bursts in the water; too little and you are eating dough. Get the ratio right and you have one of the most satisfying things you can make with your hands — and a freezer full of them for the nights you cannot face cooking.
This is the version I make at home, built on the fresh dumpling dough recipe on this site. The filling is pork, ginger, garlic and scallion, bound with a beaten egg so it stays juicy rather than crumbling. The dipping sauce takes ninety seconds and does half the work.
Why This Dumpling Recipe Works
- The egg is the binder. Ground pork on its own tightens and goes grainy as it cooks. A beaten egg through the mix keeps the filling tender and holds it together when you bite in.
- Sesame oil goes in the filling, not the pan. It is a finishing oil with a low smoke point. Mixed into raw pork it perfumes the whole dumpling.
- One teaspoon, no more. A teaspoon of filling in a three-inch round leaves enough dough to seal properly. Overfilling is the single most common reason dumplings fail.
- Make the sauce first. Soy, rice wine vinegar, ginger and sriracha need twenty minutes in the fridge for the raw edge of the ginger to soften.
- Fork-crimped seams. The seashell edge is not decoration — the pressure of the tines fuses the two layers so the seam holds in boiling water.
The Chinese Pork Dumpling Recipe
Chinese Pork Dumplings
Equipment
- (Help support our site!)Sauce Pot
- Fork
- (Help support our site!)Rolling Pin
- (Help support our site!)Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Cups
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Pork
- 3 clove Garlic Minced
- 1 whole Egg Beaten
- 3 tbsp Scallions Thinly Sliced Bias
- 3 tbsp Soy Sauce Light Sodium
- 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp Fresh Ginger Minced
- 1 see how to Fresh Dumpling Dough
Soy Ginger Sauce
- 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar Sweet
- 1 tsp Sriracha
- 1 tsp Ginger Minced
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients. Place small bowl on table.
- Add soy sauce, ginger, vinegar, sriracha in bowl mix and set in refrigerator.
- Prep out all ingredients and place a mixing bowl on top of the table.
- Place ground pork into bowl with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, scallions, sesame oil and mix well.
- Once mixed add beaten egg to sausage mixture and mix into mixture.
- Begin to roll out dumpling dough into 3 inch diameters using a rolling pin.
- Place dough in palm and scoop in 1 teaspoon of the sausage mixture in center of dough.
- Begin to fold dough over at center working your way down to form a half moon shape.
- Place dumpling on table, using a fork pinch the edges together making a seashell shape.
- Begin to place dumpling in boiling water with a pinch of salt.
- Cook for 10-15 minutes depending on size, pull from boiling water and place sauce on side and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
How to Make Pork Dumplings: Step by Step
Step 1: Mix the dipping sauce and chill it
Soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, minced ginger and sriracha in a small bowl. Stir, cover, and into the refrigerator while you work.
Step 2: Build the filling
Ground pork into a bowl with the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, scallions and sesame oil. Mix thoroughly — you want the aromatics evenly distributed, not in pockets.
Step 3: Add the egg
Beat the egg and fold it through the pork. The mixture should look glossy and slightly loose.
Step 4: Roll the dough
Roll the fresh dumpling dough to roughly three inches across. Thin at the edges, very slightly thicker in the centre where the filling sits.
Step 5: Fill and fold
Dough in your palm, one teaspoon of filling in the centre. Fold over into a half-moon, pressing from the middle outward so you push the air out rather than trapping it.
Step 6: Crimp the seam
Lay the dumpling on the board and press the edge with the tines of a fork, working along the curve to make the seashell edge.
Step 7: Boil
Into salted boiling water for ten to fifteen minutes depending on size. They will float before they are done — give them another two minutes after they rise.
Chef’s Notes
Freeze them raw. Lay the finished dumplings on a tray in a single layer, freeze solid, then bag them. Cook from frozen, adding three or four minutes.
Pan-fry for potstickers. Fry flat-side down in a little oil until golden, add a splash of water, cover, and steam until the water is gone.
Filling variations. The same method takes shrimp and pork, chicken and chive, or mushroom and cabbage for a vegetarian version.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do my dumplings burst while boiling?
Either too much filling, or air trapped inside the seam. Press from the centre outward when you fold, and keep the filling to a level teaspoon.
Can I use shop-bought wrappers?
Yes. Round gyoza wrappers work perfectly well and cut the work in half. The fresh dough is better, but the filling is what people taste.
How do I know when they are cooked?
They float and the dough turns slightly translucent. If you are unsure, take one out and cut it — the pork should be uniformly pale with no pink.
How long do they keep?
Cooked, two days in the refrigerator. Raw and frozen, up to three months.