Pork Dumpling with Napa Cabbage (猪肉白菜水饺)
Tasty and juicy filling wrapped with pleasantly chewy skin, Chinese pork dumpling with Napa cabbage is an absolute classic! Make-from-scratch instructions and a tutorial video are included.
Servings: 30 dumplings
Ingredients
For the wrappers
- 250 g all-purpose flour/plain flour about 2 cups (see note 1)
- 130 g water at room temperature ½ cup+2 tsp (see note 2)
For the filling
- ½ head Napa cabbage (aka Chinese cabbage) about 300g
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 250 g minced pork about 9oz
- 2 stalk scallions finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 2 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 pinch ground Sichuan pepper or five-spice powder
- 1 tablespoon dried shrimp soaked in 2 tbsp water until soft (see note 3)
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
For serving
Instructions
Make the dough
- In a mixing bowl, add water to flour gradually. Mix with chopsticks/spatula until no more loose flour can be seen. Combine and knead into a dough.
- Leave to rest (covered) for 10 minutes then knead again until smooth.
- Cover and rest the dough again for 30-60 minutes until it becomes soft (Chinese cooks would say “as soft as an earlobe”).
- If using a machine: Add flour and water into the mixing bowl. Knead on low speed for 8 minutes or so until smooth. Cover and rest for 30-60 minutes.
Mix the filling
- Cut Napa cabbage into thin slices then cut across again into tiny pieces. Put minced cabbage into a colander then add salt. Mix well and leave to rest for 10 mins or so (place the colander in a sink or over a plate to collect extracted water).
- Add minced pork, scallions, ginger, light soy sauce and ground Sichuan pepper to a mixing bowl. Mince rehydrated dried shrimp. Add it to the meat, along with the water in which it was soaked. Stir until the liquid is fully absorbed by the meat.
- Use your hands to squeeze the cabbage in batches to remove any water extracted by the salt. Then put into the bowl. Add sesame oil and mix to combine.
Roll the wrappers
- Divide the dough into three parts. Roll one part into a rope then cut into 10 equal sections (cover the rest to avoid drying out).
- Press each piece into a small disc with the palm of your hand. Use a rolling pin to flatten it into a thin disc (Please refer to the tutorial video below). Dust with flour if it sticks. Repeat to finished the rest of the dough.
Assemble the dumplings
- Place a spoonful of filling on the wrapper. Seal the wrapper using the technique you're most comfortable with. Please refer to the tutorial video below or the methods demonstrated in "Ten Ways to Fold Dumplings".
Boil the dumplings
- Bring a pot of water to a full boil over high heat. Gently slide in the dumplings (cook in two batches if using a small pot). Push them around with the back of a spoon to avoid sticking. Cover with a lid.
- When the water comes back to a full boil, add about 120 ml (½ cup) of cold water then cover.
- Repeat the procedure another two times. When fully cooked, the dumplings should be plump and floating on the surface.
- Transfer the dumplings to a colander. Briefly rinse under tap water (make sure it’s drinkable water). Drain and serve immediately.
Serve the dumplings
- Serve the dumplings warm with a mixture of homemade chili oil and black rice vinegar. Or read Six Dumpling Sauces for more inspirations.
Freeze uncooked dumplings
- Place assembled, uncooked dumplings on a tray lined with parchment paper (or dusted with flour). Put into the freezer.
- Once completely frozen, transfer them into an airtight plastic bag/container. Use within three months.
Cook frozen dumplings
- No need to defrost before cooking. Follow the boiling instructions explained above.
Video
Notes
1. If using a cup to measure, you’ll need to sift the flour first then level it properly. Please be aware that measuring flour by cups is less accurate than measuring by weight so use a scale when possible.
2. The flour-water ratio may vary depending on the brand of your flour, the humidity of your kitchen, etc. Adjust a little if necessary. The initial dough should be medium-firm and it will become softer after resting.
3. Dried shrimp can be replaced by dried scallops. Follow the same instruction to prepare.
Nutrition
Serving: 10dumplings | Calories: 505kcal
