Grandma’s Pork and Ginger Dumplings

Making dumplings with my family at my grandma’s house is one of my most fond childhood memories. I loved when the whole family would gather around big bowls of dumpling filling, stacks of dumpling wrappers on the table, competing for who could make the most perfectly plump dumpling (without overstuffing!). It doesn’t hurt that the result would be hundreds of steaming dumplings for dinner, dipped in the tangy combo of Worcestershire and soya sauce.

The great thing about this recipe for dumpling filling is that it’s so versatile – this is the veggie to meat to seasoning ratio I’ve perfected, but you can add in any veggies you love (or happen to have in the fridge!) and adjust the herbs based on preference. I use cabbage and Napa cabbage interchangeably based on whatever looks best at the grocery store, but you could also add in carrots, celery or whatever else you prefer.

Important recipe note: this recipe requires a food processor. You could spend hours finely chopping everything but I wouldn’t recommend it – it’s not worth the time or effort when a food processor could do all the work in 30 seconds!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb chicken breast or pork tenderloin
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 green onions
• 1 small bunch cilantro
• 1/2 head cabbage or napa cabbage
• 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon soya sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 eggs
• 50 round dumpling wrappers

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a food processor, chop chicken or pork, garlic, green onions, cilantro and cabbage.
2. Once finely chopped, mix in a large bowl with pork, soya sauce, sugar, cornstarch and sesame oil.
3. Scramble 2 eggs, and add to mixing bowl. This will absorb the extra moisture in your dumpling filling.
4. Fill each dumpling wrapper with 1 tablespoon of filling. Moisten the edges of the wrapper with water and pleat them shut, ensuring they are completely sealed (otherwise they’ll burst while cooking!)
5. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once boiling, add the dumplings in batches of 12, careful not to crowd the pot.
6. Boil dumplings for 4 minutes or until firm. Remove with a slotted spoon.
7. Toss dumplings in a little sesame oil so that they don’t stick together, and enjoy with your favourite dipping sauce (I like a 2:1 ratio of Worcestershire sauce and soya sauce).