How to Make Pork Dumplings

Pork dumplings are an integral part of a number of Chinese and Taiwanese diets. People love to eat these as part of their normal meals as well as a snack item. Based on the method of cooking and used ingredients, the name of the pork dumplings varies. You have options to make these dumplings by boiling, steaming and frying. The same set of ingredients can be used to cook the pork dumplings in a specific way. Once you make the delicious pork dumplings at home, you can serve it as an appetizer or serve as a snack item along with hot Chinese-style mustard, hoisin sauce, and toasted sesame seeds.

Ingredients

100 wonton wrappers of 3.5 inch square each
1 3/4 pounds of ground pork
1 tablespoon of minced fresh ginger root
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of thinly sliced green onion
4 tablespoons of soy sauce
3 tablespoons of sesame oil
1 egg, beaten
5 cups of finely shredded Chinese cabbage

Preparing the pork Dumplings

Add the ground pork, minced fresh ginger root, garlic, green onion, soy sauce, sesame oil, egg and cabbage into a large bowl. Combine these ingredients by stirring continuously. Keep stirring the ingredients till these are mixed well.
Now place 1 heaping teaspoon of the prepared pork filling onto a single wanton skin. Apply water on the edges to moisten the wraps and fold these edges over to from a triangle form. Slightly roll the edges to seal in the filing. Repeat the same procedure till you finish with all the wonton wrappers and pork filling. Keep the dumplings on a lightly floured surface till the time of cooking.

Steaming Instructions

When it is time to entertain your guests, get the prepared pork dumplings steamed by keeping inside a covered bamboo or metal steamer. Steam the dumplings for about 15 to 20 minutes and serve these immediately with the sauce of your choice.

Frying Instructions

When you fry the pork dumplings, the bottom will stick to the bottom of the pan. This will make the dumplings crispy and more delicious. However, you can not directly fry the frozen pork dumplings. If you have kept the dumplings inside the freezer, you have to get these defrosted before adding to the pan to prevent the burning.
Now add ½ cup of cold water over the fried dumplings. Cover the pan and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes. During the entire cooking process, you should avoid checking or flipping the dumplings. Allow the dumpling to be cooked till the water is completely cooked off and pork dumplings look golden with crispy bottoms. If the dumplings do not appear golden with crisp bottoms, you have to cook these again till you achieve the desired state.
Once you have fried and cooked the first batch of the pork dumplings, remove these from the pan. Repeat the same procedure of frying and cooking till you have cooked the remaining dumpling in a number of batches.