Making Steamed Chinese Dumplings at Home

I love Asian-style food, and I especially LOVE Chinese steamed dumplings. It doesn’t matter what else we are ordering, we always have to add an order or two of dumplings to the order if we’re getting Chinese takeout. We usually get pan-fried dumplings, which are simply dumplings that have been briefly pan-fried after they are steamed.

Chinese dumplings are traditionally filled with pork, but one of our local restaurants also offers a vegetarian dumpling. I decided to fill my dumplings with a mixture of ground turkey, shrimp and vegetables. These dumplings also qualify as dim sum which, according to Dim Sum Central is “a Chinese meal of small plates best enjoyed with tea in the company of family and friends.”

Wonton Dumpling Wrappers

I used wonton wrappers to save time, instead of having to make dumpling dough from scratch. You can find wonton wrappers in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores. I usually find them near the tofu, vegan burger section of my local stores but ask someone if you can’t find them.

Although making homemade Chinese dumplings is not difficult, it is time consuming, so they certainly don’t qualify for the quick and easy recipe category. You can make the filling the day before, and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the dumplings.

Ingredients for Chinese Dumplings

You can leave out the shrimp and turkey and add more veggies to make a vegetarian version of the steamed dumplings. You can also substitute ground chicken, pork or beef for the turkey if you prefer.

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 inch piece ginger root – peeled and grated
• 4 green onion bottoms – cut in half and sliced thin
• 4 ounces mushroom tops – cleaned and diced
• 1 1/4 pounds ground chicken or turkey
• 3 cups shredded cabbage
• 12 ounces raw shrimp – peeled, de-veined and chopped
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 2 tablespoons soy or Ponzu sauce
• 1/4 cup cilantro – chopped
• Wonton wrappers
• Small bowl of water

Directions for Chinese Dumplings

You only use a level tablespoon of filling for each dumpling. You need to make sure all the dumpling ingredients are chopped fine, so the sides of the wonton wrappers don’t blow out as you are filling the dumplings.

Cook the Dumpling Filling

I use a large electric or stove top wok to pre-cooked the filling. You need to pre-cook the meat and render out some of the water from the raw veggies before filling the dumplings.

1. Prepare the cabbage by blanching it in boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately plunge into a bowl filled with ice water. Drain the blanched cabbage in a colander, and squeeze out all the excess moisture using a clean cloth.
2. Heat the oil over medium high heat in a wok or large frying pan.
3. Add the grated ginger and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the green onions and mushroom and cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the ground turkey and cook until no longer pink.
6. Stir in the blanched cabbage and cook for 1 more minute.
7. At this point, check the mixture for excess moisture. The mushrooms and cabbage contain a lot of water, which they release during the cooking process. You might have to drain off the excess liquid if it is more than just a spoonful or two. You don’t want a soggy filling, or the wonton wrappers will disintegrate before you finish filling them.
8. Add the shrimp, and cook until they just begin to turn pink.
9. In a small bowl, whisk together the corn starch with the soy sauce. Ponzu is a thin, citrus flavored soy sauce. You can also use ponzu as a dipping sauce while eating the dumplings. Stir the sauce into the wok and cook for another minute or two.
10. Remove the wok from the heat and stir in the cilantro.
11. At this point you may refrigerate the filling and make the dumplings the next day, or continue with the recipe.

Filling the Chinese Dumplings

1. Let the filling cool slightly so that you don’t burn your fingers while filling the dumplings.
2. Open up the package of wonton wrappers.
3. Fill a small bowl with water and place it near the wonton wrappers.
4. Peel off 1 wonton wrapper from the package and place it on your work surface.
5. Use your fingers to wet the edges of the wonton wrapper with a bit of water.
6. Use 1 level tablespoon of the filling and place it in the center of the wonton.
7. Fold the wonton in half.
8. Crimp the edges of the wonton wrapper, making sure to completely seal the dumpling.

Steaming the Chinese Dumplings

1. The traditional method of steaming the Chinese dumplings is to use a bamboo steamer placed over boiling water in a wok. While I do own a wok, I don’t have a bamboo steamer, so I used my metal vegetable steamer instead.
2. I cut out a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the steamer. I poked holes through the parchment paper so the steam will reach the dumplings as they are cooking. I filled the steamer basket with a single layer of dumplings, approximately 1 dozen at a time. Then I placed a couple of inches of water in the bottom of the steamer, added the dumpling filled steamer basket to the pan, placed the lid on and turned the heat onto high.
3. As soon as the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low, and let the dumplings steam for 8-10 minutes. Remove the basket from the steamer and carefully remove the dumplings to a platter. Be careful, the dumplings will be hot. I used a set of bamboo tongs to remove the cooked dumplings from the steamer.
4. Serve the dumplings right away with your favorite dipping sauce. The cooked dumplings will also keep a few days in the refrigerator. I made 2 dozen dumplings, and still have enough filling leftover to make another 2-3 dozen dumplings. I like to make small batches of dumplings, as they are going to be eaten. Nothing like freshly steamed, homemade dumplings!
5. You can also lightly pan fry the dumplings in a bit of olive oil if you like your dumplings to be a bit crispy on the outside.

Time to Eat

Serve your homemade dim sum dumplings with a variety of dipping sauces such as soy sauce, ponzu sauce, ginger and black vinegar sauce, spring onion oil sauce or even sweet and sticky duck sauce if that’s your favorite.

While you can make steamed or pan-fried dumplings at home, it is a lot of work. Whenever I get a craving for dim sum, I usually order dumplings from my favorite Chinese restaurant along with a few other dishes like Egg Drop soup and Kung Pao Chicken. HAPPY EATING!

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