A classic combination in Chinese cooking, pork and shrimp come together in this easy but tasty dumpling filling. Store-bought wrappers make this recipe a cinch.
24extra-large (26/30-count) shrimpshelled and deveined
12ounces(340 g) ground pork
2teaspoonsminced shallot
2teaspoonssoy sauce
2teaspoonsrice wine
1teaspoonminced peeled fresh ginger
¼teaspoonkosher salt
½teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
1(1 pound/455 g) package round dumpling wrappers
Instructions
To make the sauce: In a small bowl, stir together all of the ingredients with 2 tablespoons water. If you have time, cover and refrigerate the mixture overnight. Pick out the garlic and throw it away before serving. The dip can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Do make the dumplings: Cut 15 shrimp into thirds crosswise; cover and refrigerate. Finely chop the remaining 9 shrimp and transfer to a large bowl along with the pork, shallot, soy sauce, wine, ginger, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to work all the ingredients together until well-mixed. It’s the best to use your hands because you can get everything incorporated into the meat without making the pieces of meat too small.
If you have time, cover and refrigerate the filling until nice and cold, up to 2 days. The filling will be easier to spoon into your wrappers when it’s chilled.
Take out five wrappers and cover the rest with a damp dowel. Lay out the five wrappers like ducks in a row. Wet ½ inch of the rim of each wrapper. Scoop a ½ tablespoon of filling into the center of each wrapper, shaping it elongated like a football to make it easier to fold. Press 1 piece shrimp on top of the pork. Fold the wrapper in half like a taco and pinch the edges at the top center. Continue folding the dumpling using your preferred folding method.
At this point, the dumplings can either be cooked immediately, covered and refrigerated for up to a couple hours, or frozen.
To pan-fry the dumplings, use a medium or large nonstick skillet (or cook two batches at the same time using two pans). Heat the skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 ½ tablespoons oil for a medium skillet and 2 tablespoons for a large one. Place the dumplings 1 at a time, sealed edges up, in a winding circle pattern. The dumplings can touch. Medium skillets will generally fit 12 to 14 dumplings, large skillets will fit 16 to 18 dumplings. Fry the dumplings for 1 to 2 minutes until they are golden or light brown on the bottom.
Holding the lid close to the skillet to lessen splatter, use a measuring cup to add water to a depth of roughly ¼ inch (about ⅓ cup water). The water will immediately sputter and boil vigorously. Cover with a lid or aluminum foil, lower the heat to medium, and let the water bubble away for 8 to 10 minutes, until it is mostly gone. When you hear sizzling noises, remove the lid as most of the water is now gone. Let the dumplings fry for another 1 or 2 minutes, or until the bottoms are brown and crisp. Turn off the heat and wait until the sizzling stops before using a spatula to transfer dumplings to a serving plate. Display them with their bottoms facing up so they remain crisp.(Alternatively you may steam these dumplings in a bamboo steamer basket lined with parchment paper or cabbage leaves.)
Serve the dumplings with the Toasted Sesame-Soy Dip.
Notes
I prefer to use Shanghai-Style Dumpling Wrappers by Twin Marquis. Please note that wonton wrappers are not a suitable substitute for dumpling wrappers.
Freeze uncooked dumplings by arranging in a single layer on a tray or sheet pan. Freeze until firm, then transfer to freezer bags. Cook the dumplings either thawed or from a frozen state. They may require a bit longer to cook if frozen.