Ground Pork, Pork Recipe, Recipes

Pork & Chive Dumpling

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Dumpling: a small mass of dough cooked by boiling or steaming. This definition from Merriam-Webster doesn’t quite do justice to this tasty item. There are so many variations of dumplings that the mere mention of the word has people asking, What kind? Here we are talking about Asian-style dumplings. You can steam them, deep-fry them, pan fry them, or boil them. All preparations are equally delicious but lend different textures to the final product.

We have all seen the large bags of frozen dumplings in our grocery store frozen foods section. Did you know you could make your own for less money and with a much shorter ingredient list? First place the dumplings on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Pop the filled cookie sheet in to the freezer for at least 4 hours. Then place the frozen dumplings in a large resealable plastic bag. You can also play around with different variations of filling. The key is not putting too much filling in each one. Remember, the juices from the Firsthand Foods ground pork will render and cook the cabbage, ginger, and garlic causing the dumpling to expand a bit. This also means they will be delicious!

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. Firsthand Foods ground pork
  • 2 Tbs. minced or grated fresh ginger
  • 2 Tbs. minced chives
  • 
3 cloves minced garlic
  • 
1/2 head of cabbage finely diced – about 1-1 1/2 cups (You can use a food processor or a box grater)
  • 1 package of dumpling wrappers (round)
  • 
small bowl of cold water

Instructions

  1. Combine filling ingredients thoroughly. Place 1 ½ tsp. of the filling in the middle of a wrapper. Dip your finger in the water and run it along one half of the wrapper. Fold over and pinch closed. Make 3-4 Z-shaped folds to keep dumpling closed.
  2. To prepare immediately or when frozen: Place 2 Tbs. of peanut oil or canola oil in a non-stick pan. Heat oil on medium high heat. Place dumplings in pan and allow them to fry in the oil for about 3 minutes. Add 1/2-cup water to the pan and immediately cover with a lid. Allow the dumplings to steam until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Remove the lid and allow dumplings to cook for another minute or so. They should be crispy/golden on the bottom.
  3. Serve with dipping sauce: 2 Tbs. soy sauce, 3 drops of sesame oil, and 1 tsp. of rice wine vinegar.
  4. To freeze: Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Do not let them touch. Place in the freezer until thoroughly frozen and then put in a freezer bag.