Recipes

Classic Pork and Chive Dumplings

January 17, 2017

The go-to Chinese filling: juicy pork mixed with the fresh onion flavor of garlic chives. Try to find a fatty blend of ground pork; it will improve the filling's flavor and juiciness. Chopped garlic chives, which have a peppery raw-garlic flavor, and fresh ginger cut through the rich meat. Make sure the dumplings are completely sealed and devoid of air bubbles to prevent any leaks during boiling. This recipe is adapted from The Dumpling Galaxy Cookbook.

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What You Will Need

Boiled Pork and Chive Dumplings

Chopped garlic chives, which have a peppery raw-garlic flavor, and fresh ginger cut through the rich minced pork in these soft boiled dumplings

For the dough

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
¹⁄₈ tsp. kosher salt
1 large egg white

For the filling

1 lb. ground pork
2 tbsp. sherry cooking wine
1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger
2 tsp. soy sauce
¹⁄₂ tsp. kosher salt
¹⁄₂ cup minced garlic chives (Chinese chives)

Instructions

Make the dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add ³⁄₄ cup lukewarm water and the egg white and mix with fingers. (Dough should be shaggy with dry pockets of flour, like biscuit dough.)
On a well-floured work surface using floured hands, knead the dough, dusting with more flour as needed, until smooth, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a lightly floured bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let rest at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
Make the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the pork, sherry, ginger, soy sauce, and salt and mix with hands. Fold in the chives.
On a floured surface, knead the dough briefly until satin smooth. Cut into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ³⁄₄-inch-thick log and cut with a cleaver or a sharp knife into 6 equal pieces about the size of an egg yolk. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the balls generously with flour and drape with a damp paper towel.
Flatten each ball slightly with the palm of your hand. Using an Asian-style rolling pin, flatten the dough a bit more. Roll from the edge of each dough disk to its center, rotating the disk between rolls. Repeat until the wrapper is 3 inches in diameter and the edges are half as thick as the center. Transfer back to the well-floured surface and tent with a damp paper towel.
Holding a wrapper in your palm, fill the center with a tablespoon of filling. Pinch the edges shut to form a half moon, stretching the dough slightly as needed and squeezing out any air bubbles. Transfer back to the tented work surface and repeat with the remaining wrappers.
In a medium pot of boiling water, add 6 dumplings at a time. Boil for 2 minutes on high, then reduce the heat to medium-high and cook for 2 minutes more. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the dumpling wrappers are puffy, a final 2 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the dumplings to a plate. Serve immediately.