Sweet and Spicy Turkey and Pumpkin Dumplings

Is “pumpkin” starting to become a bad word? Sort of like pumpkin spice? I felt a little self conscience sharing a pumpkin dumpling recipe in the thick of Fall and pumpkin spice everything, but these little bundles of joy are so dang cute and taste so good to not share! I still have on my calendar to test miso roasted kabocha squash and a pumpkin spice brown sugar boba. Oh and I’m making a carrot cake in the shape of pumpkin for a friend next week! I might cross out the boba because I feel weird about it… idk you tell me if I’m overthinking the whole pumpkin thing!

I make a lot of dumplings, obviously. So I’ve been coming across the issue of how to make every new dumpling I make distinguishable. In theory, all dumpling could look the same. The same basic wheat wrapper with the same basic pleats. But what if I have a dumpling shop one day?! How would people be able to tell them apart?! This is what keeps me up at night…

So I’ve started to play around more with colors and the art of dumpling folding. I wanted to make a pumpkin dumpling that hinted at what the flavors were inside. A PUMPKIN DUMPLING THAT LOOKS LIKE A PUMPKIN! That idea came to me at 2am when I couldn’t sleep, but I was in the middle of my crazy work month and had no time to test out my idea. Thankfully that stressful wave passed and we have baskets full of pumpkin dumplings to admire.

Making these two toned dumpling wrappers reminded me a lot of those slice and bake cookie dough tubes! Okay, now I have a craving for cookie dough… I’ll have to hide it in the back of the freeze away from Reuben so he won’t judge me hahaha. I promise these colorful wrappers aren’t too complicated to make! More details below!

I’m going to be over here brainstorming what other vegetables I can make in dumpling form!

How to Make Two Toned Dumpling Wrappers

Incorporating different colors into a single dumpling wrapper may sound intimidating, especially if you haven’t made homemade dumpling dough before, but if you have a digital scale it is going to be a breeze! Even if you don’t have a digital scale you will still be able to make these colorful wrappers. The magic of the digital scale is that your hydration ratio (of flour and water) will always be exact, which eliminates any potential errors in the dough. When measuring flour by just scoops, there is always the chance that the flour is more packed in or more fluffy than the next scoop, which is when things get a little wonky.

I always tell my dumpling students that when you’re just starting off making your own dumpling dough to always use a scale. After a few times you’ll start to feel and just know if your dough feels right (people have been making dumplings without digital scales for FOREVER).Once you’re familiar with the correct consistency of dumpling dough then you can free style with using just scoops of flour and correct as needed!

I never use gel food coloring in dumpling wrappers because I just think that is a little gross… there are a lot of spices and vegetables that you probably already have in your kitchen that naturally create vibrant colors!

Turmeric + Curry Powder = Yellow

Smoked Paprika = Orange

Spinach = Green

Beets/Beet Root Powder = Pink/Red

Purple Cabbage = Purple

Carrots = Orange

The list could keep going… and it will as I continue to experiment with more natural dying methods.

For these dumplings I used smoked paprika for the main body of the dough and added a thin layer of spinach dough to replicate the stems and leaves of a pumpkin! A log of orange dough is wrapped in the thin layer of spinach dough. You then slice the dough into individual pieces to reveal a ring of green dough around an orange dough center. These pieces of dough are flattened, rolled out, and filled to form pumpkin dumplings! They are so adorable!

You obviously don’t need to make these two toned wrappers for this dumpling. My classic dumpling dough recipe or even store bough wrappers will work just fine!

Turkey and Pumpkin Dumplings with Honey and Gochujang

These dumplings are sweet and spicy from a balanced mixture of gochujang and honey. An underrated power couple in my opinion. Gochujang is a fermented chili paste that tastes salty, spicy, smokey, and just a little sweet. The honey really balances out the spice and elevates the slight sweetness of gochujang.

This flavor mixture is then added to a blend of turkey and steamed acorn squash. Turkey is mild in flavor, which absorbs all the strong flavors of gochujang, and the steamed squash adds a lot of much needed moisture and creaminess to the filling. The end result is a dumpling thats super juicy, tender, and bursting with strong flavors! I’ll be adding this to the menu at my next workshop and I can’t wait for everyone to try it!

Sweet and Spicy Turkey Pumpkin Dumplings

makes 32 dumplings

Orange Dumpling Dough:
225g (1 3/4 cup) all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
113g (1/2 cup) just boiled water

Green Dumpling Dough:

75g (scant 1/3 cup) all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
38g (about 2 1/2 tbsp) just boiled water
1/2 cup packed fresh spinach

Dumpling Filling:

3/4 lb ground turkey
1/2 acorn squash
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 tbsp gochujang
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp dark soy
3 scallion stalks - chopped
2 cloves garlic - minced

to make orange dough:

1. Add flour, salt, and smoked paprika into a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and slowly pour in just boiled water. Mix dough together with chopsticks. Mix until water is absorbed. Use your fingers to grab the dough and pinch together to form a cohesive dough ball. Knead for 2-3 minutes until dough is round and smooth. Place dough in a medium ziplock bag or cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest and hydrate for at least 30 minutes. Dough can rest for up to 3 hours before being used.

to make spinach dough:

1. Puree the spinach and just boiled water in a blender or immersion blender. Pour the spinach puree through a fine mesh sieve to a measuring cup. Strain out 38g or about 2 1/2 tbsp of spinach water.

2. Add flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and slowly pour in spinach puree. Mix dough together with chopsticks. Mix until water is absorbed. Use your fingers to grab the dough and pinch together to form a cohesive dough ball. Knead for 2-3 minutes until dough is round and smooth. Place dough in a medium ziplock bag or cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest and hydrate for at least 30 minutes. Dough can rest for up to 3 hours before being used.

to make filling:

1. Slice the acorn squash into wedges and steam for 15-20 minutes until tender. Allow the squash to cool. Remove the skin and chop the squash into 1/2” cubes. Place in a large mixing bowl. You can also roast the squash on a lined baking sheet, cut side down with skin and seeds intact, until tender, 30 minutes. Remove seeds and scoop the flesh into a bowl.

2. Add the rest of the dumpling filling ingredients in the large bowl and mix until evenly combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow the filling to rest for at least 15 minutes or overnight until ready to use.

to form dumplings:

1. Take the orange dough and cut it in half. Roll out one half of the plain dough into a 1” thick rope. Take the spinach dough and cut in half. Roll out one half of the spinach dough into a rectangle large enough to wrap around the orange dough. Place the orange dough in the center of the spinach dough. Roll up the dough and pinch the seams of the spinach dough to seal. Give the rope a quick roll to smooth out. Repeat with other half of dough.

2. Cut each rope of dough into 16 equal pieces, giving you 32 pieces of dough total. Place the piece of dough cut side up (so you see the ring of green dough around the orange dough) on your work surface and gently press it down with the palm of your hand to form a flat disc. Roll out dough into a 4” round circle. *

3. Take one wrapper and fill with 1 tbsp of filling. Begin to pleat in a circular motion and sealed. Place the formed dumpling on a baking sheet lightly dusted with flour. Repeat with remaining dumplings.

4. Set up your steaming station. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Line a bamboo steamer, that’s the same diameter as the pot of boiling water, with perforated parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray. Fill the steamer with dumplings, spaced 1/2 inch apart Cover the steamer with the lid and steam for 7-8 minutes. Remove the steamer from the pot and lift the lid to allow the steam to release.

5. Allow the dumplings to cool slightly, enjoy with soy sauce and chili oil!

recipe notes:

• If you want to roll out all the wrappers at once, you can stack the wrappers with a light dusting of cornstarch between each one. Lightly cover the prepared wrappers with plastic wrap or a towel to avoid drying out.