I’ve been meaning to write this little dumpling guide for a while now! Ever since shelter in place has been in affect, I’ve started to approach my cooking different. I’m still not going to the store that often and relying mostly on grocery delivery services to stock our kitchen, which means I don’t have access to quite as many ingredients as I used to. My food has never really been that fussy or ever require a million ingredients, but now more than ever I’m being super conscious to be minimal with my cooking and get creative with the few ingredients I almost always have stocked.

This same logic works amazingly for dumplings because you don’t really need much to make a super delicious and flavorful dumpling. As you know, I love to get creative with my dumpling fillings and playing around with different ways to fold them. You can get just as creative to with whatever you have sitting in your fridge! For each of my virtual dumpling workshops I share with my students a base dumpling recipe in the style of “Choose Your Own Adventure”, so that each individual person can utilize whatever ingredients they have access to. The recipe in minimal but results in the best dumplings you’ll ever have.

This “Choose Your Own Adventure Dumpling” guide will walk you through how to make a perfect dumpling dough from scratch (you’ll never be able to go back to store-bought), how to mix an amazing dumpling filling, and more! By the end you’ll have made your own unique and tasty dumpling!

The Perfect All-Purpose Dumpling Dough

To start things off, you’ll want to get working on your dough. Different dumplings require different doughs. Most dumplings will use a wheat or flour based dough, but the amount and kind of water you add to it will ultimately effect it’s texture. Hot water dough, like the recipe below, create an incredibly pliable and workable dough. It’s amazing for dumplings where you want really defined and clean pleats. This dough is also on the lower hydration range, which gives the cooked dumpling a chewier and more al dente texture, which I LOVE. Some dumplings will want a soft and more stretchy dough, like soup dumplings, so you will want to add a little more water. A softer dough will be harder to work with if you haven’t made many dumplings before.

We also can’t forget about Crystal Dumplings, but that will be a guide for another day!

This dough is my favorite all-purpose dumpling dough. It is easy to handle and has a great texture!

Dumpling Dough

makes 32 dumplings

300g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
150g (2/3 cup) hot water

Add flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and slowly pour in just boiled water. Mix dough together with a rubber spatula. Mix until water is absorbed. Knead for 3-4 minutes until the dough is round and smooth-ish. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes. Dough can rest for up to 2 hours before being used.

If you want to naturally add color to your dough, add 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of turmeric (yellow), curry powder (yellow), smoked paprika (orange), or beet root powder (pink/red) to the dry flower mixture.

mix a well balance dumpling filling

Once you’ve made your dough and it is resting, you can start working on your filling. Meat based dumpling fillings are so easy to make. All you do is throw everything in a bowl and mix it all up. THAT’S IT. If you’re making a vegetarian dumpling filling see notes below.

To make enough filling to match the amount of dough you just made, I recommend that you start with 3/4lb to 1lb of raw ground meat. The amount varies depending on how much you tend to stuff inside of your dumplings. I like to have a lot of filling in mine so I always start with 1lb. There’s nothing wrong with a strictly meat fill dumpling but I was always taught to add some vegetables in there. For one thing, it’s nice to sneak a few health points. But most importantly, adding some vegetables like cabbage (most commonly used) will add just a little moisture to your dumpling filling so it end being really juicy and not too dry. Vegetables also provides different flavors and texture to your filling that will make it very well balanced.

Pick Your Protein

3/4lb - 1 lb of ground protein
options: pork, chicken, beef, lamb, or shrimp

Pick Your Veggie

1 1/2 to 2 cups of finely shredded or chopped vegetables
options: cabbage, carrots, zucchini, kale or other hearty green, mushrooms

Pick Your Aromatic

1/3 cup chopped green onions (whites and greens)
alternatives: yellow onion, red onion, leeks, shallots, a few cloves of garlic (grated or minced), a knob of ginger (grated or minced)

Grab Your seasonings

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper (black pepper works, but white pepper is preferred)
2 tbsp soy sauce or asian dark brown sauce
alternatives: oyster sauce, coconut aminos, tamari, hoisin (be mindful of the extra sweetness), fish sauce (a little goes a long way)

extras:
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp Sriracha

In a large mixing bowl combine all the filling materials. Mix everything together until just combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let the filling to rest in the fridge for at least 15 minutes or until ready to wrap dumplings.

Notes for making a vegetarian dumpling filling

a 100% veggie based dumpling filling or even with a little tofu in it will need to be cooked first. Mainly because raw vegetables have a ton of moisture trapped in side. Cooking the vegetables first will cook out that moisture and also develop a lot more flavor.

Instead of meat, make sure you have 6 to 8 cups of finely chopped vegetables. Use at least 2 kinds of vegetables for a balance of flavors and textures. Heat 2-3 tbsp of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the aromatics first and cook until browned around the edges, 1-3 minutes. Add the vegetables and seasonings. Toss and continue to cook until the vegetables have reduced by half, are tender, and no moisture remains in the pan, about 6-10 minutes.

Place the filling in a bowl and mix n 2 tbsp of flour or cornstarch to help bind the filling. Allow the filling to cool to at least room temperature before filling. Place in the fridge or freezer to help speed up the process.

Pleat and Repeat

There are infinite ways to fold dumplings. You could go the easy route and just simple fold them in half or try out a few different style. I have a few dumpling folding videos on my Instagram if you want to check them out! Or take one of my future virtual classes and learn how to fold a few different styles with me!

Lightly flour your work surface. Cut dough in half and keep one half covered in plastic wrap. Roll out one half of your dough into a 1” thick rope. Cut into 16 equal pieces. Roll out 1 piece of dough into a 3.5”- 4” disc with a small rolling pin. Fill the wrapper with 1 tablespoon of filling in the center. Fold into desired shape. Repeat with remaining dumplings and place dumplings on a lightly floured baking tray until ready to be cooked. 

freeze for layer

Dumplings freeze beautifully. Place raw dumplings on baking sheet or plate dusted with flour. Stick in the freezer and freeze until solid. Once solid, throw the dumplings in a ziplock bag and keep frozen for up to 3 months. NEVER DEFROST FROZEN DUMPLINGS. Cooking frozen dumplings just as you would fresh ones, just add 4-5 minutes to the cook time.

Cook Them Up and enjoy!

To Pan Fry: Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a non-stick skillet and heat over medium heat. Add a single layer of dumplings to your pan. Sear on the flat side until the bottom is golden brown. Add 1/4 cup of water to the pan and cover the pan with a lid. Steam the dumplings for 6 minutes. If the water cooks out before the 6 minutes is up, add a bit more water. Remove the lid and allow any remaining liquid to cook off and for the bottoms to get crispy again.

To Steam: Place dumplings in a bamboo steamer lined with perforated parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray. Place the steamer over a pot of boiling water and steam for 6-7 minutes.

To Boil: Add a few dumplings to a large pot of boil water and boil for 6 minutes.

A good dumpling should taste great without any additional dipping sauces, but I do love me some chili oil and dark soy!

I hope you enjoy your dumpling adventure! Would love to see you unique dumpling creations!