Spicy Beef and Basil Dumplings with Tomato Dumpling Wrappers
I’ve been dreaming of what life will be like this Fall, when my manuscript is finally submitted. Will I sleep better? Will I finally be able to cook OTHER PEOPLE’S recipes?! Will I not eat cake every other day? Will I take up a new hobby like cross-stitch? Will rapid COVID testing be readily available so I can safely see my family again? Will America get it right and vote in a morally grounded, sane human being, that isn’t a total monster baby as our president? This is where my mind wonders when I can’t sleep.
I’ve been having meetings lately that have us looking up to a year from now and I can’t even imagine life a year from now, let alone a few months from now. Everything feels so… bleak. Finger-crossed and hope for the best I guess. OH.. and VOTE.
For now, I’ll try to focus on the present. The last few weeks have felt like living in hyperdrive and Summer has barely felt like Summer. Other than a week of really hot weather and lots of ice cream and popsicles. I think the panic of my manuscript deadline has slightly waned and I feel better about my progress so I’m attempting to relax just a little and savor the last few bits of Summer. That means eating all the tomatos, stone fruit, and corn on a constant loop until I get tired of them.
It’s been a while since I shared a dumpling recipe, even though I’ve made PLENTY of dumplings the last few months from all the online dumpling workshops. I wanted to share a dumpling that contains all the joy, sweetness, and spirit of the end of Summer. These cute as a button dumplings are filled with juicy beef, fresh basil, scallions, and spicy bean paste (doubanjiang) and wrapped up in a tomato paste infused dumpling wrapper! It’s summer in a dumpling. I particularly love the tomato dough, it smells like a bowl of your favorite pasta and has such a lovely orange color (my favorite obviously). The filling is tender and burst with lots of aromatic flavors from the scallions and fresh basil. I also added a little La Tourangelle Basil Oil to really drive home that basil flavor. It just tastes so fresh! Doubanjiang is a super flavor packed fermented bean sauce and you can find it at any Asian grocery store. We’ve been putting it in everything because it adds instant umami and has a great spice level. If you can’t find it, you can always substitute with 50/50 hoisin and Sriracha for a little sweet and spicy action.
This new dumpling fold was actually inspired by one of my dumpling students in a virtual class! I love the combo of two different styles, the braided dumpling and the teacup dumpling! It’s so easy to do and the resulting dumpling is just so cute!
All you do is fold the dumpling in half, pinch the edges together to fully seal, and then crimp the flat edge of the dumpling into a braid. Once it’s fully braided bring the two ends of the dumpling together, almost folding the dumpling in half, and pinch! That’s it!
You can watching the folding process on my Instagram!
You can boil or steam these dumplings but my favorite way to cook just about any dumpling is to pan-fry them. I can resist a crispy bottom. I’ve been loving using the La Tourangelle Avocado Oil lately to cook dumplings because the oil gives the dumplings a super crunchy texture. It’s important to fry dumplings in a good quality neutral oil. That way you’ll have the best tasting dumpling with the crunchiest and perfectly golden brown bottom!
Spicy Beef and Basil Dumplings with Tomato Dumpling Wrappers
Makes 32 dumplings
Tomato Dough:
300g (2 1/4) cups flour all-purpose
1/4 tsp salt
113g (1/2 cup) hot water
45g (3 tbsp) tomato paste
Filling:
1 lb ground beef (80/20)
2/3 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1 tbsp bean paste (can sub with a 50/50 blend of hoisin and sriracha)
1 tbsp dark soy
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp La Tourangelle Basil Oil
La Tourangelle Avocado Oil for cooking
Steps:
Make the dough: In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine flour and salt. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk to combine hot water and tomato paste. Pour the hot tomato water into the flour while continuously stirring with a flexible spatula to form a shaggy dough. Knead the dough into a semi-smooth dough ball, 3 to 4 minutes. Pat the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
Make the filling: In a medium mixing bowl, combine beef, basil, scallions, bean paste, dark soy, salt, white pepper, sugar, and basil oil. With a flexible spatula, mix until evenly combined. The filling is ready to use right away or chill in the fridge until ready to fill dumplings, up to overnight.
On a lightly dusted work surface, cut dough in half and keep one half covered in plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Roll out one half of your dough into a 1” thick rope. Cut into 16 equal pieces. Cover dough pieces with a clean kitchen towel to prevent drying out. Working with one piece at a time, roll out dough into a 3.5”-4” disc with a small rolling pin. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of your round dumpling wrapper, fold in half and pinch all the edges together to form a half moon. Fold the flat edges of the dumpling over to form a braided edge and then bring the two ends of the dumpling together and pinch. Place formed dumplings on a lightly dusted baking tray and repeat with remaining dumplings.
To cook the dumplings: In a large non-stick pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of avocado oil. Let the oil warm up for 1 to 2 minutes. Add a single layer of dumplings to the pan and cook until the bottoms are crispy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water and cover the pan with a fitted lid. Steam the dumplings for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and allow any excess moisture to evaporate. Cook the dumplings for 1 more minute to re-crisp the bottom of the dumplings. Serve immediately.