Pork Dumplings

Place the dry ingredients for the dough into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. While the mixer runs on low, slowly add the water to the bowl. If mixing manually, carefully stir with a wooden or silicone spatula and add water gradually. After no loose flour remains and a smooth dough forms, cover it tightly and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

Knead the dough into a smooth, elastic ball. If using the mixer, this should take 3 to 4 minutes on low speed. If using your hands, knead for about 7 minutes. Cover tightly and let the dough rest for 1 hour.

Place shiitake mushrooms in a small bowl with 1/2 cup of filtered water for 30 minutes, ensuring the mushrooms are submerged. Reserve soaking liquid and finely mince mushrooms after soaking.

Place napa cabbage in a colander. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the sea salt, mix and let drain for 30 minutes. After draining, transfer the cabbage to a cheesecloth or a clean linen towel and squeeze out as much remaining water as possible.

In a large bowl, combine drained cabbage, mushrooms, mirin, 1/4 cup avocado oil, sesame oil, remaining 2 teaspoons sea salt, shoyu, white pepper, and shiitake soaking liquid with ground pork. Vigorously stir until the meat develops a pasty and elastic texture, up to 8 minutes.

Cover the pork mixture and refrigerate while you prepare dumpling wrappers.

Fill a shallow bowl with about 2 ounces of water to seal the edges of the dumplings. Set aside.

Dust a parchment-lined sheet pan lightly with flour and set aside for holding dumplings.

Divide dough into four even balls. Cover three with a very damp towel while you work with one.

Roll the dough out very thinly (about a millimeter or less, if possible) and cut out rounds with 3 1/2-inch circle biscuit or cookie cutter. Gather up the remainder of the dough and roll again to cut out more wrappers. Repeat until the remaining dough is too small and add it to the next ball of dough.

Scoop 1 rounded teaspoon of pork filling into the center of a dumpling wrapper. Dip a finger in the water bowl and cover the outer 1/4-inch surface of the wrapper with a thin layer of water.

Fold the wrapper in half encasing the filling, and pleat, crimp, or seal the dumpling wrapper, being careful to push out excess air. Set each finished dumpling on the flour-dusted sheet pan as you work, ensuring they don’t touch. Repeat until you have 12 to 15 dumplings and prepare to cook a batch.

To pan-fry:

Add 2 tablespoons of avocado oil to a large pan over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, place the dumplings carefully into the pan with space between each dumpling. Carefully add 1/4 cup of water and quickly cover with a lid; steam for 3 to 4 minutes.

Uncover and continue cooking until water is evaporated and dumpling bottoms are lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes more. Carefully remove dumplings and repeat until all dumplings are cooked.

To steam:

Arrange dumplings, with 1/2-inch of space between each one, on a heat-proof plate set inside a steaming basket or on a steaming rack.

Bring 3 cups of water to a rolling boil, place the dumplings into the steaming vessel and steam for 7-8 minutes. Repeat steaming steps until all dumplings are cooked.

To serve:

Dip into ponzu sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Thai sweet chili sauce, or shoyu mixed with a splash of Chinese black vinegar and chili oil.

NOTES:

Leftover meat filling can be made into meatballs or meat patties. Leftover dough can be made into scallion pancakes.

Any uncooked dumplings can be frozen for 2 to 3 weeks. Freeze dumplings on a sheet pan before transferring them to storage bags. To cook frozen dumplings, follow instructions above and increase cooking time by one minute for either method.

Wrapper recipe adapted from: redhousespice.com/homemade-dumpling-wrappers/