Crispy fried pork dumplings are so much better when you make them yourself. The dumplings have a crispy bottom and chewy top, filled with a juicy mixture of pork, kimchi, and aromatics.
Info and tips
In this recipe I show you how I made the dumpling wrappers by hand. If you would like to skip this step you can buy premade dumpling wrappers. The texture might be a little different as they are not fresh, but it will save you a lot of time.
Traditionally dumpling wrappers are made by hand and rolled with a dumpling rolling pin, also known as a Chinese rolling pin. These are much smaller and thinner than your regular rolling pin and are mainly used for dumplings. You can use a regular rolling pin but it will be more difficult.
If you don’t have a dumpling rolling pin you can also use a pasta maker to roll a section of dough into a thin long sheet. I did this and found it worked extremely well, I will link the one I used below. Then once I had the sheet of dough, I used a circular glass to gut out the shape.
Shaping and storing the crispy fried pork dumplings
When making the dough, it will appear very rough and firm in the first stage. This is completely normal don’t worry. You will find the longer the dough rests, the more soft and workable it will become. I rest my dough for about an hour. To make the shape I’ve included the rolling pin method and pasta maker method below:
Rolling pin method
- After resting, section the dough into 4 even pieces
- Working with one section at a time, roll into a rope. Cut the rope into equal pieces (about 1 & a 1/2 – 2 inches).
- Press each piece down with the palm of your hand.
- Use a rolling pin to flatten each piece into a disk.
- Tip: once you have made the shape, fill and seal immediately to avoid the dough drying out. Keep the other sections covered until you are ready.
Pasta maker method
- After resting, section the dough into 4 even pieces.
- Working with one section at a time, feed the dough through the pasta maker until very thin (you should faintly be able to see your hands shadow behind the dough).
- Lay the sheet of dough out and use a circular glass to cut the dough.
- Fill and seal immediately to avoid the dough drying out. Keep the other sections covered until you are ready.
To seal the dumpling, add about a tbsp of filling to the center, add a bit of water on the outside edges with your finger, fold wrapper over in half. Seal the top and fold edges over top of each other, working from the middle out. Repeat on both sides. If you are confused watch my video below.
Aways use the freshly made wrappers immediately to avoid them drying out and becoming difficult to shape. I recommend working with about 10 wrappers at a time. You can freeze the wrappers and use later if needed, just make sure you dust each piece with some four to avoid them sticking.
Equipment for crispy fried pork dumplings
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Use this Dumpling Rolling Pin if you are making them by hand.
I use this Pasta Maker to get the dumpling dough thin.
Ingredients
dough
- 2 cups flour (250g)
- 1/2 cup warm water + 2 tsp if needed (130 ml)
cornstarch water
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp flour
- 1/4 cup water
filling
- 1 lb ground pork
- 4 garlic cloves
- tbsp minced ginger
- 1/3 cup chopped green onion
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup chopped kimchi
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- tsp salt and pepper
Instructions
- If you are using premade wrappers please skip all dough steps.
- Add flour and warm water to a bowl. Mix until no flour remains with chopsticks or a wooden spoon.
- Pour dough onto flat surface and knead until a rough ball forms. Add the extra teaspoons of water if dough is too dry.
- Cover dough and let rest for 15 minutes.
- After, knead again and then return to bowl to rest for an hour.
- While dough rests combine all the filling ingredients and mix well. Cover and set aside.
- Dough should be soft and workable at this point. Either use the rolling pin or pasta maker method to make the dumpling wrapper (see shaping and storing section up top).
- Fill each dumpling wrapper with a tbsp of the filling. Fold and seal the edges of the dumpling. Work in batches of ten to avoid the dough from drying out.
- Pan fry the dumplings with a bit of oil in a pan for 1-2 minutes. Mix together ingredients for the cornstarch water and add to the the pan. Cover and turn heat to low, cook for 7-8 minutes to steam. Remove lid and continue to cook for a couple more minutes until the bottoms crisp up.
- After ten minutes flip the dumplings onto a plate and serve with your favourite dipping sauce.
See below for a video tutorial1
If you like this recipe check out my Spicy Tuna Rice Paper Wraps or my Creamy Crab Rice Balls!
Crispy fried pork dumplings are so much better when you make them yourself. The dumplings have a crispy bottom and chewy top, filled with a juicy mixture of pork, kimchi, and aromatics. If you are using premade wrappers please skip all dough steps. Add flour and warm water to a bowl. Mix until no flour remains with chopsticks or a wooden spoon. Pour dough onto flat surface and knead until a rough ball forms. Add the extra teaspoons of water if dough is too dry. Cover dough and let rest for 15 minutes. After, knead again and then return to bowl to rest for an hour. While dough rests combine all the filling ingredients and mix well. Cover and set aside. Dough should be soft and workable at this point. Either use the rolling pin or pasta maker method to make the dumpling wrapper (see shaping and storing section up top). Fill each dumpling wrapper with a tbsp of the filling. Fold and seal the edges of the dumpling. Work in batches of ten to avoid the dough from drying out. Pan fry the dumplings with a bit of oil in a pan for 1-2 minutes. Mix together ingredients for the cornstarch water and add to the the pan. Cover and turn heat to low, cook for 7-8 minutes to steam. Remove lid and continue to cook for a couple more minutes until the bottoms crisp up. After ten minutes flip the dumplings onto a plate and serve with your favourite dipping sauce. I recommend working with about 10 wrappers at a time. You can freeze the wrappers and use later if needed, just make sure you dust each piece with some four to avoid them sticking. You can also freeze the dumplings uncooked to cook at a later time.Crispy Fried Pork Dumplings
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes