Dumplings Vegetable or Pork

Vegetable or pork, you’ll enjoy these easy dumplings. The dough is made in the food processor and needs to rest before rolling it out. This will remind you of the days when you played with PlayDoh and cut out shapes. Water holds the sides of the dumplings closed and they cook fast. (pictured is pork dumplings)

My favorite thing to order are steamed dumplings but I thought they were so difficult to make. To my surprise, after a little research, they are simple. The dumplings can be a blank canvas for any filling.

I made a vegetable filling and a roast pork for my dumplings. We had pork loin with baked apples for dinner last night and had left overs. Nothing is wasted in our house, leftovers get a makeover and presented in a unique way.

Yes, you can do this! If you can cut circles with a glass or cookie cutter, you’re going to do a great job.

Let’s get baking, you’ll need:

Dough

3 cups flour

1 cup water

1 tsp salt

1 egg

Mix the flour and salt in the food processor. In a measuring cup, add the egg to the water and whisk. With the food processor on, add the water/egg mixture slowly. You’ll see a dough ball form quickly. Turn it out on a floured board and shape into a ball. Bring the dough together, put it in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 30 minutes to rest.

Let's make the filling while the dough is resting.

Vegetable Filling

1 stalk celery

1 large carrot

1 red onion

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp soy sauce

1/2 Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup fresh spinach (optional)

1 cup water

Put the vegetables in the food processor until vegetables are chopped finely. Add mixture to a hot, non-stick fry pan until the onions start to brown then add the water. There will be steam, so step back. Facials are fun but burns are not. Let this steam covered for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and the water has evaporated. Set aside.

Pork Filling

4 slices of cooked roasted pork or 1/2 lb of pork sliced at the deli section of your store

1/2 cup caramelized onions

1 apple sliced and cooked

1 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

Put in a food processor until the mixture is soft and smooth. Do not add water, you want this mixture a little dry. It should hold together when you pick it up with your fingers and pinch it. Set aside.

Let's address the dough, "Hello dough, welcome to my kitchen". (sorry lost it there, I'm back) Roll the dough out on a floured surface until the dough is thin. This is an easy dough to work with and responds well to the rolling pin. Flour a drinking glass rim and use it to cut circles or use a 3" round cookie cutter. Save the scraps and re-roll them out again making more circles.

Once cool, put some filling on the lower half of the dough circle. Use your fingers dipped in water and trace around the lower circle edge. Fold the top of the circle over the filling and pinch with your fingers to seal the dumpling. You can use a fork dipped in flour around the edge to seal it if needed.

Put the formed dumplings, single layer, on parchment paper (or wax paper) and refrigerate. You want the dumplings to firm up before you cook them.

Time to cook the dumplings - heat a non-stick skillet (very hot) add 1 tsp of vegetable oil and the dumplings. When you see them start to sizzle and turn golden, add 1/2 cup of water and cover.

Turn the dumplings after 5 mins and cover again. You want to let them cook until all the water evaporates. Remove immediately from the pan and enjoy.

My two favorite dipping sauces are soy sauce with toasted sesame seeds for the vegetable dumpling. Patak's Major Grey Chutney has mango preserves and ginger to compliment the pork.

My final picture is my vegetable dumplings with soy dipping sauce.

That was easy and you'll impress your friends with steamed dumplings. Serve with dipping sauce on the side and chop sticks.

ENJOY and leave me your feedback.