Hibiscus House: Catie's Pork Dumpling "Pot Stickers" Recipe

You may remember Catie, she has been with me on the blog before. She even made a video making French Onion Soup then. You can check that post out here just in case you missed it.

Today she is sharing her Pork Dumpling Recipe. They are very good.

I must warn you the girl is a comedian!

PORK DUMPLINGS by Catie

Hey all you cool cats and kittens, hope you're all safe and sound. We're going to break out of the norm and make some self-isolation pork dumplings with just the ingredients we have in the home.

Now let me tell you the long and boring back story of how I came to make these. Haha, just kidding. I hate it when I'm looking for a recipe and have to read someone's biography and their family's opinions on whatever they're making. Let's just jump right into this.

I don't do a lot of measuring and usually just go until my ancestors whisper for me to stop, but the Dolly lady likes measurements so here is where we find ourselves.

You can make these up and put them into the freezer for later because this recipe makes up a bunch.

Dough Ingredients

3 cups plain all-purpose flour
A few dashes of salt
1 cup boiling water

Directions

You're going to get your flour and salt in a bowl then add the water slowly stirring. It will be crumbly but the more you stir it will combine properly.

If you need more boiling water or flour to get it to the right consistency you can add it. (Nobody is going to come to arrest you if you do).

After everything is combined, you will want to set your timer for 8-10 minutes to work it. Work that dough like it owes you money. After that time, the dough shouldn't be sticky and should have a sheen to it.

Put the dough back into the flour bowl and cover it with a towel or plastic wrap. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes.

While the dough is resting you can combine the ingredients for the filling. Again, I don't want to hear, "That's not what you put in dumplings blah blah blah" because this is the apocalypse and the first rule is that there are no rules.

Filling Ingredients

16 oz. ground pork
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon corn starch
1 Tablespoon sugar
Few dashes of black pepper
3 Tablespoons cold water
Optional: Few splashes of Merlot (because that's what a client gave me for Christmas, so that's what is going in)
Few splashes of rice wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons sesame oil
3 cabbage leaves finely chopped
1 small onion minced
1 clove garlic chopped

Things you'll need to make life easier during this process

Rolling pin
Dumpling press
Some object to cut out a circle the same size as your dumpling press. (I used a Tupperware bowl)

Directions

Mix everything well and set aside.

When the dough has sat long enough, you can now roll it out very thinly approximately 1/8 to 1/16 of an inch. *Note* I usually pinch small amounts off of the dough ball to make for easier rollout.

Once you've got it even, you are going to cut out the circles and place them in the dumpling press.

Spoon about a teaspoon of the filling into the center of the dough and then press. Tip* If you find that your dumplings aren't staying shut after pressing you can line the inside rim with water. I see this as an extra step most of the time.

Once you've got your dumplings made up, it's time to put them in the pan. I use a large frying pan on medium heat, add a little sesame oil in the bottom.

Place the dumplings in the pan in a circle and let them cook 3-4 minutes until golden brown on the bottom.

Then add enough water in the pan to cover the bottom, cover with a lid, let it steam for about 8 minutes. Be sure to check to make sure the bottoms aren't burning. Turn down the heat if necessary. (common sense, but I thought I'd add that in)

Now you're ready to eat!

I like to buy my dipping sauce because I'm lazy, but since we are in the middle of Armageddon, I made my own. I can tell you now if you hate vinegar you're going to have a bad time.