Pork Soup Dumplings Recipes

THAI PORK DUMPLING SOUP

Steps:

• To make cilantro paste, puree first six ingredients in a mortar and pestle, or blender, until a fine paste is formed. You can also do this by hand by first chopping all ingredients, except fish sauce, together on a board to form a paste. Then mix with fish sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Follow directions on packages for reconstituting cellophane noodles and dried mushrooms, if necessary. Noodles usually need to soak in warm water for about 15 minutes; mushrooms about 30 minutes.
• While ingredients are soaking, make dumplings by combining ground pork, fish sauce, garlic, and cornstarch in a bowl. With your hands, form small meatballs, about the size of hazelnuts. Set aside.
• When noodles and mushrooms are finished soaking, drain. Remove and discard the tough stems and slice mushrooms into julienne strips. Cut noodles into 2 by 3 inch lengths.
• Place all ingredients near stove and bring chicken stock to a boil in a large stockpot. Reduce heat to a simmer and add pork balls, mushrooms, and noodles. Cook, uncovered, until pork is done, about 10 minutes. Stir in paste and adjust seasonings with pepper and fish sauce. Ladle into serving bowls, sprinkle with sliced scallions and cilantro leaves, and serve immediately.

PORK SOUP DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Make the wrappers: Combine the flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl and create a well in the middle. Add 1/2 cup boiling water and mix it in with a spatula, then incorporate with your hands until you have a mealy, shaggy mixture. Mix in 1/2 cup cold water and bring everything together into a dough, then turn it out onto a work surface and knead, adding more flour if it gets too sticky to work with, until you have a smooth and slightly sticky dough, 7 to 10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and set aside for 30 minutes while you make the filling.
• Make the soup gelatin: Heat the chicken stock in a saucepan until hot, then add the soy sauce and gelatin powder. Whisk to combine. Pour into a shallow dish and chill until set, about 1 hour. Break up the gelatin by fluffing it with a fork. Set aside.
• Make the filling: Put the pork in a large bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the soy sauce, ginger, sambal oelek, sesame oil, rice vinegar and scallions. Mix with your hands (don't overmix), then set up your dumpling folding station.
• Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and dust with flour. To assemble the dumplings, divide the dough into 32 balls (keep them covered when you're not working with them). Roll out the balls into 3 1/2- to 4-inch circles, flouring the surface as needed. Put a wrapper in your non-dominant hand and make a cup. Place 1/2 tablespoon pork filling in the center and top with 1/2 tablespoon soup gelatin. Begin gathering and pleating the dumpling wrapper using your thumb and pointer finger. Work your way around the edge of the wrapper until you've gathered all the dough; your thumb stays in the same place - it's the pointer finger doing all the work. Twist it at the end, pinching everything in the center. Repeat with the remaining wrappers, filling and soup gelatin and place the dumplings on the sheet pan. (You can freeze the dumplings at this point and steam them directly from the freezer.)
• To steam the dumplings, line a bamboo steamer with cabbage leaves or parchment paper with a few holes cut out. Place a single layer of dumplings in the steamer, leaving a bit of room between them, then set the steamer over a pot of boiling water. Steam in batches until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. (Alternately, line a plate with cabbage or parchment. Place in a pot of boiling water, making sure the water doesn't cover the plate; cook 8 to 10 minutes.)
• Let the dumplings cool slightly, then enjoy with a sauce of equal parts vinegar and soy sauce with sambal oelek to taste.

LAZY PORK DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Combine flour, salt, and water in a bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until dough comes together in a sticky ball. Sprinkle in more flour and knead by hand, adding more flour as needed, until soft and supple. Wrap in plastic and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Combine ground pork, garlic, ginger, green onions, and chives in bowl. Season with salt, pepper, gochugaru, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Mix together using two forks just until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Mix vinegar, soy sauce, and gochugaru into the chicken broth and set aside.
• Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll one piece into a rope about the thickness of your thumb. Using a rolling pin, flatten into a long, thin band about 3 inches wide, flouring only as needed. Dust the top with flour and flip over. Dip your fingers in some water and lightly brush the surface until slightly sticky.
• Use moistened fingers to line about 1/4 of the pork filling across the dough. Fold dough over the whole length, pressing it down over the meat. Trim off excess dough if desired. Dust a little more flour on top and roll over so seam side is on the bottom. Divide into 16 pieces using the edge of your hand, then a bench scraper to cut. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
• Heat oil in a pan over high heat. Cook dumplings in batches, seam-side up, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Pour in a portion of the broth and bring to a boil. Cover and continue to boil until pork is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Pour dumplings with broth into serving bowls.