Here’s how to make dumplings

Dumplings have a long and rich history in Chinese culture. They were purportedly invented by Zhang Zhongjian, who, during the Han Dynasty, returned to his village in the winter to find many people suffering from frostbite. As a remedy, he wrapped herbs, chili and mutton in dough, folded them to look like gold nuggets and boiled them before serving them to fellow villagers. Since then, dumplings have become an iconic Chinese delicacy that has been celebrated globally.

If you can’t get enough of these savory, bite-sized treats and want to make them at home, don’t worry — we got you. In the video above, and in celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, In The Know’s Poppy Shen recently shared her mother’s pork-and-mushroom dumpling recipe. The full list of ingredients and instructions are below.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. of ground pork
  • 1 cup of mushrooms
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tsp. of ginger
  • 1 head of scallion
  • 1 pack of readymade dumpling skin
  • 1 tbsp. of soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp. of sesame oil
  • 1 egg

Instructions

  • Dice and mince the mushrooms, garlic and scallion.
  • Mix the mushrooms, garlic, scallion, ground pork, ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil in a bowl.
  • Add the egg to ensure that the filling is moist.
  • Stir until the filling is soft.
  • Lay out the dumpling skins and add a spoonful of the filling to the center of each skin.
  • Wet the edges of the skin with water.
  • Fold the skin, along with its filling, in half while, leaving the ends open.
  • Beginning with one corner, make pleats until you reach the other corner.
  • Heat your pan using medium heat. Make sure you coat your pan with oil so that the dumplings don’t stick to the pan.
  • Place your dumplings evenly onto the pan.
  • Let the dumplings sit in the pan between one and two minutes or until the bottom of the dumplings are golden.
  • Add just enough water to the pan so that it covers a third of the dumplings.
  • Use a lid to cover the pan, but leave space for water to evaporate.
  • Let the dumplings cook for five to seven minutes.

And voila, there you have it. Now, you can eat dumplings from the comfort of your own home!

If you enjoyed this recipe, you might want to check out these Japanese snacks.

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