Pork and Shrimp Dumplings

After watching Disney Pixar’s short animated file Bao, my little girl asked to make dumplings together. This request warmed my heart as it is normally me making the suggestions and them coming along for the ride. This is a great family activity and it is a simple one to do with the kids. It will keep them occupied for an hour or so before lunch. While the dumplings may not be the best looking, it is time well spent together. We definitely got a lot of laughter and dumplings that exploded due to too much filling and some that did not have enough. We will perfect it one day.

INGREDIENTS:

1. 1 pkg. dumpling wrappers – I like to keep it simple, however, there are recipes out there to make the wrappers from scratch.
2. 1 lb. ground pork – you will need fat in the meat to make the dumplings juicy
3. 1/2 lb. shrimp – peeled, and chopped to small pieces
4. 1lbs Napa cabbage shredded
5. 1 tbsp. finely chopped ginger
6. 1 tbsp. finely chopped garlic
7. 1/4 tsp. white pepper
8. 1/4 tsp. salt
9. 2 tbsp. sesame oil
10. 2 tbsp. light soya sauce

INSTRUCTIONS:

Prepare the filling:

Combine all the ingredients together and stir well with a spatula. Combining the ingredients and thoroughly mixing is essential so that the filling will stay together when wrapping. Cover and set aside to allow it to marinate in the fridge until you are ready to wrap the dumplings. Set aside for a minimum of 30 minutes in the fridge.

Wrap the dumplings:

1. Scoop a small amount of the filling onto the wrapper.
2. Dip your finger in a bowl of room temperature water and wet around the outer edges of the wrap.
3. Fold both sides of the wrapper together making a half moon and then pleat to fold/close tight.

Boiled Dumplings:
We like to enjoy our dumplings boiled. There are recipes out there that steam or pan fry their dumplings which are very tasty as well.

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil
2. Slowly add the dumplings one at a time and stir so that the dumplings do not stick together
3. Wait until the water is boiling again and the dumplings are floating to the surface
4. Add 1 cup of cold water and wait for the water to boil again
5. The dumplings are ready to be removed. Transfer to a plate. Note: If you over cook the dumplings, the wrapper will become soggy and fall apart.)
6. Dumplings can be eaten alone or served with Udon/Ramen Noodles.