Steamed Pork Dumplings

Method

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1. Mix the flour, salt and warm water into a shaggy dough, then knead 8 minutes until smooth. Cover and rest 45 minutes — this relaxes the gluten so the wrappers roll thin without springing back.

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2. Toss the chopped cabbage with 1 teaspoon of the salt, leave 15 minutes, then squeeze out as much water as you can.

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3. Put the pork in a bowl with the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, ginger, white pepper and remaining salt. Stir vigorously in one direction, adding the cold stock a tablespoon at a time, until it is absorbed and the mixture is sticky and glossy — about 4 minutes.

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4. Fold in the cabbage, spring onions and sesame oil. Chill 30 minutes.

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5. Roll the dough into two long ropes and cut into 10 g pieces. Press each flat and roll into an 8 cm circle, rotating as you go and keeping the centre slightly thicker than the rim.

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6. Place a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre. Fold in half and pinch the middle, then make four or five pleats along the front edge only, pressing each onto the flat back.

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7. Set the finished dumplings on a floured tray with a flat base so they stand up.

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8. To steam, line a bamboo steamer with baking paper or cabbage leaves and steam over boiling water for 10 minutes.

   Mark done Start 10 min timer

9. Mix the dipping sauce and serve the dumplings immediately, while the wrappers are still translucent and springy.

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Chef’s Tips

• Stir the filling in one direction only. Reversing breaks the protein network and the emulsion collapses.
• Keep unrolled dough and finished dumplings covered; they dry out within minutes.
• Freeze on the tray until solid, then bag. Cook from frozen, adding 3 minutes.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• A pinch of dried chilli flakes works in place of fresh chilli — start with about a third of the quantity the chilli in the list implies, since dried chilli is more concentrated, and add more to taste.
• A quarter-teaspoon of ground ginger per tablespoon of fresh is the standard ratio if you are working from the spice rack rather than a fresh root.

Pairing Suggestions

• A cold lager or jasmine tea
• Serve with smashed cucumber salad
• Finish with orange segments

Storage & Reheating

Uncooked dumplings freeze 3 months. Cooked ones keep 2 days; pan-fry rather than re-steam to revive them.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.