I’ve been trying to make foods that freeze well so that we have a stock pile of food for after the baby arrives. I’ve heard that the first few months are tough. No time for cleaning. No time for laundry. Certainly, no time to make elaborate meals. Knowing me and Lon, we won’t be satisfied with ordering take-out. We want the home-made and wholesome meals we’re used to. I’ve already frozen some lasagna and some scones but time is running out and I need to get more in that freezer.

dumplings with chopsticks

One of the best foods to freeze has got to be dumplings. Both of us love dumplings, particularly the ones with chives. Pork, Shrimp, and Chive is a classic filling and this recipe is how my mom makes it. It has that familiar and comforting flavor I grew up with. I could eat these endlessly. For the dough, I adapted a method from Andrea Nguyen’s book, Asian Dumplings. Intrigued by her use of a food processor (something my mom does not own), her quick method turns out a very nice chewy dough, just the way I like it. For an even quicker method, you can also buy dumpling skins.

When you make fresh dumplings, it’s hard to resist eating them right away so we polished off about half. That left us with only about two dozen to freeze. Now I wish I made more!

bitten dumpling 2

Pork, Shrimp, and Chive Dumplings
~4 dozen dumplings

dough

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 9 oz just boiled water (30 seconds to 2 minutes after removed from heat)

filling

  • 12 oz ground pork
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup chopped Chinese chives
  • 1/2 cup chopped shrimp (roughly 1/2″ pieces)

Instructions –

1. Put the flour in a food processor. While the processor is running, pour the hot water in a steady stream through the feed tube. Once all the water is added, stop and check the dough. The dough should feel soft but hold shape when pinched. You can add a teaspoon of water or a tablespoon of flour as necessary. When the dough is right, run the food processor for another 5 to 10 seconds, or until the dough forms a ball.

2. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface (should not need to flour it) and knead for 30 seconds with the heel of your hand. The dough should be almost smooth and elastic enough to bounce back slowly. A faint finger impression may remain. Put the dough in a seal-able (zip) plastic bag, removing excess air. Set aside in room temperature for 30 minutes to 2 hours. (You will see the dough steam up the bag.)

3. While the dough is resting, you can make the filling. In a large bowl, combine pork, soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt. Stir in chives and shrimp. Cover and refrigerate until dough is ready.

pork, shirmp, and chive filling 2

4. When the dough is ready, divide it in half. Place half back in the sealed plastic bag while you work on the first half. Roll the dough into a 1″ diameter log.

5. Cut the log in half, then in half again and again, until that 1″ log makes 24 equal pieces. Keep all of it under a damp paper towel while you work on each dumpling.

6. To roll out dumpling wrapper, flatten one of those 24 pieces on a lightly floured surface with the palm of your hand, trying to keep it circular. Roll it out into a 2 3/4″ – 3″ circle. (Tip: roll the edges thinner than the center because edges will be brought together forming a double layer.)

rolling out dumpling wrappers 2

7. Place some filling in the center of the dumpling wrapper. You will get a sense of how much to put as you wrap. You want the dumplings to be plump but not so full that you have difficulty wrapping. Watch the video for how to wrap the dumpling. There are many methods. This is just one.

8. Place wrapped dumplings on a lightly floured tray while you wrap the rest.

raw dumplings 2

9. When you’re done with the first 24 dumplings, you repeat the process with the remaining dough in the sealed plastic bag, making another 24.

10. To cook the dumplings, place them in a large pot of boiling water. Stir for a few seconds. When the water comes back to a boil, add a cup of cold water and allow to come back to a boil. Add another cup of cold water and wait for the water to boil again. Turn down to a simmer and cook until dumplings are floating. Drain and serve immediately.

dumplings with chopsticks 2

*Alternatively, you can freeze the dumplings for future use. Freeze the tray of wrapped dumplings for 1 hour. They should now be stiff and you can transfer them to a zipper top freezer bag. When you’re ready to cook, you can cook the same way as before.

posted by jessica at 11:50 AM Filed under Chinese, Recipes, Video. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.