Pork Dumplings & Pot Stickers Recipe

One of the most interesting discovery my friend and I did a year ago was exploring Manila’s Chinatown on foot and enjoying a promenade gastronomy. I have been hearing a lot of raves about dining and eating in Binondo but it was only last year I discovered it. I remember, when we were kids my dad used to bring us to Ma Mon Luk for a hot mami (hot noodle soup) and siopao but it was amazing how Chinatown has changed in so many years. I was really surprised to discover so many secret food kiosk to try in Manila’s Chinatown, afterall wikipedia says that it is in fact the oldest Chinatown built outside China. Of all the food that I have tasted it is dumplings that i love the most. I spent a year in a dormitory sharing a room with a Chinese girl and I always see her prepare these type of dumplings. These dumplings or pot stickers (fried dumplings) are easy to do and will sure impress everyone else.

Ingredients:

for the dumpling dough

rice flour + warm water (proportion is 2 is to 1)

some flour for dusting

Procedure:

The rule is simple in making your dough: the flour is always twice the measurement of your warm water. So 2 cups of flour then add a cup of warm water. Mix them well using your hand. When the dough doesnt stick to your fingers anymore it is ready. Put some flour on the table for easy handling. You can use a mouth of a glass to trace the circle you will be needing.

Ingredients:

Filling:

250g of ground pork

100 g of chopped chives

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

salt, pepper, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of flour

grated ginger aobut 1 tsp

Procedure:

Mix in a bowl all your ingredients including salt and pepper. Then get your prepared dough put a teaspoon of your filling and close it gently with a some water. Continue dusting with flour all the prepared dumplings. You can steam them for about ten minutes or fry them. If you want to fry them better use a non stick pan. Arrange your dumplings in a non-stick pan and pour some water. Do not submerge the dumplings just enough to boil it for a while about 5 minutes. When it dries up, add some oil and let it change into a golden brown color. Be sure to cover it during the boiling and frying time. Kain na!

The recipe is a pork dumpling if you want a vegetarian recipe just take off the meat and replace it with some more vegetables like mushrooms and leeks.