You may think ordering Chinese food consists of orange chicken, Mushu pork, and fortune cookies. This is not reality, though. The reality is that making dumplings is one way you can enjoy true, authentic Chinese cuisine.
But how does one make dumplings? And what is the difference between soup dumplings and a regular dumpling?
Fear not: today you will learn how to make dumplings that your friends will love. Read on to start your learning journey!
Make Homemade Dumplings: Wraps and Skins
First, you will need to make the dumpling wrappers and skins. Some may find this process tedious, but it is one way you and some loved ones can make an activity out of an afternoon.
The result? Delicious, homemade dumplings will be part of your dinner. Here are the steps on how to create your dumpling wrap or skin.
Step 1: Put Flour in a Bowl with Hot Water
More specifically, you will need about 1 cup of flour in the bowl.
Then, make a hole in the center of the flour. From there, you will need to pour in 75 ml of hot water. This is to help with the next step.
Step 2: Knead the Flour and Water Together
Then, you will knead the flour and hot water together until it is a ball. Do this with your fingers and hands, not with any special machinery.
After it is a ball, you can then knead it flat. To do this, you will need to put a small amount of dusted flour on a flat surface. Then, knead the flour flat and smooth.
Step 3: Separate Your Portions
Now that the flour is smooth, you can divide it into your dumpling portion sizes. Shoot for 12-15 sections when making dumplings.
You want these individual sections to be about 10 cm long as a circle, with a depth of about 1.5-2 millimeters.
Next comes the fillings!
Time to Fill Those Homemade Dumplings
Making dumplings of course means putting filling in them! For Asian dumplings, specifically Chinese dumplings, there are some different flavors and ways to prepare the filling inside.
Most Chinese dumplings are filled with meat and sometimes mixed with vegetables too. You can try one of the following:
- pork and chives
- egg and chives
- prawns
- pork and prawns
There are many other combinations, but these are some of the more popular ones if you are wanting more ethnic dumplings that taste as though they came right from China.
Mix your fillings together into a large bowl. It should be well-mixed for ultimate flavor. After that, it is time to assemble and fold the dumplings together.
Fold the Dumplings Together
Once your filling is ready, it’s time to put the dumplings together!
In your flattened flour sections, you will need to deposit about one teaspoon of your filling mixture into each of them.
Then, you need to fold them together.
How to Fold Homemade Dumplings
To fold your dumplings, you will need to make sure your fingers are wettened. You will run a finger over the edge of the flour circle.
From there, fold the flour wrap over the filling and join the other side to it. You can seal it by pleating the circle edges together. It should create a somewhat semi-circle.
Making Dumplings: Steaming or Frying?
The big question when making dumplings is whether you should steam or fry them to completion.
Both are delicious and have their pros and cons. Let’s take a deeper look.
Steaming Dumplings
You can steam your homemade dumplings to cook them. Most people don’t own a steamer, though, so here’s an alternative method for steaming dumplings.
Frying Dumplings
Frying dumplings is an easy way to cook your homemade dumplings thoroughly. You can fry all sides of the dumpling for the best tasting.
Here are some instructions on how to fry your dumplings.
Pan-Fried Dumplings: Mmm!
Have the best of both worlds with pan-fried dumplings. Fried golden brown on the bottom and steamed through on the top, these are sure to satisfy your hungry stomach.
First, you will need an oil-slicked, non-stick pan. Turn your heat between medium and high.
Next, you will want to place the bottom of the dumplings down in the pan. The edge you pleated together should face up. Make sure you don’t overcrowd the pan.
After that, give your dumplings three minutes tops (maybe longer if you are cooking on lower heat) to cook through. Finally, you can enjoy your meal!
What About Soup Dumplings?
Soup dumplings also called xiao long bao in Chinese, are a little more complicated to prepare, though they can have some very delicious fillings on the inside.
The reason they are complicated to prepare is due to the added element of “soup” to the dumplings. While it is not actually soup but more like the meat broth from the filling, it can make the process more suited for a skilled chef rather than someone just learning how to make dumplings.
In addition, they require a different, more complex folding technique than regular dumplings.
That’s why buying XCJ frozen xiao long bao may be the easiest option. Then, you just have to prepare the xiao long boa from frozen rather than from scratch.
Otherwise, you can prepare regular dumplings with the instructions in this article.
Try Making Dumplings Today
Now that you know the process to make basic homemade dumplings, you can practice. Once your practice is perfected, you can “wow” your dinner guests with your making dumplings skills! Are you looking for more advice on food preparation or even recipes? Then give the rest of our website a peek!