Pork & Kimchi Dumplings
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Intro
This is my first original dumpling recipe! This recipe isn’t in the Heritage section, though, because there are Korean ingredients and isn’t based on any “authentic” dish although I’ll be applying some key traditional dumpling making methods as I do in My Mom’s Dumpling Recipe. I’m hoping this isn’t appropriating from Korean culture and that definitely wasn’t the intent; I just really like the flavor combination of pork, gochujang (sweet & a tiny bit spicy), kimchi (tangy), and sesame oil (umami). This dumpling is also super juicy once pan fried, so that’s an extra bonus!
For the kimchi, though — make sure to squeeze as much liquid out of it as possible otherwise you’ll end up with very crumbly, watery, and sad dumplings plus the flavor from that liquid would make the dumpling overly vinegary.
I didn’t have a lot of process photos from the first time I made this recipe, but I made this for a group of friends recently so I’ll add those pictures instead (:
What You'll Need
Like all dumplings, the yield will vary depend on your dumpling wrapper size and dumpling wrapping skills; the below recipe made about 58 dumplings, which was enough for 5 - 6 people~
2 lbs ground pork ^
3 cups of Napa cabbage kimchi, strained & chopped #
2 tsp Himalayan pink salt (or Kosher salt)
¼ cup gochujang
¼ cup toasted sesame oil
For wrapping: dumpling wrappers, a flat tray, a small bowl of cold water and 1 TBSP of cornstarch or flour mixed in (to seal dumplings)
For cooking: any neutral-tasting cooking oil that can handle high heat (e.g. organic canola, grapeseed) and ½ cup of cold water for every 12 - 1 5 dumplings you fry
^ Do NOT use lean ground pork; I bought the standard ground pork, which the butcher told me is usually ~ 30% fat
# Once strained of liquid, came out to ~ 2 cups of chopped kimchi and 1 cup of liquid
Instructions
Making the dumplings:
Strain the kimchi of the brining liquid — I used my hands to really squeeze as much of the liquid out of the kimchi as possible; discard the liquid and then split the stems from the leaves; finely dice the stems and give the leaves a rough chop *
In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients except for the wrappers and vigorously mix, trying to achieve the same “primary bind” in the meat as my Heritage dumpling recipe; once this is achieved, let the filling cool in the fridge for at least 1 hour
Once the filling has chilled, wrap your dumplings!
* You want to dice the stems as small as possible; for context, you want to make sure the kimchi is chopped small enough that when you bite into a dumpling you’re not getting long strands of leaves or giant chunks of stem
Cook the dumplings:
I think the only way to make these is to steam/fry them; boiling these would be a waste because the filling is so juicy + eating such a hearty dumpling with a nice crisp from frying is amazing
Heat up a large skillet over medium heat and add enough oil to coat the bottom; add enough dumplings to comfortably fill the skillet without overcrowding (ideally they wouldn’t be touching; I usually fry 12 - 15 at a time)
Let the dumplings fry for at least 3 minutes, add your ½ cup of cold water into the skillet and cover the dumplings; let these steam until the water is completely absorbed and then uncover the dumplings; let them continue to fry for about another 5 minutes or until the bottoms are nice and crispy
Repeat for remaining batches OR put your flat tray of leftover dumplings directly into the freezer for at least 1 hour and then store them in large Ziplocs in the freezer; the cooking method is the same whether from frozen or fresh, it will just take longer if you’re cooking from frozen
How to Enjoy!
I don’t think these dumplings need any additional sauce because the filling is well salted & spiced already plus the filling ingredients make them really juicy. Any additional sauce would make these too salty or just be lost in the flavors already present.
These dumplings are on the heavier and heartier side, so I usually make a quick pickled turnip, a lightly blanched and then chilled broccoli side drizzled with toasted sesame oil and salt to taste, and/or a simple salad. A hoppy IPA or toasted amber ale would go nicely with these as well (:
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