Playdate Special: Dumplings

Dumplings are a fun and easy introduction to Chinese food for kids to make and eat. Store-bought dough works fine, but freshly homemade dough can be a great family activity on a leisurely Sunday afternoon. A traditional filling is a ground pork and shredded cabbage combo; other variations depend on personal preference for types of meat, vegetables, and seasoning. I usually opt for the basic ground pork and shredded cabbage with minimal seasoning since we like making our own dipping sauces.

A delightful wrapped food, dumplings can be served as an appetizer, a side, or main dish, depending on the number of pieces you plan to serve. Dumplings can be eaten any season, but are especially ubiquitous at Lunar New Year festivities. Now that I am a mother, wrapping and eating dumplings has become a wonderful new year tradition for my family.

Dumplings

2 packs of dumpling skin
1 pound ground pork
1 large napa cabbage, shredded
2 stalks scallion, diced
½ inch ginger root, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 small bowl of water

Start boiling a large pot of water. In a large bowl, put in ground pork and mix in all seasoning. Toss in cabbage and mix until combined. Put one dough sheet in one hand, and scoop approximately 1 tablespoon of filling onto the center of the dough sheet. Dip finger of the free hand in water bowl to wet finger, then with wet finger trace the outer edge of the dough to moisten the sheet. With free hand, fold sheet in half and gently press the edges shut. For the advanced dumpling wrapper, you can make different creases to create unique wrapping styles.

Lower about 20 wrapped dumplings gently into the boiling water and wait for water to come to boil again. Pour in 2 cups of water and wait for water to come to boil again. Boil for 5 more minutes, or until the dumplings float to the top. Scoop out with a slotted spoon to drain off excess water and put on a large platter. Repeat until all dumplings are cooked. Serve with preferred dipping sauce.