Beef Dumplings

Growing up in an Asian household, we always had dumplings on hand (either homemade or store-bought). Making them at home forced us to learn a tradition and to spend time with each other. In the past, I would watch my grandma make these delectable pockets of joy, and now I'm the one making them for her. They could easily be eaten boiled, steamed, added to soup, pan-fried, or if you're feeling fancy and have a lot of oil to spare, deep-fried. However you like your dumplings, we hope you enjoy ours! Happy eating!  

Yield (depends on how much you stuff your dumplings) 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef 
  
• 2 lb chives, chopped  
• 2 packages of store-bought dumpling wrappers  
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp sweet soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp shaoxing wine or mirin 
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil 
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper 
• 1/2 tsp sugar 
• water

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl except water. Mix until thoroughly combined.  Set aside to let marinade for at least half hour.
2. To wrap the dumplings, dampen the edges of each dumpling wrapper and fill with ~1Tbsp filling. Fold into desired shape and make sure to seal completely. (There is no wrong way to fold your dumplings!). Once done wrapping each dumpling, place them on parchment paper or on a dish dusted with some starch to prevent sticking. When placing dumplings together, make sure they don't touch each other to avoid sticking as well. Repeat until all filling and/or wrappers are used.
3. Cook and serve:
1. To boil: add them to boiling water. Once the water boils again, add 1/2 cup water and let boil again. Repeat and serve. 
2. To pan-fry: add 2 Tbsp of oil to a non-heated pan (this will prevent oil from splattering). Arrange dumplings so they are not touching each other to avoid sticking. Once all dumplings are arranged in the pan, add enough water to cover the dumplings about halfway with water. Turn on heat to medium high and cook until most of the water is absorbed. Once the water is mostly absorbed, turn the heat to low and cook until golden or to desired crispiness. Let cool and serve. 

Other Notes:

- Upgrade your dumplings by using our previous Bulgogi as your filling to make Bulgogi Dumplings! 

- Use fattier percentages of ground meat for a more flavorful filling, or try using other ground meats such as pork, chicken or even fish! Fish will taste lighter and may not need as many seasonings. 

- Adjust the vegetable to meat ratio according to your liking 

- Explore with other vegetable options. However, when using leafy green vegetables or cabbage, quickly blanche them in boiling water to soften them to add to filling. Other vegetable ideas include mushrooms and corn. 

- These dumplings can be made in a big batch and frozen before they are cooked. Once fully frozen, you can place them in freezer-safe ziploc bags to store in the freezer. No need the thaw before cooking. 

- These dumplings can be eaten as is, in soup or paired with your dumpling sauce. We like to eat ours with a vinaigrette made from soy sauce, scallions, garlic, and rice wine vinegar.