New Year Dumplings

Serves 2 - 4

Ingredients:

½ pound (227 g) Napa cabbage, roughly chopped (any produce vendor)

½ pound (227 g) ground pork (Tenderland Meats)

4 green onions, trimmed and finely sliced into rounds (any produce vendor)

1 garlic clove, minced (any produce vendor)

1 tbsp (15 ml) finely grated, fresh ginger (any produce vendor)

2 tbsp (30 ml) regular soy sauce (South China Seas Trading Co.)

1 tbsp (15 ml) Shaoxing wine

1 tsp (5 ml) cornstarch (The Grainry)

½ tsp (2 ml) toasted sesame oil (South China Seas Trading Co.)

¼ tsp (1 ml) freshly ground white pepper (The Grainry)

1 package round dumpling wrappers (South China Seas Trading Co.)

Water, for forming dumplings

Sauce: ¼ cup (60 ml) regular soy sauce (South China Seas Trading Co.)

2 tbsp (30 ml) unseasoned rice vinegar (South China Seas Trading Co.)

1 green onion, white part only thinly sliced (any produce vendor)

¼ tsp (1 ml) toasted sesame seeds (The Grainry)

½ tsp (2 ml) chili oil, optional (South China Seas Trading Co.)

Instructions:

1. Start by making the dumpling filling. Pulse cabbage in a food processor until finely chopped, but not puréed.

2. Place cabbage in a clean kitchen towel, and squeeze it to remove any excess liquid.

3. Transfer to a large bowl along with pork, green onions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, cornstarch, sesame oil, and pepper.

4. Working with one dumpling wrapper at a time, hold wrapper flat in the palm of your hand. Place 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of filling in the center of wrapper.

5. Wet edges of wrapper and fold over filling to form a half-moon shape, pressing out any excess air as you seal edges of dumpling together.

6. Use your fingers to pinch pleats around edge of the half circle.

7. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and repeat until all wrappers and filling are used up.

8. To fry dumplings, heat about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Swirl warm oil over bottom of pan before adding dumplings in a single layer, taking care that they don’t touch each other.

9. Add enough water to reach half way up dumplings, cover and cook until water has evaporated and bottoms of dumpling have crisped and browned.

10. While dumplings are cooking, whisk together dipping sauce ingredients.

11. Serve dumplings hot with dipping sauce on the side.

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