Pork Dumplings with Ginger Dipping Sauce

Here we are again, this is Dacia and I trying our hand at more Asian recipes. For our appetizer we made Coconut Shrimp with Sweet Chili Mayo - AMAZING and simple, click the link to read that post.

For our entree we made some delish Pork Dumplings with a Ginger Dipping Sauce. Recipe courtesy of Dining with the Duchess.

For the dumplings you will need 1/2 lb lean ground pork, 1 scallion, 1 T soy sauce, 1 T sesame oil, 1 t cornstarch, 1 t dry sherry, 1 t grated peeled ginger root, 1 garlic clove and wonton skins.

For the Ginger Dipping Sauce you will need 1/4 cup red-wine vinegar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 T sugar, 1 T sesame oil, 1 scallion, thinly sliced, 2 t grated peeled ginger root, 1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes.

Here is the "superior" soy sauce we purchased at the Asian food market.

Simply combine all the ingredients for the sauce, stir until the sugar dissolves and set aside.

Picture of Dacia grating the ginger on a micro-plane zester.

For the dumplings, we begin by placing 1/2 pound lean pork in a large bowl.

Add 1 T soy sauce.

Finely mince 1 scallion and add to bowl.

Add 1 T Asian sesame oil.

Add 1 t cornstarch.

Add 1 t dry sherry.

1 minced garlic clove and 1 t grated ginger root.

Mix with your hands until well combined. This next part is super easy, but a little time consuming and it was extra nice to have a friend in the kitchen to help put together the dumplings.

We made a slurry of cornstarch and water in a little bowl.

Using you fingers, dip into the slurry and then wipe the outsides of the wonton skins to moisten.

Add a very small amount of the pork mixture to the center of the wonton. This is maybe 1 t.

Fold corner to corner, pressing out any air bubbles and seal. Next place completed dumplings on a plate covered with plastic wrap so they don't dry out before you boil them.

We made lots and lots of dumplings from just a 1/2 lb of ground pork.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the wontons in batches - note that if you add too many at once they may stick together, so work with small batches. Stir gently with a wooden spoon and bring back to a boil; boil for five minutes.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the wontons to a platter. Serve with the dipping sauce.

We all loved these. The pork was flavorful and cooked through (important) and the sauce that we made was just perfect for this dish. I will be making these again, but may always insist on having a friend in the kitchen with me.