Pan-fried pork and chilli dumplings with chilli infused red vinegar

These make great party nibbles. Serve them on a platter with the dipping sauce or serve them individually on ceramic Chinese soup spoons, drizzle each with a little sauce.

Credit: Petrina Tinslay

• makes

  48

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 500 g pork mince
• ½ cup chopped garlic chives
• 2 tbsp soy
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp finely julienned ginger
• 1 tbsp chilli jam
• 2 small red chillies, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 2 packets round dumpling wrappers
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• ¾ cup water
• ¼ cup Chinese red vinegar
• 1 large red chilli, finely sliced on the diagonal
• black sesame seeds, to garnish

Level of heat mild

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl combine the pork mince, garlic chives, soy, sesame oil, ginger, chilli jam, chopped chilli, and cornflour. Mix well.

To make the dumplings place a dumpling wrapper in the palm of one hand and brush around the entire edge lightly with water.

Place a teaspoonful of the pork mixture onto the centre of each wrapper and fold the wrapper in half to enclose the pork. Pleat and seal the top layer of the wrapper 3 times towards the centre on each side of the dumpling. Pleating only the top layer of the wrapper will cause the dumpling to get that crescent shape. Press the sides together firmly and place on a lined tray. Lightly cover to prevent the wrappers from drying out and refrigerate until ready to cook. These can be assembled several hours before they are needed.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan with a tight fitting lid, over a medium heat. Add the oil and arrange all of the dumplings over the base of the pan-fry for 1-2 minutes or until the wrappers are golden on the base only.

Pour over ¾ cup of water or just enough to come ⅓ of the way up the side of the dumpling. Cover tightly with the lid and cook for 6–8 minutes.

Remove the lid and cook for another 1-2 minutes to evaporate any remaining water.

Combine the Chinese vinegar with the sliced chilli and serve alongside the dumplings. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds and serve immediately.

the food dept. fact

• The raw dumplings can be frozen for up to 1 month. Cook the frozen dumplings while still frozen and allow an extra 5 minutes with the lid on to ensure they dumplings are cooked through.

Photography by Petrina Tinslay, styling by David Morgan and art direction by Anne Marie Cummins.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.