Chinese Pan-Fried Dumplings

Pork and water chestnut filling

• 250g pork mince
• 225g tin water chestnuts, drained and coarsely grated
• 25g ginger, grated
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cornflour

Wrapping and cooking

• 30 round dumpling wrappers (gow gee pastry)
• Oil
• Light soy sauce (to serve)

Method

1. Place all the filling ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined (hands are best for this).
2. Place a heaped teaspoon of the filling in the centre of each wrapper. Wet the edge and form into shape, push out any air and seal.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and arrange the dumplings neatly in the hot pan. Add water to 1/3 the height of the dumplings (1-2cm). Place the lid on the pan and steam the dumplings for about 8-10 minutes.
4. Remove the lid and allow any remaining liquid to evaporate. The oil that remains will crisp the bottoms - keep your eye on them at this stage so they don’t burn.
5. Serve with light soy sauce for dipping.

A note about folding

The simplest way to shape the dumplings is to fold in half, wet one edge with water and press together to create a half-moon shape. For the photo above the ends were then folded in and pressed together, this was done simply to create more room in the pan. The authentic way to fold dumplings is to create the half-moon shape and pleat the top edge before sealing.