Filling Ingredients
300g pork mince
200g Chinese chives
150g Tofu
20g ground/finely chopped ginger
30g finely chopped spring onion
40g light soy sauce
2-3g salt
2g sugar
5g Chinese 5/13 spice powder
10g Sichuan peppercorns
Dumpling skin ingredients:
High gluten wheat flour 500g
Water 260g
Method
1. Make your own Sichuan peppercorn oil
Heat up the sunflower oil then add the Sichuan peppercorns and stir until you can smell the fragrance of the Sichuan peppercorns infusing with the oil (this normally takes about 1minute). Once this is done, separate the peppercorns from the oil and leave the oil to cool down.
2. Make the dough
Add the flour and water to a large mixing bowl and mix together by hand until it forms a smooth dough. Cover the bowl and leave for 15-20 minutes.
3. Mix the filling
Mix all the filling ingredients together and stir in a clockwise motion for 5 minutes until thoroughly mixed.
4. Make dumpling skins
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, then knead and shape it long rope shape about 3-4cm in diameter. Cut the dough into 2cm thick pieces (12g), and roll each piece in to a ball. Flatten each ball with your hand and use a rolling pin to flatten it further in to a thin disc (8cm-9cm diameter) with 2mm thick in the centre and 1mm thick on all around the edges.
5. Fold dumpling skins
Add 1 tsp of filling to the centre of each dumpling skin and fold, pressing together the edges of the dough to seal in the filling.
6. Poached dumplings
Boil half pot of water and add the dumplings in, making sure they are submerged and separated. Occasionally stir the water to stop the dumplings sticking together. Place a lid on the pot and boil for 2 minutes. Next, remove the lid, add a bit cold water and continue to boil in the open pot for another 3 minutes. Add another dash of cold water then boil for a further 3 minutes until all the dumplings are floating. Remove the dumplings and leave on side to drain the water for 5 minutes. They are now ready to fry.
7. Crisped dumplings
Pour 10-15g of any cooking oil in a flat frying pan, and place over on a medium heat, add the poached dumplings in, leave some space between each dumpling, fry them from side to side until they have a nice golden crispy skin, normally, it takes 5-8 minutes.
8. Make your dipping sauce
In north of China, people like have their poached dumplings with a dipping sauce made of black rice vinegar, a little bit of light soy sauce and sesame oil or some Chilli oil.
It’s ready to eat!
