Fried Chicken Dumplings with Sweet Chili & Soy Sauce
Vanessa Vermaak
These homemade Chicken Dumplings are definitely a labour of love. They take quite a bit of prep but the flavour and freshness is so worth it. I love the crunch added by the nuts to the soft, fragrant filling. The dumplings themselves are also a textural feast. And then the dipping sauce... Slightly salty, a bit nutty, a little sweet and spicy. Utterly delicious.
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack
Servings 36dumplings
Ingredients
Dipping Sauce
3TbspSoy Sauce (low sodium)
2tspLime juice or rice vinegar
1Spring onion / salad onion, green only finely sliced
1tspToasted Sesame Oil*
⅓CupSweet Chili Sauce
Sesame Seeds to garnish
Dough
4CupsAll-Purpose/Cake Flour
1¼CupsHot water
½tspSalt
Filling
300gramsShredded green cabbage
2tspSalt
400gramsMinced/Ground Chickenor pork
3Spring onions / salad onionsfinely sliced
2tspFinely grated fresh ginger
2Cloves of garlic (crushed)
½CupCashew nuts, finely chopped
3tspToasted Sesame Oil*
2tspSoy Sauce (low sodium)
2tspLime juice or rice vinegar
2TbspSweet Chili Sauce
1tspSugar
Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
Toasted Sesame Oil*
Place a small saucepan on medium heat. Heat the pan, then add the 4 teaspoons of sesame oil to the pan to toast
Keep swirling or stirring the oil as not to let it burn. When it becomes golden brown in colour, it is toasted and ready
Remove from the heat and set aside
Dipping Sauce
Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. The sauce will build more flavor the longer it sits
Dough
Combine the flour water and salt in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Knead the dough by hand or with the dough hook attachment on your stand mixer until a smooth ball of dough forms, around 3 minutes or so
If you are kneading by hand, ensure that your surface is well floured to prevent sticking
Tightly wrap the dough in plastic wrap or similar and set aside to rest for 30 minutes
Filling
Combine the shredded cabbage and the salt and place in a colander over a bowl. Set aside for about 30 minutes to allow the salt to extract the moisture from the cabbage
After 30 minutes place the cabbage on a clean tea towel and wring out any excess moisture
Next, add the cabbage to a large bowl and add all the remaining filling ingredients, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine well and set aside
Assembly
Roll half of the dough on a floured surface until thin. Cut the dough into rounds (around 8 - 10cm in diameter) Feel free to make mini dumplings if you wish, in that case you might want to halve the recipe
Fill each round with 1 to 2 teaspoons of filling. Fold to create a half moon shape, then pinch/crimp the edges together with your fingers. Try to ensure no air is trapped inside and that they are sealed well to ensure they don't pop or the filling doesn't leak out while cooking
Continue until all the rounds are filled, then do the same with the remaining dough and filling
Cooking method 1:
Add a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil to a large high sided pan and place on medium heat. When hot, add the dumplings and brown on one side for around 3 minutes
Carefully add ¼ cup of water to the pan, taking care not to burn as the oil could splatter. Cover the pan and decrease the heat to low. Steam the dumplings for about 6 minutes
Uncover the pan, increase the heat to medium, and cook another 3 minutes or so until the bottoms are crisp. You may need to cook the dumplings in batches, depending on the size of your pan
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and more spring onions if desired. Serve with dipping sauce and enjoy!
Cooking method 2:**
Add the dumplings to a large pot of salted boiling water. Once the dumplings float to the surface, cook them for around 5 minutes then remove them from the water and drain well. You may also need to do this in batches
Add a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil to a large pan and place on medium heat. Cook for 3 minutes or so until the bottoms are crisp
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and more spring onions if desired. Serve with dipping sauce and enjoy!
Notes
*Toasted sesame oil is richer and nuttier in flavour than normal sesame oil. If you are not able to find ready made toasted sesame oil, use regular sesame oil and follow the steps in the recipe instructions above**If you have a steamer/steaming basket, feel free to steam these instead of boilingNote: This recipe makes around 36 quite large dumplings. Feel free to make mini dumplings if you wish, in that case you might want to halve the recipe