Chinese Pork Celery Dumplings – Cooking w/ Wendy

If you like Chinese food, you have to try making Chinese Dumplings! This is a very traditional dish and is something that Wendy’s family makes during holidays such as the Chinese New Year. It is also something that the whole family can help out with and try out their skills wrapping the dumplings! (Sometimes this can be a lot harder than you think and if you mess up the dumpling will fall apart while you cook. We believe my dad was the weak link… he got home late and was the one who took the photo below).

Dumplings are actually very creative and really you can put whatever you want in them! Have fun with it and create what tastes best for you! Here is one of the dumpling recipes we made with Wendy that her family usually makes in Beijing.

Ingredients

Pork Celery Dumpling

• 150 grams Chinese Celery
• 1 lb Ground Pork
• 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
• 1/4 heaping tsp minced Ginger
• 1 Green Onion
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil (can use peanut oil)
• Dumpling Wrapper Package
• 2 Anis seeds
• 1/2 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil (or other oil)
• 1/2 heaping tsp salt (for reduced sodium soy sauce)
• Flour for fingers (so dumplings don’t stick)

Dipping Sauce

• Soy Sauce
• Malted Vinegar
• Chili Oil

Steps

1. De-vein Celery
2. Mince Celery
3. Mince Ginger
4. Put pork in celery and mix
5. Stir in one direction always
6. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, and oil, stir
7. Cook anis in olive oil, discard seeds
8. Add one tbsp of anis oil to bowl and stir
9. Add toasted sesame oil
10. Add 1 chopped green onion
11. Add salt (for reduced sodium soy sauce)
12. Add Ginger
13. Grab Dumpling wrapper in hand, wet around edges on one side, put small amount of mixture in center
14. Pinch 2 ends together
15. Pinch in 1/2 on one corner, pinch remaining 1/2 in half, pinch last corner in
16. Repeat on other side
17. Boil water, put 1/4 tsp salt in pot
18. Put dumplings in and constantly stir on outside in one direction while putting in
19. When water is boiling add cold water, repeat total of 3 times

Here are some pictures of some of the ingredients.

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De-veining the white celery.

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Mix pork and chopped celery in bowl. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, and oil. Always stir in one direction.

Heat olive oil and anis seeds in pan tilted over flame. Cook until oil gets anis flavor. Discard anis seeds and add 1 Tbsp anis oil to pork mixture. Add green onion, salt, and ginger. Stir in same direction.

Prepare pan to put wrapped dumplings on. Either sprinkle flour on pan so dumplings do not stick or add parchment paper.

Wrap dumplings with friends and family! Here is a video demonstrating how to wrap the dumplings.

After your dumplings are wrapped they are ready to be cooked in a pot of water.

Put dumplings in boiling water while stirring in one direction until all dumplings are in. Stop stirring until water reaches a boil. Add cold water so water is no longer boiling. Repeat for a total of 3 times. Dumplings are now ready!

Enjoy cooked dumplings by dipping in sauce prepared from soy sauce, vinegar, and chili oil.

Remember that you can be creative with dumplings so go try your own variations!