SO much fun that we try to do it every year! This portrait captures the 2018 and 2021 editions.
story
Dumpling Party!
Tanya and George invited us and a bunch of other friends over to celebrate Korean New Year with a dumpling making bash! George had pre-made two types of filling (pork and beef; both recipes available below). Attendees of all ages (4 on up!) had a blast trying out various wrapping techniques, and we got a kick out of first watching an instruction video off YouTube.
We fried some and steamed some, and enjoyed all of the above. Super fun, super delicious, and something we look forward to each year.
Rounded out with some fried rice and Korean fried chicken wings, we absolutely feasted. And paired with some great wine from their fabulous collection, the conversation and laughs continued all afternoon.
Unless you are having a lot of other dishes, you should plan for about 10-12 dumplings per person. But get everyone involved, and as mom used to say, “many hands make light work.” and your dumplings will be shaped in a flash. A groovy playlist helps keep everyone going, too.
music
Khruangbin & An AirKhruang Playlist
In bonding with one of the attendees over our love for evolutions of food and music over time and space, he told me of his latest band crush: Khruangbin. I also fell for them upon first listen, and loved them even more when I realized their website provided fun custom playlist (which in 2018 was AirKhruang.com). To get this playlist, when prompted, we chose: JFK->ICN; Aisle; Coffee, First Class; Direct. But for some crazy cyber reason, though it had been linked here in 2018, it was lost to cyberspace upon my update after the 2021 dumpling party!
And now the AirKhruang playlist-maker has drastically changed, and rebranded to Shelter in Space. This playlist included here is the playlist that generated when I selected the activity of”cooking,” and maxed out the time to 180 minutes. But just incase of some other cyber wonkiness, we will also include a link to the “This is Khruangbin” Spotify playlist, so there can always be a groovy playlist a the ready.
So get that playlist on your speakers, gather your crew, and get your dumpling fun started!
recipe
Pork Dumplings
Pork Dumplings
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 lbs ground pork
- 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger root
- 4 cloves garlic, mined
- 2 tbsp thinly sliced green onion
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 egg, beaten
- 5 cups finely shredded Chinese cabbage
- 100 3 1/2 in x 3 1/2 in wonton wrappers
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the pork, ginger, garlic, green onion, soy sauce, sesame oil, egg and cabbage. Stir until well mixed.
- Place 1 heaping teaspoon of pork filling onto each wonton skin. Moisten edges with water and fold edges over to form a triangle shape. Roll edges slightly to seal in filling. Set dumplings aside on a lightly floured surface until ready to cook.
- To cook: Steam dumplings in a covered bamboo or metal steamer for about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
recipe
Beef Dumplings
Beef Dumplings
Ingredients
- 3 lbs green leafy vegetable (like shepherd’s purse, baby bok choy, napa cabbage, or Chinese chives)
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef (or ground chicken or pork… meat just can’t be too lean)
- 2/3 cup Shaoxing wine*
- 1/2 cup oil
- 3 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp salt
- 3 tbsps soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 2/3 cup water (plus more for assembly)
- 3-4 packages wonton skin / dumpling wrappers
Instructions
- Wash and chop your leafy greens of choice.
- In a large bowl, combine everything except the dumpling wrappers and mix well.
- Place 1 heaping teaspoon of the filling onto each wonton skin. Moisten edges with water and fold over to form a triangle or semicircle shape. Have fun and get creative with your pinch designs!
Cooking options:
- Steam: Place them in bamboo or metal steamer lined with lettuce or parchment paper and steam for about 15-20 minutes.
- Fry: Heat a skillet to medium heat and add some vegetable or sesame oil. Fry the dumplings until golden. With the splattering oil, this option is not one of the bits that should be done by the kiddos.
Notes
- more about Shoaxing wine here.
recipe
Kimchi Deviled Eggs
Kimchi Deviled Eggs
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 cup kimchi, roughly chopped
- 2 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 4 tbsp plain yogurt
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp sriracha (unless you have gochujang)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- optional garnish: diced chives and/or chili powder
Instructions
- Hard boil eggs according to your favorite method. I like to put them all in a pan, cover with water, heat to boiling, cover the pan and turn off the heat. Leave for 12-15 minutes, depending on egg size, then put in a cold water bath until ready to peel.
- Meanwhile, heat sesame oil in a separate pan and cook kimchi until it begins to brown/crisp a bit (8 minutes or so). Put in a small bowl and keep aside.
- Wipe out skillet and cook the 2 slices of bacon. Allow to cool and crumble into a small bowl.
- Peel eggs and slice in half. Place whites on a platter and yolks in a medium bowl.
- Mash up yolks with a fork until just bits. Add yogurt, vinegar, sriracha, half the cooked kimchi and salt, and mix well. Taste and adjust.
- Carefully put the yolk mixture into quart Ziploc bag, and snip off a corner for an impromptu pastry bag. Fill the egg whites with the yolk mixture.
- Top with remaining kimchi and bacon. Sprinkle with chives and/or a bit of chili powder, if desired.
