Making healthy pork dumplings in a chicken broth

Making healthy pork dumplings in a chicken broth is super easy

I love dumplings, and I have discovered that I love them even more in a tasty, homemade broth.

If you are looking for something quick and easy, without a thousand ingredients, this is a great go-to recipe.

The longest part of the whole process is folding up the dumpling wrappers.  I did it myself on this occasion because there weren’t too many, but if you have a few people around you, put them to work to lessen the load.

Ingredients

200g pork mince (substitute with chicken mince, or add prawns)
1 green onion (eschallots)
hoisin sauce to mix through
fresh chilli to suit your taste
dumpling wrappers
1 litre chicken stock
fresh ginger slices
red chilli to taste
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
dash sesame oil
asian greens or baby spinach

Prepare

For a fast and simple cook, I recommend getting all your ingredients out first.  I have used pork mince only in this recipe, but as noted, you may substitute in any way you like.  Other ingredients may also be added to the dumpling mix, however the idea is to have a balance between the dumpling and the broth.  Overload the flavour in both and you will have it all competing as opposed to complementing.

Prepare the steamers.  I use the classic bamboo steamers with one small addition.  I learned in Hong Kong to put a layer down on the steamer to avoid sticking.  The classic way over there is to use baking paper with holes punched into it to let out the steam.

I’ve gone one step further, making light weight material circles that sit snugly inside the steamer.  They work perfectly and can simply be washed after each use.

Tip: Remember to dry the steamers out properly after use to avoid them going mouldy.  I never wash them, simply wipe them out and leave in the sun for a few hours.

Make the filling

Mix the green onion, hoisin sauce, salt and pepper if you wish, with the pork mince.  Give it a good mix through so that it is well combined.

Make the dumplings

Spread out the dumpling wrappers and place the filling in the centre.  Wet around the edges with water and press the edges together.  Here’s where you can get creative, shaping them into whatever design you like.

Cook the dumplings

There are two ways of cooking from this point.  I chose to steam the dumplings quickly first, whilst I made the broth.  The alternative is to make the broth and cook the dumplings in with it. I prefer doing it my way as I know when they are cooked, and they don’t fill up with the liquid as much.

Make the broth

Making the broth couldn’t get any easier.  I always use my homemade chicken stock for anything like this.  It’s fresher, healthier and much tastier.  However, if you don’t have this, store bought stock will still do the job.  To make the broth, combine the stock,  ginger slices, chilli and soy sauce and bring to the boil.

Add the steamed dumplings (which took 10 minutes) to the broth.

Nearly finished

Only leave the dumplings in here for a few minutes.

Time to serve

To serve, add some additional green onions, chilli and greens.  Serve straightaway whilst piping hot.

As you can see, making healthy pork dumplings in a chicken broth is super easy.  This recipe makes enough for four people, or two very hungry ones.  Why don’t you give it a try!

For other recipes from Asia why not head over to our Cook with Me page.

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