This recipe is inspired by the “Shrimp and Kurobuta Pork Spicy Wontons” at Din Tai Fung, a West Coast Taiwanese restaurant chain that specializes in dumplings and noodles. The Irvine, California location near my hometown is usually packed, but when I’m lucky enough to get a table, their spicy wontons are a must-have at every visit. I love the combination of succulent meat filling and tender wonton, slurped on a spoon with an umami-rich, chili-soy-garlic sauce that fires my taste buds in all directions. Don’t worry—the Lao Gan Ma Fried Chili Oil I use is more flavor than heat.
I’ve recreated this popular menu item with waterfowl , pork, and shrimp. You can use any waterfowl you like, with or without skin; breasts, legs, and/or thighs. Cut up semi-thawed (or semi-frozen) meat and pass it through the meat grinder twice with the coarse plate. The pork is an important element in this recipe. It will provide the fat that gives dumplings their irresistible rich texture, so do not use pork that is lean. If you want to splurge, choose ground Berkshire pork or another heritage-breed pig for better flavor. For dumplings, I prefer 20 to 30 percent fat ground pork.
As for the wrapper, use any wonton or dumpling wrapper you can find—round or square is fine. I am partial to the northern-style dumpling wrapper, which is round and thicker than square wonton wrappers—thus there are fewer in each package. Don’t stress on how you seal the dumplings. If you want to get fancy, get on YouTube. Otherwise, simply wet the edge(s) and press to seal dumplings in whatever way makes sense to you.
Dumplings can be made a day ahead. Simply keep them refrigerated and covered to prevent drying. I store dumplings in plastic containers with parchment paper in between layers to prevent sticking. Dumpling-making is a good group activity. Get your family members or friends together for some bonding time and good eats.
Sealing the dumplings can be as fancy or simple as you like. (Photo courtesy of Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley) Dumpling Ingredients
Serves: 4 (About 45 Dumplings) Prep time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes Cook time: 30 Minutes
Dumpling Ingredients:
8 ounces of ground duck or goose 8 ounces of ground fatty pork 6 ounces of peeled shrimp, finely chopped 4 green onions 1 1⁄2 Tablespoons of grated ginger 1 1⁄2 Tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce 2 Tablespoons of Chinese Shaoxing cooking wine 1⁄4 Teaspoon of ground white pepper 1⁄2 Teaspoon of Knorr chicken bouillon powder 1⁄2 Teaspoon of kosher salt 1 Tablespoon of toasted sesame oil 1 to 2 packages of dumpling or wonton wrappers, thawed Chili-Soy-Garlic Sauce Ingredients:
4 cloves of garlic, minced 2 Teaspoons of sugar 1⁄2 Teaspoon of red chili flakes, or to taste 1⁄2 Teaspoon of Sichuan pepper powder 1⁄4 Teaspoon of Chinese five-spice powder 1 Teaspoon of Knorr chicken bouillon powder 4 Tablespoons of Chinese fried chili oil 2 Tablespoons of vegetable or canola oil 6 Tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce 2 Teaspoons of rice vinegar 5 Tablespoons of hot water Directions:
Thaw wonton or dumpling wrappers in the refrigerator overnight. In a mixing bowl, combine ground duck, pork, shrimp, 3 minced green onions, ginger, soy sauce, Shaoxing cooking wine, white pepper, chicken bouillon powder, kosher salt, and sesame oil. Mix with your hands until you get a uniform mixture. Cover and chill while you prepare the chili-soy sauce. In a small saucepan, combine garlic, sugar, chili flakes (add more or less to adjust spiciness), Sichuan pepper powder, Chinese five-spice, and chicken bouillon. In another small saucepan, heat Chinese fried chili oil and vegetable oil until heated through. Pour heated oils into the garlic mixture. Then, stir in rice vinegar, soy sauce, and hot water. Set aside. If needed, reheat before serving. Pour a bit of water into a small bowl for sealing the dumplings. Place a dab of meat filling in the middle of a wrapper. Then, with your finger, wet the edge of the wrapper, and seal however you prefer. Be careful not to overfill dumplings—err on the side of underfilling them rather than overfilling them. Place uncooked dumplings in a container or on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and keep covered with a tea towel or plastic wrap while you work, to prevent drying. Bring a pot of water to boiling. Cook dumplings, in batches, for 4 minutes after the water returns to boiling, and serve them immediately as you cook them; gently stir occasionally so dumplings don’t stick to each other or to the bottom of the pot. Transfer cooked dumplings into bowls with a slotted spoon or spider and drizzle generously with whisked chili-soy-garlic mixture. Garnish with sliced green onion. Offer extra soy sauce on the side.
