Pork and Chive Dumplings

Over the weekend my boyfriend and I made a trip to Chinatown to explore the groceries and markets and get some inspiration for a Chinese feast. We are both HUGE fans of dumplings and our favorite dumpling place is Vanessa's in the Lower East Side. We will try dumplings anywhere though. For our first effort making dumplings we went for the classic pork and chive combination. We were both surprised with how delicious these dumplings were! Honestly, they are the same as, if not better, than Vanessa's dumplings! Wrapping and steaming the dumplings is half the fun, we set up a little assembly line to make about 40 dumplings. We decided to steam them on our brand new wok which came with a special rack especially for steaming. We're looking forward to making many more dumplings and trying out different combinations, especially because you can only buy dumpling wrappers in packages of 200. We went to an awesome  grocery on Mott street below Grand. This place had every type of meat, fresh or frozen, and sushi grade fish. We purchased regular dumpling wrappers and vegetable dumpling wrappers and ground pork, chives, ginger and some fun dipping sauces. The grocery also had a section with cooked foods to order a la carte and it was an entire block long with one entrance on Mott and on entrace on Elizabeth. Below is a picture taken from inside the grocery.

And here are our wonderful little dumpling wrappers!

Pork and Chive Dumplings

(Makes about 40 dumplings)

Ingredients:

Dumpling wrappers

2/3 lb ground pork

2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 1/2 tablespoons fake egg

2 cups finely shredded Chinese cabbage

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the pork, ginger, garlic, green onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, fake egg and Chinese cabbage. Mix well with your hands to evenly incorporate all the ingredients.

                             

2. Place one heaping tablespoon in the center of the dumpling wrappers and lightly moisten the edges of the wrapper to seal close. Place the dumplings on a lightly floured surface until you are ready to cook them. I recommend working on lightly floured wax paper.

                          

3. Heat water in a wok over high heat, bringing the water to boil, place the steamer rack over the water. Steam the dumplings for about 15-20 minutes.
                        
Enjoy them with dumpling dipping sauce or make your own by combining Sriracha and soy sauce with some hot peppers!