Homemade Crispy Pan-Fried Dumplings (Shengjian Baos)

Ingredients

• 250 g plain flour
• 1 tsp sugar (for the dough)
• 1 tsp instant dried yeast
• 140 ml lukewarm water
• 250 g pork (minced)
• 1 bunch spring onions (finely chopped)
• 0.25 chinese cabbage (finely chopped; salted to remove excess water)
• 1 egg (whole)
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• white pepper (pinch)
• sugar (pinch, for the filling)
• 0.5 tsp salt
• chicken stock jelly (optional)
• vegetable oil (for frying)
• sesame seeds (for garnish)
• black vinegar (for serving)
• chilli oil (for serving)

Steps

1. 1

   Mix all the dry dough ingredients (flour, sugar, and yeast) together in a bowl.

2. 2

   Slowly add in the lukewarm water as you mix simultaneously. Once a shaggy dough comes together, knead for 5-10 minutes.

3. 3

   Let the dough rest and proof in a warm place for 1 hour.

4. 4

   While the dough proofs, make the filling by combining the minced pork, chopped spring onions, salted cabbage, egg, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, sugar, salt, and chicken stock jelly (if using).

5. 5

   Mix and stir the filling in THE SAME DIRECTION; this helps the protein strands develop until the minced meat changes texture to become a cohesive dumpling filling.

6. 6

   After 1 hour of proofing, deflate the dough and knead again for 5-10 minutes until it is nice and smooth.

7. 7

   Divide the dough into equal-sized pieces and roll out each piece into a circle with a rolling pin.

8. 8

   Fill each dough circle with some pork filling and seal. Note that the pleat quality is not critical as they are cooked seam-side down.

9. 9

   Heat some oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Place the dumplings in the pan and fry until the bottoms are crisp and brown.

10. 10

    Add a generous splash of water to the pan and immediately cover with a lid. Turn the heat down to medium.

11. 11

    Allow the steam to cook the dumplings. Once all the water has evaporated, they are ready.

12. 12

    Sprinkle with additional chopped spring onions and sesame seeds for garnish. Serve hot with black vinegar and chilli oil.

Notes

The half-yeasted dough method means the dough won't double in size during proofing, but it will be fluffier than standard dumpling wrappers. For the cabbage, ensure you salt it and squeeze out excess water before adding to the filling to prevent the dumplings from becoming soggy.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• dumplings
• pork
• pan-fried
• chinese
• comfort food
• shengjian bao