My wife and I have been just on the go lately. Working hard, taking care of the baby, doing errands, chores, meetings, zoom, zoom, zoom — always moving. Times like these usually mean simple, easy dinners, chicken and rice, chicken and carrots, chicken and cabbage. Listen, sometimes meals need to be simple and easy based on what’s happening in life, and that’s okay. Just the other day, the dice were in our favor, and we won an open Saturday! I was tired of our usual meals and desperate for a change, so I rifled through my recipes. I came across one I received from an old friend that was given to him by his grandmother. Since then, I have named it Grandma’s Dumplings.
To start, get a big bowl to mix the filling in, and preferably a nonstick pan with a lid. Now, when I bought the ingredients, I couldn’t find dumpling wraps, so I had to settle for wonton. You can use either based on your preferences, and in the words of Ina Garten, “store-bought is fine.” You can check any store on the Island. I found my egg wonton wraps in the produce section at Cronig’s. First things first: Start chopping ginger, chestnuts, and scallions. Next, dice up that shrimp real, real well. As you cut these items, be sure to add them to your mixing bowl. Once you’ve added the items, add the rest of the filling ingredients to your bowl, and get to mixing.
Now you’ll want to set up a station to wrap and seal your wontons, and place them on a plate or parchment paper. Be sure to have a small bowl of water. This will be used to seal each wrap. Now we wrap. I would use a smaller spoon to scoop up the filling, and then place it in the middle of the wrap. Carefully wet your finger in the water bowl and run it along the edges of the wrap, then fold it over to make a triangle. Two things I’d like to add before moving on: If you have trouble wrapping, I suggest using YouTube for a video instruction. I highly recommend making triangles, because I believe it’ll be an easier cook.
Once you’ve filled your wraps, you can go ahead and set your pan to medium-low heat (closer to medium), and add a tablespoon of canola or vegetable oil. Lay the wraps in the pan — not too crowded— and fry. Once they’re golden brown on the bottom, flip them, add a teaspoon or two of water, and cover with the lid. Cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes, then pull them out to rest while you repeat the steps and cook the rest.
Once finished, prepare your sauces and plate. If you have a scallion left over, you can use it for garnish.
I ate three before I even went to the table! I hope you enjoy them, friends. Next time you see me out and about, be sure to let me know if you tried this recipe and how you liked it!
Ingredients:
1 pack of dumpling or wonton wraps
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
Small bowl of water + 2 teaspoons water for cooking
Filling:
2 tablespoons fresh ginger
8-ounce can water chestnuts, rinsed and drained
3 scallions
½ pound ground pork, cooked
½ pound shrimp, cooked
1 egg
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Dipping Sauce:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoons sesame oil
Spicy Mayo:
¾ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce or other hot sauce