Kimchi Dumpling. Most people first learn how to cook from their mom. It was the same for me. One of the vivid cooking memories I still have is making Kimchi Dumplings with my mom.
She woke me up from bed - nagging at me that it was 10:30 already! She told me to wash my hands and help her squeeze the water out of a tofu block. I remember being annoyed - with sleep leftover in my eyes. I would effortlessly squeeze the water out and then stand by her side as she mixed it into the dumpling mixture.
My next task was then to help my mom fold the dumpling skins. She showed me once. But I could never get it right. The meat mixture would always be seeping out the sides. And they didn't look too appetizing. But I remember sitting down in a sun-lit kitchen with my mom, making these dumplings and talking about random things for hours.
Kimchi Dumpling is a labor of love - an experience which you may remember in the future. Not necessarily because of how tasty the dish is, but because it gives you the time to talk and connect. I share below a simple but delicious recipe that you can try with a loved one.
Kimchi Dumplings
Ingredients
- 60 Dumpling Skins
Dumpling Mix
- Kimchi - 1 cup
- Minced pork - 1 cup
- Korean sweet potato noodles - 1 cup
- Asian garlic chives - ½ cup
- Spring onion - ½ cup
Seasoning
- Korean red chili flakes - 2 Tablespoons
- Minced garlic - 1 Tablespoon
- Sugar - 1 Tablespoon
- Oyster sauce - 1 Tablespoon
- Soy sauce - 2 Tablespoon
Dipping Sauce
- Soy sauce - 2 Tablespoons
- Vinegar - a splash
- Sesame oil - a splash
- Sesame seeds - a shake
Instructions
Make Dumpling Mixture
- Chop kimchi into very small pieces. Make sure the pork is finely minced pork with your knife.
- Cut asian chives and spring onion into small pieces as well.
- Then grab a large handful of Korean glass noodles and boil in a pot for 7 minutes. Drain the pot and rinse the boiled noodles in cold water. Chop the long noodles into small pieces as well. Place all of these chopped pieces into a bowl.
Season Dumpling Mixture
- Add all of the listed "seasoning" ingredients into the mixture.
- Then mix it all together very thoroughly with your hands.
Make Dumplings
- Fill a small dish with cold water.
- Then get a dining spoon. Grab one spoonful of the dumpling mixture and place into the middle of the dumpling skin.
- Dip your finger in the water and wet the outer edge of the dumpling skin.
- Fold the dumpling in half and squeeze it shut with your fingers (like a mini-quesadilla). Then make two creases on each side of the dumplings (watch the video again!). Finish by making one fold in the top-center.
- Repeat until you run out of dumpling skins.
Pan-frying
- Put frying pan on medium-low heat. Place oil in frying pan. Once hot, place dumplings in.
- Once the bottom-side gets crispy, lay on one side. Once it gets crispy on one side, then flip over to the opposite side.
- Let it cool down and enjoy! Dip dumplings in soy sauce as well.
Notes
- This will make around 50-60 dumplings. Sounds like alot - but they get eaten quickly! Instead of pan-frying the dumplings, you can also use them in a soup.
- Watch video below for more details
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