Better Than Take-Out: Simple Pork & Mushroom Dumplings

Full of traditional flavors and simple to make, these Pork & Mushroom Dumplings are a delicious way to enjoy a taste of Dim Sum any night of the week!

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I may have said this before, but it bears repeating: I seriously love dumplings.

These Simple Pork & Mushroom Dumplings are full of lean pork, earthy mushrooms, crisp purple cabbage, and the rich flavors of dry sherry and soy sauce. To make it even simpler, this recipe uses store-bought wonton wrappers, which can be found in the cold sections of most grocery stores. Best of all, they can be made ahead and frozen for later, making the recipe great for future meal planning and filling in on those nights you really don’t feel like cooking.

Make up a batch of these Simple Pork & Mushroom Dumplings for a little taste of Dim Sum  from the comfort of your home any night of the week.

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Simple Pork & Mushroom Dumplings

I was looking for recipe inspiration the other day – particularly in the realm of make-ahead, freezer-friendly meals – and started flipping through cookbooks. I found my food-spiration in Helen You’s The Dumpling Galaxy. I’d posted a review of the cookbook last year, but due to my knee injury at the time hadn’t been able to actually test the recipes. I couldn’t settle on a single recipe, and instead took inspiration from several. The result are these Simple Pork & Mushroom Dumplings, which are full of traditional flavors.

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Dumpling Dough vs. Wonton Wrappers

I know, I’m calling these dumplings and using store-bought wonton wrappers. Let me explain:

In writing this recipe, accessibility for the home cook was important to me. In my experience, wonton wrappers are far more easily found than store-bought dumpling wrappers, so I wanted to make sure the recipe would hold up using them. That being said, dumpling wrappers can be found in many Asian markets, and there is always the option to make your own dough! The Dumpling Galaxy features a lovely looking dumpling dough recipe, and in truth I don’t think it would be difficult to make. Food52 also offers an incredibly easy dough recipe. Feel free to use any dough you prefer and adjust your folding technique as needed – in any case, you’ll have a delicious meal in no time.

Simple Pork & Mushroom Dumplings

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Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Servings 4 servings

Calories 347 kcal

Ingredients

  

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• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup button mushrooms, diced small
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• ½ cup purple cabbage, diced small
• 1 package wonton wrappers (about 40)
• ¼ cup water
• Extra soy sauce and red chili flakes, for serving (optional)

Instructions

 

Make the Filling:

• Melt the butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Saute the chopped mushrooms with a pinch each of the salt and pepper until soft (5-8 minutes). Remove the mushrooms from heat and allow to cool.
• Break the ground pork up into a large bowl, and combine with the ginger, soy sauce, sherry, sautéed mushrooms, and remaining salt and pepper. Fold in the diced purple cabbage. Chill for at least 10-15 minutes (or up to overnight).

Assemble the Dumplings:

• First, set up your work station: On a clean flat surface (I like to use a cutting board), set out a small bowl of water and open your package of wonton wrappers. Lay a damp cloth over the package to keep the wrappers from drying out. Set the bowl of mushroom pork filling nearby.
• Working one at a time, place a wonton wrapper in front of you and use your finger to wet the edges. Place a tablespoon of the mushroom pork filling in the center of the wonton and fold into your preferred shape (see note below). Set finished wontons on a plate and repeat until you run out of filling or wrappers.

To Cook:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil. Drop the wontons in, stirring gently once to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Let the water come back to a gentle boil, and cook the wontons for 6-8 minutes until cooked through. Dumplings are usually ready about one minute after they float to the surface (you can always sacrifice one wonton, cutting it in half to check for doneness if needed).
• Serve your simple pork & mushroom dumplings with a side of soy sauce for dipping, sprinkled with some chili flakes if you like a little heat.

To Store:

• Dumplings can be stored in the fridge 2-3 days in an airtight container. For longer term storage, spread the uncooked dumblings out on a baking sheet covered with a sheet of parchment paper. Freeze individually 1-2 hours, and then transfer to a freezer-safe Ziploc bag. To cook, follow instructions above, dropping the frozen dumplings into the boiling water. They may need another 2-3 minutes, but will come out deliciously! Use frozen dumplings within 2-3 months.

Notes

Folding Dumpling Wrappers: There are so many types of dumpling shapes. For these, I folded the square wonton wrappers into a simple pleated shape. For step-by-step instructions on a few different shapes, check out Food52's excellent article on How to Make Dumplings Without a Recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 10dumplingsCalories: 347kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 12gFat: 8gCholesterol: 26mgPotassium: 97mgSugar: 3gVitamin C: 7.4mgCalcium: 40mgIron: 3.1mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!