These curried pork dumplings taste similar to momos, but are a lot bigger and instead of steamed, they are flattened for extra surface area and then pan fried until one side of the dumpling is nice and crispy.
Don't worry, these dumplings are not mouth numbingly spicy. These dumplings are full flavored with garlic, ginger, onions and curry powder blended with pork and spinach. The curry flavor is subtly present, so that it does not overpower the pork and veggies.
The recipe for the home made dough for this dumpling is the same as the one for the vegetarian dumplings here. So no pictures for making the dough in this post (refer to the vegetarian dumplings for pictures on how to make the dough).
And the step by step pictures for curry dumpling filling and wrapping are noted below:
Yields approximately 16 Large dumplings
Ingredients for Dough:
- 3 c all purpose flour
- 1 t turmeric
- ½ t salt
- ½ t sugar
- 1 c warm water
- 1 T oil
Ingredients for Filling:
- ½ lb lean ground pork
- ½ c packed thawed frozen chopped spinach
- ½ c finely chopped reconstituted shiitaki mushrooms
- 4 scallions, diced
- 2 ribs of celery, finely diced
- 2 t soy sauce
- 1 t grated ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 t sugar
- 1 t salt
- 1 t curry powder
- 1 t turmeric
- ½ t paprika
- 1 T cornstarch
- 1 egg
Procedures for Making the Dough:
1. In a large bowl, add the flour, turmeric, salt, and sugar. Gradually add in warm water.
2. Mix with a utensil. The dough won’t come together yet. Add the tablespoon of oil. Use clean hands to knead the dough until it forms a non-sticky dough. You may need to add a bit more water depending on the humidity of your home.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 1 hour.
Procedures for Making the Filling:
1. Reconstitute the shiitake mushrooms in some warm water until they are soft. Rinse and drain. Remove stems from shiitake mushrooms and discard. Finely chop all your mushrooms.
2. Add all ingredients for filling into a bowl and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
Procedures for Wrapping Dumplings:
1. Dust your work surface with some flour. Roll the dough out into a log and divide into 4 equal parts, and then divide each part further into 4 equal pieces. You should have 16 equal pieces.
2. Working with a piece at a time while keeping the remainder of the dough pieces covered will prevent the dough from drying out. Flatten a piece of dough with the palm of your hand and roll into about a 4 to 4.5 inch circle. The skin should be thin but not paper thin that the skin can tear. And you don't want the skin too thick or it will taste too dense and chewy when cooked.
3. Put a large heaping spoonful of the filling in the center. Gather the dough on the edges to close and seal the filling. (See photo) Turn the dumpling seam side down on the work surface, and flatten to a 1 inch disc. Repeat until all the filling and dough are used up.
4. At this point, you can cook and enjoy OR place dumplings on a freezer safe tray in a single layer and freeze for 2 hours. When frozen, transfer them to a labeled gallon zip lock bag and store in the freezer until ready to use.