Pork and Napa Cabbage Dumplings

Name: Pork and Napa Cabbage Dumplings
Yield: Makes about 124 dumplings
Ingredients: 2.6 lbs dumpling wrappers (about 1200 grams); 1.3 lbs ground pork (about 600 grams); 1.7 lbs napa cabbage, total weight (about 757 grams); as needed Chopped green onions,; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoons rice wine (optional); 1 little ginger; A few pieces of green onion; as needed Room temperature water (or slightly warm water),; 1 tablespoon sesame oil; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1/4 teaspoon salt; White pepper, to taste

棠棠 @kinki_1022

I’ve always loved my mom’s homemade pork and napa cabbage dumplings. I haven’t had the chance to taste them again, but making them brings back those special memories. Some dishes are more about nostalgia than flavor—they might seem simple or not to everyone’s taste, but for me, they’re delicious because they remind me of my mom and the comfort of childhood.

Saved

Ingredients

No set preparation time

Makes about 124 dumplings

2.6 lbsdumpling wrappers (about 1200 grams)
1.3 lbsground pork (about 600 grams)
1.7 lbsnapa cabbage, total weight (about 757 grams)
as neededChopped green onions,
1 teaspoonsalt
2 tablespoonsrice wine (optional)
Green onion and ginger water (for mixing with pork)
1little ginger
A fewpieces of green onion
as neededRoom temperature water (or slightly warm water),
Filling seasoning (adjust saltiness to taste)
1 tablespoonsesame oil
2 tablespoonssoy sauce
1/4 teaspoonsalt
White pepper, to taste

Saved

Steps

No set preparation time

1

Use a whole head of napa cabbage from the fridge! (Total weight is about 1.7 lbs/757 grams.)
2

Remove the tough core from the napa cabbage and finely chop the leaves.
3

Add 1 teaspoon salt to the cabbage, mix well, and let sit for 10 minutes to draw out excess water.
4

Prepare a bowl of green onion and ginger water, and chopped green onions.
5

Gradually add the green onion and ginger water to the ground pork, one tablespoon at a time, stirring in the same direction (like clockwise) with a metal spoon or chopsticks until the water is fully absorbed by the meat.
6

Depending on the amount of pork, add more green onion and ginger water as needed. I added 9 tablespoons in total, then mixed in 2 tablespoons rice wine at the end.
7

Squeeze the excess water out of the salted cabbage.
8

Add the cabbage and chopped green onions to the pork mixture.
9

Add sesame oil, soy sauce, and white pepper, and mix well.
10

Cover the filling with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2–3 hours before using.
11

Place the filling in the center of each dumpling wrapper and pinch the edges to seal. Shape as you like. (With 2.6 lbs/1200 grams of wrappers, you’ll have about 146 wrappers; this amount of filling makes about 124 dumplings. The exact number may vary depending on how much filling you use per dumpling.)
12

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the dumplings and cook until they float to the surface. (Uncooked dumplings should be frozen and eaten as soon as possible.)