Gluten & Dairy Free Pork & Ginger Shumai Dumplings!
I absolutely love every recipe that I created for the clubs fakeout takeout recipe collection this past month using ,my new gluten free wonton dough!! This one in particular was addictive!!! Perfectly salty, loaded with gingery garlic flavor and comforting in every bite - we devoured these dumplings!!
In all my dumplings making the past few months I have come to prefer pork over all other ground meat options every time. It has better flavor and texture (I think) in this specific kind of application. Chicken, Turkey, Ground Beef or even a Vegan ground faux meat option will all work great too. But for me- Its going to be pork every time! Traditionally shumai is made with pork and shrimp- we don’t eat any seafood in our home. But please feel free to add it in if you want to!
Shumai are a staple in dim sum meals, which are a traditional Cantonese style of dining involving a variety of small, flavorful dishes served in small portions. Shumai are loved for their delicate, savory filling and their versatile nature, making them a popular choice in many restaurants! My gluten free version brings the restaurant experience home. :)
IMPORTANT TIPS For working with this wonton dough:
Always make sure to knead it until it is completely smooth and well combined! It will be a bit sticky when you do this and that is how its supposed to be. Don’t question it and start adding more starch or flour :) Follow the gram measurements exactly! I left the dough a bit sticky so that you can use a generous amount of starch when rolling it out. Sometimes you’ll need to gather the bits and rolls them out a number of times and each time more starch will be incorporated into the dough. The dough will allow for that and whatever you are making will turn out fabulous. BUT You can always add a little water if it gets too dry while working with it! Sometimes when I regather scraps of dough and knead them back together I wet my hands a little first! When it gets super dry- it gets harder to roll out!
DO NOT let the dough dry out in the fridge!! You can make it several days in advance or even make it and freeze it. It is essential to store it in wrapped tightly in plastic with no air exposure or in a well sealed Tupperware container!
If you are rolling out the dough fresh you will likely only need a tiny bit of egg wash or water to seal it around the inside edges when shaping it into various dumplings, egg rolls or rangoons. However- IF you have pre-rolled and cut the dough into wonton squares or circles ( I recommend storing them with a bit of starch in between them wrapped up well in the fridge). then you may need to brush the whole surface of the (INSIDE) of the dough where the filling goes with egg wash or water as I have in my step by step photos so that it seals up nicely!
For Anything steamed or boiled- such as dumplings and potstickers you don’t need to worry about rolling the dough out paper thin. There’s flexibility around the thickness. However if you intend to fry the dough its extremely important to take the time to get it almost paper thin!! This can take a little practice but its very doable. This dough is forgiving and has great stretch. Just make sure to use enough corn or tapioca starch to prevent sticking and roll it out on parchment paper! For paper thin dough you’ll notice you are getting close to the right thickness when the dough starts to ruffle and wrinkle a little bit!
When rolling it out- I like to pick it up gently & swirl it around on the parchment often and or flip it to make sure that its not sticking! I often keep adding starch to my parchment/work surface as I go.
I recommend using this dough first for boiled/steamed applications like dumplings/postickers or wonton soup first! Its much easier and extremely forgiving. Working with ultra thin dough for frying requires more finesse and practice.
All Dumplings, potstickers, egg rolls, wontons for soup, or Rangoons can all be assembled and then frozen before you cook them!! Lay them out flat on a starch covered baking sheet/pan and freeze them. Then once they are frozen they can be stacked in a freezer safe container! Add just a bit more time to cooking when cooking them from frozen!
TO MAKE IT EGG FREE please use “Just Egg” Egg replacer. Its possible that aquafaba would be a basic substitute as well but I have not tested that out to know for sure. IF you experiment please leave a comment and share how it goes!
My favorite tools for working with wonton dough:
Anytime I want to cut the dough into a round shape I like to use this set of cookie/biscuit cutters. The circular shape is ideal for potstickers and dumplings! Round or Square will work just fine for this particular recipe.
Over the years I have had a lot of rolling pins. Once I got a simple French style one I got rid of the rest of them. You really don’t need anything clunky or heavy! This style allows for the best control of pressure to get a thin dough that doesn't rip! This is the one that I use.
Parchment Paper: Any brand will do! While I could roll dough directly out on the counter I prefer using a big sheet of parchment- it just makes it easier to avoid sticking issues.
Gluten and Dairy Free Pork Ginger Shumai Dumplings
Ingredients
- 1 white onion finely chopped
- 1 lb of ground pork (uncooked)
- 1 1/2 Tsp Fresh grated ginger
- 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 2 Tsp Gluten Free Soy Sauce or Coconut Aminos
- 2 1/2 Tbsp Starch (tapioca. potato, arrowroot or cornstarch)
- Large pinch Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 Batch of Gluten free Wonton Dough. (There may be extra dough depending how thin you roll it out).
- Extra Tapioca starch for rolling out the dough!
- 1 large egg + 1 Tsp water whisked together to seal the dough (Or "Just Egg' for vegan)
Instructions
- Make the filling: Combine in a bowl all of the dumpling ingredients, stir just until it comes together. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge while prepping the wonton dough.
- Make the wonton dough. Roll out thin using parchment and tapioca starch. Cut into squares or circles about 2 1/2 inches in diameter (or a 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch square).
- Using your finger place a little egg around the edges of each wonton cut piece. Place 1 heaping Tsp of filling into the center of each piece of prepared dough. Press in all of the sides leaving the top open/uncovered.
- Drizzle a little oil in a nonstick skillet. Turn on to medium/medium high heat. Add a layer of dumplings (do not overcrowd the pan). Add a cup of so of water and cover immediately with a lid allowing the dumplings to stream/cook through. for 6-8 minutes. Once the water fully evaporates they can saute in the pan for a few minutes. Keep an eye to make sure the bottoms do not burn or stick- and adjust the temperature as needed. Its important to keep it on the hot side so that the pan creates steam every time water is added!
