Recipes Dinner Pasta and Noodle Dishes Dumplings Lunar New Year Dumplings 3.8 (6) 5 Reviews Plump and tender dumplings symbolize longevity and wealth. As part of her Lunar New Year spread, Lucky Chow producer Danielle Chang fills hers with a fragrant and flavorful blend of garlic, ginger, scallions, and Chinese chives bound with tender ground pork. Store-bought wonton wrappers may be substituted for freshly made dough. Gently steaming the dumplings in bamboo baskets lined with cabbage leaves helps them keep their pleated shape without tearing and renders the filling juicy and the wrappers supple. For an extra dash of color and heat, drizzle them with with hot chile oil and sprinkle them with with pungent Chinese chives before serving them with dipping sauce. By Danielle Chang Updated on August 2, 2023 Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Recipes published by Food & Wine are rigorously tested by the culinary professionals at the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios in order to empower home cooks to enjoy being in the kitchen and preparing meals they will love. Our expert culinary team tests and retests each recipe using equipment and ingredients found in home kitchens to ensure that every recipe is delicious and works for cooks at home every single time. Meet the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Rate Print Share Active Time: 2 hrs 40 mins Total Time: 3 hrs 50 mins Yield: 8 to 10 Ingredients Wrappers 2 cups all-purpose flour (about 8 ½ ounces), plus more for dusting 0 ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon boiling water Cornstarch, for dusting Filling 6 ounces napa cabbage, coarsely chopped (about 3 cups), plus whole cabbage leaves for lining steamer baskets 6 ounces ground pork 6 tablespoons finely chopped scallions 6 tablespoons chopped fresh Chinese chives or garlic chives, plus more for garnish 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped garlic ¾ teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger ¾ teaspoon toasted sesame oil Dipping Sauce ½ cup soy sauce ¼ cup rice vinegar 2 teaspoons thinly sliced scallions (white parts only) 1 teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon toasted sesame seeds Additional Ingredient Chile oil (optional) Directions Make the wrappers Stir together flour and salt in a large heatproof bowl. While stirring constantly with a fork or chopsticks, pour boiling water into flour mixture until shaggy pieces of dough form. Knead in bowl until flour absorbs all water, about 2 minutes. Continue kneading until smooth, about 3 minutes. Shape into a ball, and cover with a damp cloth. Let rest at room temperature at least 1 hour or up to 2 hours. Meanwhile, make the filling Pulse chopped cabbage in a food processor until finely chopped, 4 to 6 pulses. Transfer cabbage to a clean kitchen towel, and squeeze firmly over sink to remove any excess liquid. Transfer cabbage to a medium bowl; stir in pork, scallions, chives, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil until well combined. Chill, covered, until ready to use. Lightly dust 2 baking sheets with cornstarch; set aside. Divide wrapper dough evenly into 4 portions. Place 1 dough portion on a clean work surface; cover remaining portions with a damp cloth. Knead dough portion until smooth, about 15 seconds, if needed. Roll dough portion into a 10-inch-long rope (about 3/4 inch thick). Cut rope crosswise into 10 (1-inch-long) pieces (about 1/4 ounce each). Cover dough pieces with a damp paper towel. Working with 1 dough piece at a time, roll into a ball with your hands. Place rolled dough ball on work surface, and, using the bottom of a measuring cup, push down to flatten into a circle. Lightly dust both sides of dough circle with flour; using a dowel rolling pin, roll into a 3 1/2-inch circle. (If desired, you can trim using a 3 1/2-inch cookie cutter.) Repeat process with remaining 9 dough pieces, stacking and covering wrappers. Working with 1 dumpling wrapper at a time, spoon 2 teaspoons filling into center of wrapper, and spread slightly. Holding the wrapper flat in your hand, lightly wet edges of wrapper with water using your fingertip; fold in half to form a half-moon, pressing out the air as you seal the dumpling. Cradling the dumpling in one hand, use the thumb and index finger of your opposite hand to fold and pinch the sealed edge, forming pleats along the length of the dumpling. Transfer sealed dumpling to prepared baking sheet; cover with a slightly damp paper towel. Repeat process with remaining dough and filling to yield 40 dumplings. Prepare a wide pot or wok for a bamboo steamer, and add 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil over high, making sure water doesn't touch bottom of steamer. Line bottoms of 2 stackable bamboo steamer baskets with cabbage leaves. Arrange 10 dumplings in a single layer in each steamer basket. Stack and cover steamer, and place in prepared pot. Reduce heat to medium-high, and steam dumplings until wrappers are glossy and slightly translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Repeat steaming process with remaining 20 dumplings. While dumplings steam, make the dipping sauce Stir together soy sauce, vinegar, scallions, black pepper, and sesame seeds in a small bowl. Serve dumplings hot with sauce, garnished with Chinese chives and, if desired, chile oil. Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Make Ahead Filling may be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 day. Originally appeared: February 2021 Rate It Print