Here’s a messy, somewhat chaotic and poorly executed dish that tastes great.
These are essentially a Thai-style gyoza using rice paper as a wrap for the meat and veggies. The flaw lies in the fragility of the rice paper. To make these more robust, they’d benefit from a double layer of rice paper.
Note that the meat takes a bit to cook, so ensure you cook these enough on each side. The interior should reach 165 degrees F.
This recipe makes just a few dumplings. Adjust quantities, as needed, to make a bigger batch.
What you’ll need
- 2 oz lean ground pork
- 1T chopped basil or cilantro
- 2T enoki tops, or any other finely chopped mushrooms
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 0.25t fish sauce
- 2 8-inch rice paper sheets for every dumpling you plan to make
- Neutral oil for shallow frying
What to do
In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients but the rice paper sheets and oil. You can use your hands for this, but don’t over-mix because it will make the meat tough.
Prep your work area by filling a large bowl with lukewarm water and placing it next to a clean countertop or cutting board. To assemble a dumpling, dip a sheet of rice paper into the water for about 5 seconds. Gently remove it from the water and lay it on the cutting board as flat as you can. Presuming you’re double-wrapping, repeat with an additional sheet. Add about 2T of the pork mixture to the center of the wrapping.
Carefully fold down from the top of the wrapper over the meat and up from the bottom of the wrapper over the meat. It will look messy, unless you’re really good at doing this. Next fold over the right and left sides over the meat, essentially making a square packet. Gently push it somewhat flat. Repeat for each dumpling you’re making.
To cook, pour about 0.25”-deep neutral oil into a nonstick frypan and heat it to about 350 degrees F. Gently place the dumplings into the oil, being careful not to splash hot oil or crowd them in the pan. Cover the pan and cook for about 3 minutes before removing the cover and cooking for a further 2 or 3 minutes. Carefully turn each dumpling over and cook for about 4 more minutes, until the center of the meat has reached 165 degrees F. Remove the dumplings to a paper-towel-lined plate and let them cool for a minute before serving warm with spring roll sauce.
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