Course
Small Bites
Serves
25-30 dumplings
If your freezer is like mine, you have pesky plastic tubes of plain ground elk or venison piled up at the bottom. The scope of that mountain of ground usually becomes clear after all the steaks and roasts are long gone and the tacos and spaghetti have run their course. Now it’s time for a change.
Enter the dumplings. Perfect for potlucks or dinner parties, these are very easy to make. You can also make a bunch ahead of time and freeze them for quick use later on.
Ingredients
Filling
- 2 pounds ground elk
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 1½ tsp. salt
- 1½ tbsp. ginger, fresh ground
- 1 tbsp. ground lemongrass
- ½ cup finely chopped green onions
- ¼ cup carrots, shredded then finely chopped
- ¼ cup teriyaki sauce
- 1 egg, beaten
- ¼ cup bread crumbs
Dough
(Note: You can save time by using pre-made pot sticker or dumpling wrappers, but with a little extra effort, these homemade ones are so much better.)
- 4 cups flour
- 2 cups boiling water
- 4 tsp. salt
Sauce
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp. sesame oil
- 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp. finely chopped green onions
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. teriyaki sauce
- ¼ cup water
Also works with
Special equipment
Preparation
Dough Wrappers
- Pour flour and salt into a medium, wide mixing bowl that you can comfortably place both of your hands into. Mix well. Create a well in the center, and slowly pour in the hot water. With a wooden spoon, mix in the water until clumps form. Hand-knead dough until fully combined. Add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed.
- Form dough into a single ball. Remove from the bowl, and place on a flat and lightly floured surface. The dough should be soft and not sticky. It needs to hold its shape. Knead aggressively for at least 5 minutes, or knead for 10 minutes if you are taking your time or your hands get tired. Once the dough is well-worked and smooth in texture, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
If using a tortilla press:
After the dough has rested for an hour, cut it in 1 inch balls. Dust the surfaces of the press with potato starch to keep the dough from sticking, and flatten the dough balls.
If you are using a rolling pin:
Dust the rolling pin surface and the counter top with potato starch. Roll out about half of the dough at a time, depending on you work area. Cut the flattened dough with a 4” round cookie cutter to make wrappers. Save the scraps and knead the dough smooth again, then roll out for more rounds.
Filling
- In a large bowl, mix all ingredients for the filling except the breadcrumbs. Once all the ingredients are well mixed, fold in breadcrumbs.
Assembling the Dumplings
- Place one 4-inch round wrapper in your hand, and add a spoonful of filling (slightly smaller than a golf ball) to the center of the wrapper. Don’t overfill. Leave a half-inch around the edge of the wrapper. Dip the tips of your fingers in a bowl of warm water, and wet the inside edge of the dough halfway around the wrapper. Fold in half, and pinch the edge to close together. Pleat edge of the dough to seal the dumplings.
- Place dumplings on parchment paper, and keep them covered with a light towel to prevent them from drying out.
Cooking
- Once all the dumplings are assembled, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
- Arrange the dumplings in a single layer in the pan, and fry for 3 or 4 minutes, until the bottoms are golden. Add ⅔ cup of water, and immediately cover the pan with a sealing lid.
- Let dumplings steam for 10 to 15 minutes. Add more water if needed to keep steaming for the full amount of time.
- Remove dumplings from the pan. Serve with sauce in a dipping bowl.
Sauce
- Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, sesame oil and onions. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes, until aromatic. Add remaining ingredients, stir and bring to boil. Remove from heat and pour into a dipping bowl.
If your freezer is like mine, you have pesky plastic tubes of plain ground elk or venison piled up at the bottom. The scope of that mountain of ground usually becomes clear after all the steaks and roasts are long gone and the tacos and spaghetti have run their course. Now it’s time for a change.
Enter the dumplings. Perfect for potlucks or dinner parties, these are very easy to make. You can also make a bunch ahead of time and freeze them for quick use later on.
Ingredients
Filling
- 2 pounds ground elk
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 1½ tsp. salt
- 1½ tbsp. ginger, fresh ground
- 1 tbsp. ground lemongrass
- ½ cup finely chopped green onions
- ¼ cup carrots, shredded then finely chopped
- ¼ cup teriyaki sauce
- 1 egg, beaten
- ¼ cup bread crumbs
Dough
(Note: You can save time by using pre-made pot sticker or dumpling wrappers, but with a little extra effort, these homemade ones are so much better.)
- 4 cups flour
- 2 cups boiling water
- 4 tsp. salt
Sauce
- ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp. sesame oil
- 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp. finely chopped green onions
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. teriyaki sauce
- ¼ cup water
Also works with
Special equipment
Preparation
Dough Wrappers
- Pour flour and salt into a medium, wide mixing bowl that you can comfortably place both of your hands into. Mix well. Create a well in the center, and slowly pour in the hot water. With a wooden spoon, mix in the water until clumps form. Hand-knead dough until fully combined. Add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed.
- Form dough into a single ball. Remove from the bowl, and place on a flat and lightly floured surface. The dough should be soft and not sticky. It needs to hold its shape. Knead aggressively for at least 5 minutes, or knead for 10 minutes if you are taking your time or your hands get tired. Once the dough is well-worked and smooth in texture, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
If using a tortilla press:
After the dough has rested for an hour, cut it in 1 inch balls. Dust the surfaces of the press with potato starch to keep the dough from sticking, and flatten the dough balls.
If you are using a rolling pin:
Dust the rolling pin surface and the counter top with potato starch. Roll out about half of the dough at a time, depending on you work area. Cut the flattened dough with a 4” round cookie cutter to make wrappers. Save the scraps and knead the dough smooth again, then roll out for more rounds.
Filling
- In a large bowl, mix all ingredients for the filling except the breadcrumbs. Once all the ingredients are well mixed, fold in breadcrumbs.
Assembling the Dumplings
- Place one 4-inch round wrapper in your hand, and add a spoonful of filling (slightly smaller than a golf ball) to the center of the wrapper. Don’t overfill. Leave a half-inch around the edge of the wrapper. Dip the tips of your fingers in a bowl of warm water, and wet the inside edge of the dough halfway around the wrapper. Fold in half, and pinch the edge to close together. Pleat edge of the dough to seal the dumplings.
- Place dumplings on parchment paper, and keep them covered with a light towel to prevent them from drying out.
Cooking
- Once all the dumplings are assembled, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
- Arrange the dumplings in a single layer in the pan, and fry for 3 or 4 minutes, until the bottoms are golden. Add ⅔ cup of water, and immediately cover the pan with a sealing lid.
- Let dumplings steam for 10 to 15 minutes. Add more water if needed to keep steaming for the full amount of time.
- Remove dumplings from the pan. Serve with sauce in a dipping bowl.
Sauce
- Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, sesame oil and onions. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes, until aromatic. Add remaining ingredients, stir and bring to boil. Remove from heat and pour into a dipping bowl.