It’s no secret I’m a huge dumpling fan, and these beefy parcels of heaven are a pure flavour sensation. I love the hum of the Sichuan in the background, and with a chilli oil kick on top? Epic! If you have time, try making homemade dumpling wrappers – they really do make all the difference come folding time.
24 gow gee or gyoza wrappers (or try my homemade dumpling wrappers)
chilli oil, to serve (try my homemade chilli oil)
soy sauce, to serve
coriander leaves (cilantro), finely chopped, to serve
spring onions (scallions), finely sliced, to serve
Filling:
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
200g (7 oz) beef mince
1½ tbsp soy sauce
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
3 tbsp finely chopped coriander (cilantro)
1 tbsp finely grated ginger
1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
2 tbsp water
For the filling, toast the cumin seeds and Sichuan peppercorns in a dry frying pan over high heat. When the spices are fragrant and just starting to smoke, transfer them to a mortar. Use a pestle to grind them to a fine powder. Transfer to a large bowl and add the remaining filling ingredients. Mix well.
Place 2 heaped teaspoons of filling in the centre of a gow gee wrapper. Moisten the edges of the wrapper with a little water. Fold the bottom of the wrapper over the filling and make two pleats, one each side of centre – or pleat however you like! Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers.
To cook the dumplings, bring a large pot of water to the boil. Make sure you have a large bowl of room temperature water ready and close to hand, too. Add the dumplings to the boiling water and then immediately pour in the room temperature water to stop the water from boiling (this method allows the filling to cook through before the wrapper gets too soggy!). Cook for about 4 minutes or until cooked through.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the dumplings to serving bowls. Drizzle with chilli oil and soy sauce. Scatter over the coriander and spring onion, and serve.
