Recipe: Grandma's Secret Beef Dumplings

Recipe created by Australian Beef.

Traditionally shaped like ingots (oval, boat-shaped hunks of gold used as currency during Imperial China) and symbolising wealth, these juicy, mouth-watering morsels will have you looking like a true dumpling expert.

Prep/cook time: 1.5 hours

Serves: approx. 60 dumplings

Ingredients

• 500g lean beef mince
• 2 small carrots, finely grated
• 10 button mushrooms, finely diced
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 green onions, finely chopped (plus extra for serving)
• 5cm piece of ginger, finely chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp soy sauce (plus extra for serving)
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil (plus extra for serving)
• 1/3 cup (80mL) vegetable oil
• 500g plain flour to make wrappers (plus extra to roll) or 2 packs of pre-made dumpling wrappers
• Rice vinegar and finely chopped fresh chilli for serving

Method

1. In a lightly oiled non-stick frying pan, cook carrot over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Set aside in a medium bowl. In same pan cook mushrooms for 1-2 minutes and add to bowl with carrot. Cool slightly.

2. Meanwhile in same oiled pan, cook egg for 1-2 minutes each side to make pancake shape. Cool slightly and cut egg pancake into small pieces.

3. In a large bowl, combine beef mince, cooked carrot, mushroom, egg, onion, ginger, salt, soy and oyster sauces and sesame oil.

4. In a separate large bowl, mix flour with enough water to make a dough (slowly add water to avoid it being too wet). Divide dough into four. Lightly flour a clean bench top or chopping board and shape dough pieces into long snake shapes. Cut each into 15 little dough pieces to make 60 and roll dough pieces into round wrappers using a rolling pin (or use pre-made dumpling wrappers).

5. Spoon a tablespoon of beef mixture into each wrapper. To make dumplings, fold and press using fingers to seal and crimp edges.

6. To lightly fry, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large frying pan (with a lid) over medium heat. Add 1/4 of the dumplings and cook for 1-2 minutes until bottoms are crisp and golden. Add enough water to cover halfway up the dumplings and cover with lid. Cook until water has evaporated and dumplings are tender. Repeat process with remaining oil and dumplings.

7. Serve dumplings with vinegar, extra soy sauce, sesame oil, extra green onions and fresh chilli, if desired.

Tips

• If your dumpling edges aren't sticking together, try dabbing the edges with a little bit of water before folding.
• If the filling is escaping when folding your dumplings, don’t panic! Either push it back in or remove a little as you may have used too much.
• To boil dumplings, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Cook dumplings in batches of 15, stirring to avoid sticking, for 7-8 minutes or until dumplings float to the top. Drain well.
• To steam dumplings, line a bamboo steamer with baking paper. Place dumplings in a single layer into the steamer. Place steamer over a wok of boiling water, ensuring the base doesn’t touch water. Steam dumplings for 15-20 minutes or until tender and cooked through.