Jalapeño beef ‘dan dan’ dumplings

Does it get any better than spicy, salty dumplings filled with juicy beef and jalapenos?

Pippa Middlehurst’s recipe is a real knock-out – if you’re feeling adventurous, homemade dumpling wrappers are surprisingly easy to make (although shop-bought works just as well, too).

While you might not have all of these ingredients at home, they’re easily found online or in your local Asian supermarket. Once you’ve stocked your store cupboard, you won’t have to buy them again for ages and they’ll complement all kinds of dishes.

Print Recipe

Nutrition Facts

Jalapeño beef ‘dan dan’ dumplings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 1430 Calories from Fat 666

% Daily Value*

Fat 74g114%

Saturated Fat 16g100%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 14g

Monounsaturated Fat 40g

Cholesterol 84mg28%

Sodium 2118mg92%

Potassium 747mg21%

Carbohydrates 145g48%

Fiber 7g29%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 44g88%

Vitamin A 808IU16%

Vitamin C 14mg17%

Calcium 175mg18%

Iron 12mg67%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Jalapeño beef ‘dan dan’ dumplings

A delicious dumpling-based dish

Prep Time40 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course: Lunch

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 1430kcal

Author: Pippa Middlehurst

Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• Non-stick frying pan

Ingredients

• 400 grams minced beef
• 2 garlic cloves grated
• 3 spring onions finely sliced
• 2 tbsp pickled jalapeños chopped
• 1 tbsp jalapeño pickled juice
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp duck fat or beef fat, melted
• 3 tbsp sui mi ya cai
• 450 grams dumpling wrappers frozen
• 1 tbsp neutral oil

For the dumpling wrappers:

• 340 grams plain flour plus extra for the dusting
• 1 pinch fine sea salt
• 170 grams water

To season the bowls:

• 8 tbsp Chinese sesame paste
• 2 tbsp boiling water
• 8 tbsp chilli oil
• 4 tbsp jalapeño pickle juice
• 2 tsp light brown sugar

To serve:

• 2 tsp sesame seeds toasted
• 1 small bunch chives finely sliced
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns ground and sieved

Method

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the beef, garlic, spring onions, pickled jalapeños and juice, soy sauce, salt, sugar, rice wine, sesame oil and fat. Stir with a wooden spoon in a clockwise direction until it resembles a thick, sticky paste – really beat the beef around the bowl to create this texture. You can incorporate a little more water if necessary. Add the sui mi ya cai and stir through. Place the mixture in the fridge while you prepare the dumpling wrappers.
•  If making your own dumpling wrappers: add the flour and salt to a mixing bowl and stir through with chopsticks or a fork to separate any large lumps. Add the water and quickly combine until a crumbly mixture has formed. Continue to mix until it comes together as a ball of dough. Knead for one to two minutes, then turn out onto the worktop. Continue to knead the dough (by hand or in a stand mixer) for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
• Mould the dough into a ball and place it inside a freezer bag, or in a bowl covered with a damp, clean dish towel. Leave to rest at room temperature while you prepare the dumpling filling. If you are preparing the dough more than one hour ahead of time, you can leave it to rest in the fridge.
•  Once rested, take the ball of dough and knead it for three to five minutes. Now it should feel very supple and elastic. Cut the ball into thirds, you will be working with one third at a time, so put the other two thirds back into a freezer bag or covered bowl to prevent the dough from drying out.
•  Roll the first dough third into a sausage shape, about 25 centimetres long. You may need to coat your worktop with a sprinkling of flour. Cut the dough into equal two centimetre pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. If you’re not using immediately, store in a container in the fridge.
• To make a wrapper, take one of the small dough balls and flatten it, using three fingers, into a small disc, similar to a cookie. Roll the dough as thinly as you can, to form a round, 10 centimetres in diameter. Make sure there is a light dusting of flour on each wrapper as they are prone to sticking together. Repeat with the remaining dough, working a third at a time to stop the dough from drying out.
• Take a dumpling wrapper in the palm of your hand and place one large teaspoon of filling in the centre. Bring the edges of the wrapper together and gently press the dough to seal the dumpling. You can add some pleats if you want to, but this isn’t necessary. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and place the completed dumplings on a tray lined with baking paper, at least one cm away from each other.
• Mix the Chinese sesame paste with the boiling water, and stir to dissolve. To each serving bowl, add two tablespoons of the Chinese sesame paste mixture (this should still be warm from the boiling water), one to two tablespoons chilli oil (to taste), one tablespoon pickle juice and ½ teaspoon sugar. Mix well to combine, until the sugar is dissolved.
•  Heat the neutral oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, and boil the kettle. Add some dumplings to the pan – they will need at least one cm between them, so you may need to cook them in batches. After three to four minutes, the bottoms of the dumplings will become brown and crisp.
• Add enough boiling water to fill the pan to a depth of about one centimetre. This will create a burst of steam, so make sure your face is a safe distance away! Put a lid on the pan and leave the dumplings to steam for six to eight minutes or until all the water has evaporated. Remove the lid and let the dumplings fry on the bottom of the pan for another minute or two, then remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly – this will loosen them from the pan and make them easier to scoop out.
•  Serve the dumplings in the sauce, crispy side up. Top with sesame seeds, chives and a pinch of ground Sichuan pepper.

Nutrition

Calories: 1430kcal | Carbohydrates: 145g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 74g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Monounsaturated Fat: 40g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 2118mg | Potassium: 747mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 808IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 175mg | Iron: 12mg

Bowls & Broths by Pippa Middlehurst is published by Quadrille. Photography by India Hobson & Magnus Edmondson.

Bowls & Broths: Build a Bowl of Flavour from Scratch, with Dumplings, Noodles, and More

• Amazon Kindle Edition
• Middlehurst, Pippa (Author)
• English (Publication Language)

£6.02

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Last update on 2024-04-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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