If the words crispy dumpling skirt don’t send you running to your stove, we don’t know what will. Instead of steaming these dumplings in water, we simmer them in a vinegary cornstarch and flour slurry that creates a lacy, crunchy golden crust as the water evaporates and the dumplings brown. The vinegar adds tang, but also creates the lightest and crispiest skirt, a pro move we borrowed from Dumpling Galaxy in Flushing, Queens. Let’s talk swaps: If you don’t have rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar work, too. If you don’t have cornstarch, use another starch like tapioca, arrowroot, or potato, or use 100 percent flour. You can use beef or lamb in place of the pork; if you use a leaner protein, like chicken or turkey, add 1 Tbsp. oil to the mixture to compensate. Watch Sohla makes dumplings in her home kitchen here.
Ingredients
Makes 24
8
8
1
2
1
½
24
5
4
4
6–8
2
Preparation
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Step 1
Place 8 oz. ground pork (not lean) in a medium bowl. Trim roots and 1″ from tops of 8 scallions; discard. Thinly slice; transfer 2 Tbsp. scallion to a small bowl and set aside for dipping sauce. Coarsely chop remaining scallions and add to bowl with pork.
Step 2
Peel 1″ piece ginger with a spoon and finely grate into bowl with pork using a Microplane.
Step 3
Add 2 tsp. soy sauce, ¾ tsp. kosher salt, and ½ tsp. freshly ground white or black pepper to pork. Rake through pork with chopsticks or your hands to quickly but thoroughly combine ingredients.
Step 4
Get ready to form the dumplings: Place twenty-four 3½”-diameter wonton wrappers on a work surface and cover with a damp kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out. Place a small bowl of water nearby.
Step 5
Place 1 wrapper in the palm of your nondominant hand. Scoop out a rounded teaspoonful of filling and place into center of wrapper. Use teaspoon to nudge filling into a football shape. (This will make it easier to fold the wrapper around it.)
Step 6
Dip a finger on your dominant hand in water and lightly moisten the half of the wrapper that is closest to you. Using your dominant hand, fold wrapper in half over filling and pinch closed using both of your hands. Using your fingers, make 6–7 pleats along the edge, pressing each pleat closed after you form it. Repeat process with remaining wrappers and filling.
Step 7
To make the slurry for your crispy skirt, whisk 3 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar, 4 tsp. all-purpose flour, 4 tsp. cornstarch, remaining ¼ tsp. kosher salt, and 2 cups water in a large measuring glass to combine.
Step 8
Now you are ready to cook your dumplings. Heat 2 tsp. vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Arrange 6–10 dumplings in pan (steam fewer at a time if you want a more crispy skirt) and cook until they start to sizzle, about 1 minute. (You don’t want them to take on any color at this point.) Stir slurry well and add a generous ½ cup to pan. Cover and steam dumplings 5 minutes. Remove lid. Dumplings should be plumped and cooked through and most of the water should have evaporated, leaving a thin lacy layer of slurry beneath them. Cover and cook a minute longer if needed.
Step 9
Uncover dumplings and cook until all the liquid evaporates from slurry and it becomes a crisp, golden brown skirt, about 2 minutes. You may need to rotate your pan as some areas will brown faster than others.
Step 10
Invert a plate over pan and flip dumplings out onto plate. (You can also slide them out onto a plate if that’s more your comfort level.) Repeat cooking process with remaining dumplings and slurry (stirring well before each batch) in 2–3 more batches, adding 2 tsp. vegetable oil to pan after each batch.
Step 11
While the dumplings are cooking, make the dipping sauce. Add 2 tsp. chili oil (if using), remaining 2 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar, and remaining 2 Tbsp. soy sauce to reserved sliced scallions and mix well.
Step 12
Serve dumplings with sauce alongside.
Step 13
Do ahead: Filling can be made 1 day ahead; cover and chill. Dumplings can be formed 3 months ahead; freeze on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet until firm, at least 12 hours. Transfer to an airtight container and keep frozen. Cook from frozen (time will not change).