A Pinch and a Dollop

Want to wow a crowd or your family with a super fun play on a classic? Make these mind bending dumplings, and they are sure to be a hit! Great for getting kids in the kitchen (and eating what they make), and these make a small amount of ingredients stretch really far! An easy way to impress and get to enjoy your favorite things in a new, fun way!

I am obsessed with making dumplings lately. You can literally put just about anything in them. And, while I don’t usually eat red meat for personal reasons, I sometimes get a craving for a burger. These satisfied both of my cravings at once!

I just threw this all together, so I am approximating measurements. Feel free to add or omit things you love or dislike on your own burger, and you can even make these vegetarian with meatless meat. You can’t really mess this up! You can use the dipping sauces or make up your own. Some people like to dip in ketchup or eat plain. All depends on what you like on your burger.

This makes 50 dumplings.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground meat of choice. (I used grass fed beef, but you can mix it up according to what you prefer for a burger)
• 1 pkg premade dumpling wrappers (I prefer round shape to square, but you can use either kind)
• 1/4c ketchup
• 1/4c mustard
• 1 pickle, finely chopped
• 2 slices cheddar cheese, finely chopped (or 1/2c shredded)
• 2 oz blue cheese, crumbled
• 1 shallot or 1/2 small onion, finely diced
• 2-3 slices good quality bacon
• salt and pepper to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• 1-2 Tbs Olive Oil
• 1/2c water for cooking
• 1/4c water for sealing dumpling skins
• any extra herbs you might like to season your burger with

Dipping Sauce Option 1:

• 1/4c ketchup
• 1/4c mustard

Dipping Sauce Option 2:

• 1/4c ketchup
• 1/4c mayonnaise
• 1/2 small pickle

Directions:

1. In small skillet or fry pan, over medium high heat, fry bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from pan, and drain on paper towels. Leave grease in pan.
2. With pan still on, lower flame to medium, and add shallots or onions; fry in bacon grease until golden brown.
3. While onions are frying, add all other ingredients to a medium bowl. Crumble up bacon into small bits, and add to bowl. Add in shallots/onions, including the bacon grease.
4. Mix everything together with your hands until well incorporated. If you want to test a small amount in the fry pan to see if you need to add any additional ingredients, now is a good time to do so! Once you are happy with your mixture, set aside.
5. To make dumplings, place roughly half to one Tbs of filling in center of dumpling wrapper. Using a small bowl of water, dab your finger with some water and lightly wet all around the edges of the dumpling skin. This will allow you to press the dough together, and have it stick. Without the water, the dumplings will not seal, and you will lose your filling.
6. To crimp your edges, bring the center of the dumpling together, and pinch the top edges together gently to begin the seal, creating a half moon shape. Keeping the back flat, you want to work the excess dough on the front into pleats so your filling is tightly packaged. I have a video on how to do this below.
7. This is not typical, but I like to create 3 pleats on either side of center pinch, folding in opposite direction. It creates a pretty, symmetrical looking dumpling. I think they are typically pleated in one direction, but I was a clothing designer for 25 years, so this is just how my hands and mind work! 😉
8. It is a little awkward making these at first. Eventually, you’ll get the hang of it and your muscle memory will kick in! Don’t worry if they are not perfect looking or a little ugly at first; it’s all about how they taste, and even if they are not crimped properly, they’ll be delicious! Some people just pinch and seal the edges; that totally works too. No rules, just fun!
9. Once your dumplings are all sealed and ready to go, heat 1-2 Tbs of olive oil on a medium to high flame for a minute or two. Add about 25 dumplings to the pan at once. It’s ok to crowd the pan at this point. Not a problem if your dumplings stick together a bit too.
10. Once all the dumplings are in the pan and frying, you want to make sure they are all getting nicely browned. Once you see that they have a nice color to them, and are properly seared, you want to add about 1/2c of water to the pan and cover. This will allow the dumplings to steam and cook the wrappers and fillings.
11. After a few minutes, you’ll notice dumpling wrappers are hugging the filling, are slightly translucent, and almost all of the water has evaporated. You want to check that the bottoms are not burnt. At this point, you can take the dumplings off the heat, and serve!
12. (I only made 25 dumplings, and will use the rest of the mixture to make some burgers today)!

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