FRIED PORK DUMPLING + KIMCHI NACHOS
YES, I WANT TO CALL IT MOJO. NOT SAUCE. MOJO.
Ooops, am I too late? Have you already laid out your master game-plan for this sunday, unregrettably I hope, from this really awesome list I put together? And now you could really kick yourself (or just kick me…)?
Well, that’s the thing about braving a crazy idea. It needs to overcome a bit of hesitation-lag. A crazily messy ideas like this that leads to moments of me staring at the final photographs, and doesn’t know what the hell I’m looking at. An idea that I hallucinated about on Tuesday, doubted on Wednesday, gave up on Thursday, then on Friday… I thought, fuck it. Life is too short – especially when it involves pork – not to make me a deep fried pork dumpling nachos, with kimchi salsa and gochujang and sour cream nacho-mojo (yes, I want to call it mojo, not sauce, mojo). So here we are. Kicking ourselves.
I know we are short on time, so I’ll spare the pornographic description that I usually paint you, and jump straight to the points. Crispy blistered doughs with salty fish-saucy pork fillings. Spicy, garlicky and crunchy kimchi salsa over a blanket of melted cheese. Then in a finale-squirt of spicy, tangy and creamy gochujang nacho-mojo. Here listen, I don’t call stuff mojo for nothin’ al’right?
So we still got a couple days. Let’s get to it.
Serves: 6 people
OK, I assume the first thing most of you would be tempted to think is, can I use store-bought frozen pork dumplings instead of making my own? Well, I tried that. Besides not having the more flat chips-like shape which I’m very fond of, I found that frozen dumplings often have cracks on the wrappers, which will leak juice during frying that leads to splatters. Also, they don’t get as puffy and blistered as fresh dumplings. So here’s what I suggest, if you can, buy freshly made dumplings that aren’t frozen as the first choice of substitute. If you absolutely must use frozen, leave them on the counter for 20 min to thaw first before frying, and watch out for splatters.
Then of course, this kimchi salsa… and this gochujang nacho sauce… guys, plain old boring tortilla chips will likee, too.
Ingredients
- 60 Chinese dumpling wrappers
- 8 oz (230 grams) fatty ground pork
- 1/4 cup (20 grams) finely diced scallions
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1/2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 3 tbsp (55 grams) sour cream
- 2 tbsp (50 grams) gochujang/Korean chili paste
- 3/4 tsp rice vinegar
- 1/4 tsp honey
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp kimchi juice to thin out, if needed
- 1 1/2 cup (250 grams) kimchi without juice, finely diced
- 2 shallot, finely minced
- 1 medium-size tomato
- 1/2 cup (40 grams) diced scallion, green parts only
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- Shredded gouda cheese and cheddar cheese to your heart's content
Instructions
- TO MAKE THE FRIED PORK DUMPLINGS: Evenly mix fatty ground pork, finely diced scallions, fish sauce, toasted sesame oil, grated ginger, cornstarch and ground white pepper. Put about 2 tsp of the pork-filling in the center of a dumpling wrapper, then wet the edges with a bit of water. Place another dumpling wrapper over the top, and seal the edges tightly. Repeat until you're done with all the dumplings. Can be done the night before (Keep the dumpings well floured and plastic-wrapped in the fridge. Do not freeze or the wrapper might crack).
- Add enough vegetable oil in a frying-pot until it reaches 2" deep. Set over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 330F/165C, or until it bubbles up quickly around the edges of an inserted wooden chopstick. Without crowding the pot, fry the dumpling for about 2 min on each sides, until puffed and golden browned. Let drain over a baking-rack, and repeat with the rest. You can fry the dumpling up to 1 hour before serving.
- TO MAKE THE GOCHUJANG MOJO : Evenly mix sour cream, gochujang/Korean chili paste, rice vinegar, honey and freshly ground black pepper together. If the sauce is too thick, thin it out with a bit of kimchi juice. Set aside.
- TO MAKE THE KIMCHI SALSA: Halve the tomato and squeeze out any excess juice, then finely dice. Mix it with the finely diced kimchi (without juice), minced shallot, diced scallion and chopped cilantro. Set aside.
- TO PUT IT TOGETHER: Preheat the oven on 450F/230C. Layer fried pork dumplings and generous amount of shredded cheese on an oven-proof serving-platter (I wouldn't do more than 2 layers). Bake in the oven until the cheese has full melted and bubbly. Top it with the kimchi salsa, and squeeze the gochujang nacho mojo all over (I put it in a small plastic bag with a small cut-out hole). Serve immediately.
molly yeh
01.31.2015at2:47 AMholy shit!
Rebecca@Figs and Pigs
01.31.2015at2:52 AMDrooling!
Millie | Add A Little
01.31.2015at3:03 AMHoly smokes. You just won the frickin award for best game food. You just killed the game!
Allyn
01.31.2015at3:16 AMHoly fuck. Yes.
I’ve already got your spicy miso ramen planned for next week, so I’ll be considering these for the week after… unless I cave and make them sooner.
cynthia
01.31.2015at3:26 AMThis is beyond words glorious. Just. No words. AMAZING.
Caitlin
01.31.2015at3:27 AMTHIS CAN’T BE REAL?!
Rebecca @ DisplacedHousewife
01.31.2015at3:30 AMYum. Just fricken yum.
Ursula @ LilVienna.com
01.31.2015at4:06 AMThis dish has it all! Now I feel somehow embarrassed about my “normal” nachos… I will definitely try your mojo ;-)
june2
01.31.2015at4:42 AMO.o
Ashley
01.31.2015at5:07 AMWant! NEED! Seriously, you’re brilliant and I want this (and so many of your other recipes) asap!
ellie | fit for the soul
01.31.2015at6:13 AMThis recipe…is so….poifect….No words for how crazy good it looks.
Coryne
01.31.2015at6:37 AMYou are an Evil Genius!!! Freaking FANTASTIC!!!
Nicola
01.31.2015at7:39 AMThis looks so fucking good that it makes me want to punch someone. Seriously.
Tori@Gringalicious.com
01.31.2015at8:06 AMSay What! Dumpling nachos? No way! These are how I want to spend my Super Bowl, just eating the whole pan!
Thalia @ butter and brioche
01.31.2015at3:57 PMI seriously have no words.. this is AMAZING.
Eliaabeth
01.31.2015at5:40 PMOh man. I.Love.You.
Belinda @themoonblushbaker
01.31.2015at5:44 PMLet me rewrite tomorrows plans for being good… That can wait till Monday.
Ellie
01.31.2015at8:56 PMOH MY GOD. I recently discovered quite how good kimchi is and this…this is beyond words…
charlotte
01.31.2015at11:28 PMYou are fuckin amazing! I’m so making this. The bad on the dumplings is that they’ll be gone too fast!
Sister Unga
02.01.2015at1:43 AMReally? I’m going to be stuck in my kitchen all day now. I don’t even watch football but I will if it gives me an excuse to make this dish!
Marissa | Pinch and Swirl
02.01.2015at2:33 AMholy. serves 6? I think not.
J.S. @ Sun Diego Eats
02.01.2015at8:56 AMThis is insane. But how can you possibly make it with regular chips when you know it should really be deep fried homemade pork dumplings…no.
Judy@ImBoredLetsGo
02.01.2015at11:59 AMOMG, that is all… OMG! I WANT!
Emily | The Flown Scissortail
02.01.2015at1:08 PMI don’t think I’ll ever be able to make nachos with normal chips again…
Pablo
02.02.2015at6:14 AMI’m almost done with this but worried about the Gouda factor seems so damn strange?!
Christine
02.02.2015at8:33 AMThe kimchi salsa is genius!
Deloryan
02.02.2015at5:28 PMIf I would put the leftover Mojo sauce in a airtight jar, for how long would it keep?
mandy@ladyandpups
02.02.2015at6:27 PMDeloryan, just to be on the safe side, I’d say a week.
monica
02.03.2015at2:51 PMWhat!! Please tell us Beijingers where you typically buy your ingredients for such gloriousness.
mandy@ladyandpups
02.03.2015at3:15 PMMonica, I usually go to this market that caters to international ingredients. this is the location on baidu map: http://j.map.baidu.com/6QK4M
It’s great! They have almost everything (well, basic things) that you’ll need :)
Stacy
02.07.2015at9:17 AMSo… These are AMAZING! We are gluten-free and I couldn’t find gluten-free dumpling wrappers so I made the filling with as directed but just browned it in a pan and put it all over blue corn tortilla chips! Even my husband who is shy about trying new things and my brother who is visiting and doesn’t normally eat outside of his comfort zone bothered them too! These are a definite hot and will be made many times.
Stacy
02.07.2015at9:19 AMOh, and I aso used habanero jelly in place of the Korean chili paste bc it seemed close enough and it is what I had in my fridge already… Seriously SO good… Thanks for the recipe!
Jill
09.03.2015at8:56 AMOk, I’m not sure who is crazier, you for creating insane recipes like this, or me for jumping in and trying it. Having eaten it, I say WHO CARES. Please keep the crazy coming!!!!!
David Boucard
12.12.2015at12:01 AMI just tried out your recipe and it is absolutely incredible. I was really hesitant about using cheese, since it is rarely used in East Asian cuisine. I didn’t think the gochujang and the fish sauce would go well with the gouda and cheddar, and I was so wrong! I followed your wonderful recipe and held back my reservations. In return, I had one of the most flavorful mouthgasms ever. Everything, the juiciness of the pork filling, the satisfying crunchiness of the wrappers, the smooth creamy texture of the mojo, and the bubbly goodness of the melted cheese all combined, just wow. I loved it. My friends loved it. I will definitely make this over and over again. Just had to come back and say thank you for this recipe! Truly delicious.
mandy@ladyandpups
12.12.2015at4:06 AMDavid, wow, I’m so happy that you enjoyed the recipe so much! Thanks for taking the time to let me know :)!!
Spencer
02.09.2016at5:34 AMWhy no Korean-Mexican fusion spot I’ve been to has done something like this, I don’t know. I will be destroying a plate of these sooner than later.
Raschell @ MissHomemade.com
07.20.2016at5:57 AMWow. I bet you know what I am craving… Thanks for posting and can’t wait to make it.
Ingrid Kong
07.24.2016at12:03 AMi just stumbled across your blog from ‘the cooking of joy’. i feel like i have a soul mate in shanghai, i love everything about this blog.
Sooooogoodstill
09.11.2016at5:52 PMWe made it. One question~ if there is air in the dumpling, it seems to expand too fast, and then it pops and we lose all the juice?! Were we trying at too high of a temperature?
mandy@ladyandpups
09.11.2016at9:53 PMHi, do try to eliminate as much air as possible because that could happen. I’ve also tried with store bought frozen dumplings and wontons that seem to pop less.
Shannon
02.23.2017at4:16 PMThese were delicious! Thanks for the recipe :)