You won’t find this recipe anywhere else! Most traditional dumpling recipes call for ground pork, but I stopped eating pork a few years back and was still craving that savory, earthy flavor for the filling. Plus, every time I got to the Asian market, I pick up a pack of dried shiitake mushrooms and I always have so many left over. Mushroom lover that I am, I mixed the shiitake mushroom with the ground turkey and fresh ginger for a totally original, non-traditional, and slightly healthier take on Chinese dumplings. Trust me-all the traditional flavors are still there. Watch video on how I made it here.

Dumplings are great to make with friends and family – they are a communally prepared dish. And while the dumpling filling and the dumpling sauce will come together quite quickly; I won’t lie to you, making the dumplings are time consuming! But this is the best part and it should feel therapeutic. Literally, grab a friend or two, play some music and just zone out while folding up the most adorable 6 crimp dumplings ever. Don’t be intimidated – I have a video below showing you exactly how to do it.

Freezing Dumplings

This recipe makes a lot of dumplings and you are going to want to freeze any that you aren’t cooking for dinner that night. Plus, it is handy to have the frozen dumplings in your freezer for quick meals later. To freeze dumplings, place them on a tray or cookie sheet that is lined with parchment paper – making sure they’re not touching each other. Place the tray in the freezer uncovered until they are fully frozen. Then, transfer them into airtight plastic bags. Frozen dumplings do not need to be defrosted before cooking them. Follow the same instructions below, it may take 1-2 additional minutes when steaming frozen dumplings. The dumplings keep in the freezer for three months.

Substitutions

You can swap out the meat in this dish for 1 lb of any ground meat you prefer: chicken, shrimp, pork, beef, etc. Or if you are vegetarian, 3 cups of ground up veggies: cabbage, carrot, green onion, etc. You can swap out the oyster sauce for vegetarian oyster sauce as well and enjoy your totally healthy new dumpling recipe.

Ground Turkey & Shiitake Dumpling Recipe

For the filling: (yields 100 dumplings)
1 lbs ground turkey
3 cups rehydrated Shiitake mushrooms (stems removed)
1 bunch green onion
5 cloves of garlic
1 1-inch piece of ginger
4 tables spoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
White pepper to taste
2 packages dumpling wrapper (I like Twin Marquis brand)

The Perfect Dumpling Sauce: (serves 2)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon hot water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon chili oil
1 teaspoon grated garlic
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon toasted sesami seeds
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

To make the filing:

Step 1.

In a food processor, add garlic, ginger, green onions and rehydrated shiitake mushrooms. Use the pulse setting to finely chop ingredients. Make sure to scrape the sides of the processor bowl and pulse again until everything is finely chopped.

Step 2.

In a bowl, add your ground turkey, finely chopped vegetable mixture, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper. Stir to combine.

Step 3:

The most important step! Taste your mixture. In a small frying pan, fry 1 tablespoon of the dumpling filling mixture and test out the flavor. Adjust seasonings as necessary.

Step 4:

Assemble dumplings. Place your 2 packages of dumpling wrappers, bowl of filling, and a small bowl filled water out on the counter. Get 2 cookie sheets for placing the finished dumplings and put those near your setup. Sit down, relax and fill your dumplings. Wet the edges of your dumpling wrapper by dipping a finger into the bowl of water and trace a line around the edge of the dumpling. Place 1 teaspoon of the filling in the middle of the wrapper, then fold into a half moon shape and pinch the top in the center to seal. Make 3 crimps on each side to seal the dumpling. All crimps should be in the direction of the center of the dumpling. Then, press down again around all edges to firmly seal.

Step 5:

To cook dumplings, bring water to a boil in a pot + steamer basket with a tight fitting lid. Arrange dumplings in the steamer basket, making sure no dumplings are touching. Cover and steam for 10 minutes. Serve with white rice and dumpling dipping sauce.

To make the dumpling sauce:

Dissolve sugar in hot water by stirring or whisking. Add in the remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Serve with freshly cook dumplings & enjoy!