Pork Dumplings Recipe – Wild Boar or Venison Alternatives
Wild boar can make a great flavor for pork dumplings
Dumplings are the best! They’re not only my go-to appetizer, but my favorite snack at the supermarket. The flavor profile of a dumpling, with the soft sticky exterior and the warm flavorful filling accompanied with a tangy equally flavorful sauce, is what makes them so great. With some wild pork still left in the freezer I had to make my own version.
We have been working through a wild boar we got a couple of months ago and decided to grind up some of the meat. It was a fat boar and the “smelliness” or “off-taste” that is normally associated with a big boar hasn’t been in any of the meat. Even if it had been a little smelly, I think this recipe has enough aromatics to cover any off scent and still taste great! I have a couple more wild pork recipes in mind and look forward to experimenting with it.
Pork Dumplings Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork (wild hog works well, or you could even use venison!)
- 40 dumpling or wonton wrappers
- 1 1/2 cups cups green cabbage finely chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 2 stalks green onions finely chopped
- 1 ½ tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 ¼ tsp ginger minced
- 4 tsp soy sauce
- 1 oz dried mushrooms rehydrated and finely chopped
- ½ tsp white pepper
- Water (to dip fingers in and for steaming)
- Oil for frying (I use a combination of sesame and vegetable)
Dipping Sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp rice wine
- ¼ -1 tsp Sriracha (depends on how spicy you like it)
- 1 stalk scallion whites
- Dash sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine pork, green cabbage, garlic, green onions, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, ginger, soy sauce, mushrooms, and white pepper until fully combined.
- Place mixture in a Ziplock and refrigerate overnight. This is not necessary if you are in a time crunch, but it will enhance the flavors.
- Fill wonton/dumpling wrappers with a heaping tsp to fill.
- Wet finger and trace outside edge of wrapper. This will make the wrapper sticky and allow you to close it.
- Make your dumpling shape. I brought all the edges to the middle to create the shape I did. However, a simple YouTube will show you all the possibilities you can create. Just make sure your dumpling is good and sealed.
- Place several T (enough to cover the bottom just barely) of oil in a frying pan and heat over medium.
- When oil becomes hot, place dumplings, bottom down, on the pan and brown the bottoms (~2 minutes).
- Please read the warning below prior to doing this step. Place 1/4 cups of water in the pan. Cover immediately.
- Turn heat to medium-low and steam until pork is fully cooked (~6 minutes).
- While dumplings are cooking, mix dipping sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside. Enjoy!
