If you haven’t experienced using cabbage instead of traditional dumpling wrappers before, this recipe may spark your interest. Substituting the sturdy cabbage leaves for the usual wheat flour or rice paper wrappers is an excellent way to enhance your diet with more fiber, vitamins, and minerals while maintaining the delicious taste. Simply blanch the leaves until they are soft and flexible, fill them with a seasoned ground chicken mixture, and pan-sear until they develop a beautiful char on both sides. These dumplings can be served as an appetizer or main dish, offering juiciness, rich flavor, and a good source of protein.
Ingredients
- 18–20 large napa cabbage leaves, with the stem ends trimmed
- 454 g ground chicken (preferably dark meat)
- 2 cups chopped napa cabbage
- 2 tbsp soy sauce, plus extra for serving
- 2 tbsp grated ginger
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced, plus extra for serving
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp sugar
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- Chili crisp, for serving
Preparation
Begin by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. Add the cabbage leaves in small batches, blanch for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer them to a large tray to cool.
In a large bowl, mix the ground chicken, chopped cabbage, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, green onions, black pepper, and sugar thoroughly using a spoon or your hands.
To create the dumplings, place a cabbage leaf on a large cutting board, spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the trimmed end, and roll the cabbage around the filling while tucking in the sides. Repeat this step with the remaining cabbage leaves.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook the dumplings in batches of 4 or 5, searing and flipping them until both sides are charred, which takes about 6 minutes. Cover the pan and cook further until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a dumpling registers 165 F, approximately 2 more minutes.
Garnish the dumplings with additional green onions and serve with soy sauce and chili crisp.
Serves 4
Created in partnership with CBC Creator Network.