Cook’s notes
Almost a decade since they became popular on the web, rose dumplings are making a comeback. Instagram is filled with reels on how to make them, and the techniques for forming the rosebuds vary.
According to popular claims, the “rose dumpling” is a famous specialty of the White Rose Restaurant in Hoi An, Vietnam. But while White Rose Restaurant’s dumplings are indeed shaped like flowers, they don’t really look like roses.
So, who made the first rose-shaped dumpling? I don’t know. But, in our house, that would be my older girl, Sam. But she didn’t invent them. She saw the technique somewhere on the web and replicated it back in 2016. It took a year before I made my version. This recipe is from July 4, 2017.
Rose dumplings
Ingredients
- 400 grams fatty ground pork (14 oz)
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
- ¼ teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon sesame seed oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 24 round wonton wrappers about 3 inches in diameter, separated
- 1 egg lightly beaten with one tablespoon water
- 3 to 4 tablespoons cooking oil
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients except the dumpling wrappers, egg and cooking oil. Cover and marinate in the fridge overnight.
- Take three dumpling wrappers and lay them side by side slightly overlapping each other.
- Take two to three teaspoonfuls of the filling and spread across the wrappers near the center. Flatten the filling lightly with your fingertips.
- Fold over the wrappers to enclose the filling. Press to flatten some more but DO NOT press the edges of the wrappers together. Leave them open.
- Brush egg wash on the bottom of the dumpling from one end to the other.
- Starting with one end, roll the dumpling all the way.
- Repeat until all the dumpling wrappers have been filled and rolled.
- Heat the cooking oil in a wide frying pan.
- With the heat set on HIGH, arrange the dumplings, bottom side down and at least an inch apart, in the hot oil. Fry the dumplings until the bottoms are lightly browned.
- Pour in boiling water to a depth of half an inch.
- Set the heat to medium-low and cover the pan tightly. Let the dumplings cook in the steam for 10 to 12 minutes.
- To serve, arrange three to four dumplings on a plate. Drizzle with a little soy sauce and sesame seed oil. Sprinkle with finely sliced scallions. Serve the rose dumplings immediately.
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