Dumplings can have a wide ranging connotation depending what part of the world it originated from -- but no matter where it's eaten, how its wrapped or what its filled with, one thing is certain the dough filled dish is a global favorite.
"Good Morning America" celebrated the beloved food for Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month with the help of a recipe developer, cooking editor and celebrity chef who all shared their cultural take on dumplings.
From lechon to adobo, authentic Filipino cuisine is packed with flavor and tradition, something intrinsic to chef, TV personality and restaurateur Jordan Andino's culinary perspective. Andino shared his recipe for pork and beef-filled fried lumpia -- a Filipino favorite that combines the amalgamation of different countries' ingredients.
Genevieve Ko, deputy editor of New York Times Cooking, shared her recipe for a fried and steamed spicy chile crisp tofu dumpling.
And finally, Bon Appetit contributor Zaynab Issa offered up a how-to on her beef samosas.
Check out all three chefs' takes on dumplings below.
Andino said this recipe is "based off the Chinese spring roll, but made Filipino -- the difference is we like to expose the edges."
Ingredients
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground beef
1 8 ounce can water chestnuts, rough chopped
1/4 cup carrot, small dice
1 1/4 cup yellow onion, small dice
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup celery, small dice
Salt and pepper to taste
Shanghai wonton wrappers - 1 pack
1/2 cup corn starch
3/4 cup water 32 ounces vegetable oil
Sweet chili dipping sauce
1/2 cup honey
3 tablespoons Sriracha
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dati puti, or white vinegar
Directions
In a minimum 64-ounce pot/wok, pour 32 oz. of vegetable oil and heat to 350 degrees.
While bringing to temp create the lumpia filling. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef/pork, water chestnuts, carrot, garlic, Worcestershire, onion, celery and season liberally with salt and pepper. Rigorously mix pork mixture so the veg & seasoning is evenly dispersed throughout the ground meats.
Set aside at room temp and heat water right before boiling then add corn starch to make paste for glue.
Lay wrapper flat and place 3 tablespoons of meat mixture in an even tube that lines the whole length of the wrapper.
The tube mixture should be evenly lined up, stretched to the edges of the wrapper, placed in a line with 25% of the wrapper exposed below the line meat and about 75% of the wrapper exposed above the line of meat.
Using your finger, cast the top edge of the wrapper with the warm corn mixture/glue to properly seal the roll.
Bring the 25% over the line of meat and roll tight, creating a tube of meat rolled tightly inside of the wrapper.
Roll tightly and press the seal at the end so the glue seals. Repeat until all ground pork is done. At this point you can cut into halves, leave whole, or cut into equal quarters.
Freeze however many you don't want and set aside the ones you are going to eat.
For the dipping sauce, combine all ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk for 30 seconds, set aside when complete.
Cook five pieces of lumpia at a time in oil for about 4-6 minutes and lightly season with salt immediately once removed from hot oil.
Enjoy alone or dipped in sweet chili sauce.
Zaynab said this snack is popular across India and Pakistan and it's "a labor of love" that can be made easier with store bought spring roll pastry.
Yield: 25 Samosas
Ingredients
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 Tbsp Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
5 large garlic cloves, finely grated on a microplane
1 1/2-inches ginger, finely grated on a microplane
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 medium yellow onions, finely diced
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 1/2 tablespoons water
1, 12oz package spring roll pastry, preferably KIMBO brand
Vegetable Oil, for frying
Green chutney, for serving
Directions
Add two pounds of lean ground beef to a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Season with 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt (or 1 1 /4 teaspoon table salt) and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Add 5 finely grated large garlic cloves and one and a half inches finely grated ginger. Cook beef, breaking up thoroughly with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain any fat, meat should be dry. Remove from heat. Add 1 Tbsp garam masala, 2 finely diced medium yellow onions, and half a cup finely chopped cilantro and mix to combine. Set beef mixture aside to cool off, about 15 to 20 minutes.
In the meantime, make the glue that will seal the samosas, combine a quarter cup all purpose flour and three and a half tablespoons of water in a small bowl until smooth.
Trim 1, 12 ounce spring roll pastry block into a 6”x7” rectangle using a sharp knife. Cut in half lengthwise to make two 3”x7” blocks. Cover with a damp kitchen towel or paper towel to prevent pastry from drying out.
To make a samosa, peel two layers of pastry off the block. Make sure to re-cover block with the damp towel before continuing.
Lay the rectangle sheet on a cutting board. Take the bottom left corner of the pastry and bring it up one and a half inches below the upper right corner. Bring the now-bottom right corner up to the top left corner to make a triangle-shaped pocket. Fill the pocket with about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the cooled beef filling. Using a pastry brush, spread a thin layer of the glue on the flap and seal diagonally to make a triangle. Make sure corners are tight and no filling is exposed. Use more glue as needed to make a clean triangle. Repeat with remaining beef.
Pour vegetable oil in a large skillet to come 3-inches up the sides and heat over medium-high until an instant read thermometer registers 325°. Working in batches of about 6 samosas, cook samosas until crisp and golden, about 2-3 minutes per side. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and let drain.
Serve immediately with green chutney.
Notes
The ground beef mixture can be made up to 2 days ahead.
To freeze, lay samosas flat in a large container top with a layer of parchment paper and stack over another layer. Repeat as needed. Samosas can be fried from frozen; add 1-2 minutes to cook time.
Ingredients
8 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1/4-inch slices
6 ounces spinach, watercress or baby bok choy, finely chopped (3 cups)
3 ounces garlic chives or scallions, thinly sliced (1 cup)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 celery stalks, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon soy sauce, plus more for serving 1 tablespoon chile crisp, plus more for serving
35 homemade dumpling wrappers (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021845- homemade-dumpling-wrappers) or store-bought round wrappers
Grapeseed or other neutral oil, for frying
Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar and sesame oil, for serving
Directions
Arrange the tofu slices in a single layer on a clean kitchen towel or between double layers of paper towels. Roll tightly in the towel as if rolling a sleeping bag, then squeeze it over the sink to remove as much liquid as possible. Let stand 10 minutes for the tofu to continue releasing liquid. If the towel gets soaked, transfer the tofu to another dry towel.
Toss the spinach, chives and salt in a colander. Let stand for 10 minutes, then squeeze the greens in the colander over the sink to release as much liquid as possible. Transfer the greens mixture to a large bowl. Add the drained tofu, squeezing it to crumble into bits as you add it, then mix evenly with the greens. Add the celery, soy sauce and chile crisp, and stir until evenly mixed. Taste, and add more soy sauce and chile crisp, if you’d like. The filling on its own should be very flavorful because the wrappers are not seasoned at all.
Set up a dumpling assembly line with the bowl of filling, wrappers and a small bowl of water. Using a dessert spoon or other small spoon, scoop a mound of filling, then press it against the side of the bowl into a tiny football. Set the filling in the center of one wrapper. Use your fingertip to dampen the edges with water. Bring together the sides over the filling to enclose in a half-moon. Pinch the center together, then press the edges together to seal, pleating decoratively if you’d like. Sit the dumpling upright on your work surface. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers. Cook immediately or freeze in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet until hard, then transfer to airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
You can cook as many or as few dumplings at a time as you’d like. Choose your pan size accordingly: An 8-inch skillet will fit 8 to 10; a 10-inch will fit 14 to 16. When ready to cook, coat a well-seasoned cast-iron pan or nonstick skillet with a thin, even layer of oil. Arrange the dumplings in the pan, pleated side up, spacing 1/3 inch apart, and filling the pan. Add enough cold water to the pan to come 1/3 inch up the sides (about 1/4 cup for an 8-inch pan; 1/2 cup for a 10-inch).
Cover the skillet and cook over medium until the rapid firecracker popping diminishes to a steady, low crackle, indicating that all the water has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Uncover and check to see if the bottoms are browned and the dough is slightly translucent all the way to the top. If so, remove from the heat. If not, cook uncovered 1 to 2 minutes longer. Let stand for a minute so the dumplings release from the skillet naturally. Transfer to a plate, browned side up. Make your own dipping sauce with any combination of soy sauce, chile crisp, vinegar and sesame oil, and enjoy with the hot dumplings.
Recipe reprinted courtesy of Genevieve Ko for The New York Times.