I love a dumpling, especially one that arrives golden, crisp, and dangerously easy to keep eating. These Thai-style dumplings are my own loose interpretation. Not exactly authentic, and certainly not something I’d dare present to a grandmother in Bangkok. But they’re savory, crunchy, a little sweet, and deeply satisfying.
Ingredients:
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil, plus more for deep-frying
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon cilantro stems, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 4 ounces white mushrooms, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 8 ounces ground chicken
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 8-ounce can water chestnuts, drained and cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 25-35 wonton skins
- 3/4 cup sweet chile sauce, for serving
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the sliced green onions, garlic, cilantro, white pepper, and mushrooms and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until the onions and mushrooms have softened. Add the chicken, soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and water chestnuts and stir with a wooden spoon, breaking up the chicken as you stir. Continue to stir-fry for about 7 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the liquid has evaporated. Remove the pan from the heat and let the filling cool to room temperature.
- To assemble the dumplings, lay a wonton wrapper flat on a work surface and put 1 tablespoon of the cooled filling in the center. Dip your finger in a bowl of water and brush the perimeter of the wonton wrapper with your wet finger and fold the wonton over diagonally to make a triangle shape and seal the wonton to close. Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers and filling.
- To fry the dumplings, pour the oil to a depth of 1 inch into a wok or frying pan and carefully heat to medium-high. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside.
- Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower a few dumplings into the hot old and fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning carefully, until golden brown all over. Using the slotted spoon, transfer the dumplings to the towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the dumplings are cooked.
- Serve the dumplings with the sweet chile sauce.