These pork and dill dumplings have a very unique herbal and aromatic flavor. We first tried dill dumplings at a Chinese restaurant in Toronto, and we were so surprised to see this familiar herb that’s rarely seen in Chinese cooking in a dumpling filling! If you love dill and have a lot of it (like we do in our garden), try this recipe!
Unusual Dumpling Fillings
The most common ingredients used in Chinese dumpling fillings include leafy greens like shepherd’s purse, cabbage, napa cabbage, and bok choy, herbs like scallions, garlic chives, and cilantro, and other vegetables like carrots and mushrooms.
Dill dumplings are extremely uncommon. Let’s talk about how we arrived at this idea.
Dill dumplings resemble the more traditional 茴香饺子 (huíxiāng jiǎozǐ) from Northern China (regions like Shandong and Hebei). 茴香 (huíxiāng) is fennel. Dill is 莳萝 (shí luó) in Chinese. They are in the same plant family and have similar flavor profiles, but are different.
While living in Beijing, I saw young fennel being sold, with the fronds about a foot high, in big bundles. I asked the market seller how they used the fennel, and they said, “包饺子 – bāo jiǎozǐ” – to make dumplings.
While in the west, we grow fennel for the bulb, in Northern China, they prize the leaves. They finely chop the green fronds for dumplings, stir-frying with eggs, and in cold salads. Fennel seeds are also widely used in Northern Chinese dishes as well as Western cooking.
This ingredient is less common in Southern Chinese cuisines, which is why many of us—even if we’re Chinese—have not heard much about fennel dumplings.
Dill dumplings on the other hand, are not necessarily traditional to a certain place, but I think of them as an evolution of the fennel dumpling. The two plants are similar and the fillings have similar textures. Dill also does have a slight fennel aroma.
I think that the restaurant in Canada might have used dill as an easier-to-find alternative to fennel, since most fennel is sold in North America without the fronds! Either way, I myself am using dill in my dumplings, as the flavor is similar to traditional Huixiang dumplings, and I harvested a ton of dill from my garden.
Using them in this filling is a good way to use a LOT of dill, since it’s usually sold in big bunches, but you rarely need that much dill in Western recipes.
With all that said, if you have your own fennel in your garden and want to thin some out when they are about 1 foot high, you can use this recipe to also make Huixiang Dumplings.
These dumplings are a bit of an acquired taste—fennel and dill are very strong flavors. Some people love them, some people hate them. The flavor of these dumplings is very herbaceous and anise-like, not subtle like a small sprinkle of dill on some fish or in a dip.
If you really like dill and anise, give this recipe a try. If not, pass it on to someone who does!
Dill Dumplings Recipe Instructions
Make the Dumpling Wrappers
(Skip this step if using storebought dumpling wrappers.)
Add the flour to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. If mixing by hand, gradually add the water to a flour and knead into a smooth dough, about 15 minutes. If using a mixer, turn the mixer on low speed and gradually add the water. When a dough forms, continue kneading on low speed for about 8 minutes. Lightly flour the counter and turn the dough out onto it. Cover with the overturned mixing bowl, and let it rest for 1 hour.
Prepare Infused Water
In a heatproof bowl or measuring cup, add the scallions, ginger and Sichuan peppercorns, and cover with the boiling water. Cover with an overturned plate, and let it steep until cool.
Make the Filling
Add the oil to a small pot, and heat it over medium heat until it starts to smoke lightly. Remove from the heat and let it cool. (This “cooked” oil will give the dumplings more flavor than you’d get by simply adding raw oil to the filling.)
Wash the dill, and shake off excess water/pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Chop the dill into ¼-inch/6mm sections and add them to a bowl. Mix in half of the cooled oil to coat the dill evenly. Set aside.
Add the pork to a large mixing bowl, along with the Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, and salt. With a rubber spatula, mix everything together until well combined. Next, stir in the remaining neutral oil.
Remove all the solids from the infused water.
Add it to the pork mixture in three batches, mixing well between each batch until the pork absorbs the liquid.
By now, the pork mixture should resemble a sticky paste. Mix in the dill until evenly combined. Transfer the filling to the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Chilling the filling makes assembly easier.
Assemble the Dumplings
If using store-bought dumpling wrappers, use your finger to dab some water around the edges of each wrapper , and add 2 teaspoons of filling to the middle.
Pleat the dumpling closed, using additional water to make sure the dumpling is fully sealed. For more detail on this step, check out our post on How to Fold Dumplings 4 Ways.
To make your own dumpling wrappers, divide the dough into small pieces (each piece should weigh about 12-15g), and roll it into a ball in your hands. Flatten the ball on a clean, smooth and lightly floured surface (such as a cutting board or clean countertop), and roll into a thin 3- to 4-inch circle. Place about 2 teaspoons of filling in the middle, and pleat the dumplings closed. Homemade wrappers are self-sealing and don’t require water to help them stick together.
Place the dumplings on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, with a little space in between so they aren’t touching. Once you’ve assembled the dumplings and filled the tray, cook them or freeze them. To freeze, wrap the tray in clean grocery bags and freeze overnight (then transfer the frozen dumplings to a freezer bag and store for up to 3 months. No need to thaw them before steaming, pan-frying, or boiling).
To cook dumplings, pan-fry, steam, or boil them, following the instructions in our How to Cook Dumplings post. Enjoy!
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Recipe
Pork and Dill Dumplings
Ingredients
For the dumpling wrappers (or use 2 packages store-bought wrappers):
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup water
For the infused water:
- 1 scallion (smashed and cut into 3-inch/8cm lengths)
- 3 slices ginger (smashed)
- 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
- 3/4 cup boiling water
For the filling:
- 4 tablespoons neutral oil (such as avocado, canola, or vegetable oil)
- 2-3.5 ounces fresh dill (based on how much you like dill!)
- 1 pound ground pork (80/20 meat to fat ratio, hand-chopped meat preferred)
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Start by making the dough for the dumpling wrappers. (Skip this step if using storebought dumpling wrappers.) Add the flour to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. If mixing by hand, gradually add the water to a flour and knead into a smooth dough, about 15 minutes. If using a mixer, turn the mixer on low speed and gradually add the water. When a dough forms, continue kneading on low speed for 8 minutes. Lightly flour the counter and turn the dough out onto it. Cover with the overturned mixing bowl, and let it rest for 1 hour.
- Next, prepare the infused water. In a heatproof bowl, add the scallions, ginger and Sichuan peppercorns, and cover with the boiling water. Cover with an overturned plate, and let it steep until cool.
- Now it’s time to prepare the filling. Add the oil to a small pot, and heat it over medium heat until it starts to smoke lightly. Remove from the heat and let it cool. Wash the dill, and shake off excess water/pat dry with a clean kitchen towel. Chop the dill into ¼-inch/6mm sections and add them to a bowl. Mix in half of the cooled oil to coat the dill evenly. Set aside.
- Add the pork to a large mixing bowl, along with the Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, and salt. With a rubber spatula, mix everything together until well combined. Next, stir in the remaining neutral oil.
- Remove all the solids from the infused water, and add it to the pork mixture in three batches, mixing well between each batch until the pork absorbs the liquid. By now, the pork mixture should resemble a sticky paste. Mix in the dill until evenly combined. Transfer the filling to the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Chilling the filling makes assembly easier.
- If using store-bought dumpling wrappers, use your finger to dab some water around the edges of each wrapper , and add 2 teaspoons of filling to the middle. Pleat the dumpling closed, using additional water to make sure the dumpling is fully sealed.
- To make your own dumpling wrappers, divide the dough into small pieces (each piece should weigh about 12-15g), and roll it into a ball in your hands. Flatten the ball on a clean, smooth and lightly floured surface (such as a cutting board or clean countertop), and roll into a thin 3- to 4-inch (8-10cm) circle. Place 2 teaspoons of filling in the middle, and pleat the dumplings closed (they're self-sealing; no water needed).
- Place the dumplings on a parchment paper lined baking sheet so they aren’t touching. Once you’ve filled the tray, cook or freeze them. To freeze, wrap the tray in clean grocery bags and freeze overnight (then transfer the frozen dumplings to a freezer bag and store for up to 3 months. No need to thaw before steaming, pan-frying, or boiling).
- To cook dumplings, pan-fry, steam, or boil them, following the instructions in our How to Cook Dumplings post. Enjoy!
