A Little Bit of Spring and Summer Wrapped in a Winter Blanket – Larb Dumplings

I love eating larb in the spring and summer. The weather is just right for this Laotian meat salad, and it’s easy to make. It is light, refreshing, and healthy, wrapped in lettuce leaves, with tons of fresh herbs from the garden. It really is the perfect warm-weather dinner. But it’s winter. While larb would still be delicious, I want something warmer and heartier. So why not take the taste of larb and stuff it into a dumpling? With a crisp fried skin and bright flavors inside, it takes a traditional dumpling to a whole new level. A little bit of spring and summer wrapped in a nice winter blanket.

Dumplings are not at all hard to make. While you could make a simple dough, fresh wrappers are a worthy short cut and they are readily available at Asian markets. (They also freeze well.) That means all you need to do is mix up some filling and fold them up. With prepared wrappers, they can be part of an easy weeknight dinner rotation, or they fit perfectly into a weekend meal, especially a small plates meal.

Larb Dumplings

There are a lot of ingredients that go into the filling of these dumplings, and you may not have them all on hand or at your local market. It doesn’t matter; don’t be discouraged. If you are missing a few items, while the end result will be a little different, the dumplings will be perfectly delicious. Go with what you’ve got.

1 hour, about 20 dumplings, ½ cup dipping sauce

Dumpling Filling

8 oz. ground pork, turkey, or chicken

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

2 scallions, minced

1 Tbsp. jalapeño or other chili pepper, minced

½ Tbsp. lemongrass, finely minced

1 tsp. toasted rice powder

2 Makrut (kaffir) lime leaves, minced

2 Tbsp. cilantro, leaves and tender stems, chopped

2 Tbsp. Thai basil, chopped

1 Tbsp. fresh mint, chopped

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. fish sauce

1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

1 Tbsp. sambal oelek (chili paste, available in most supermarkets)

½ Tbsp. brown sugar

½ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. fresh ground pepper

1 egg, beaten, divided

For The Dumplings

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

20 round dumpling wrappers

½ cup vegetable oil

Dipping Sauce

¼ cup brown sugar or granulated sugar

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped, divided

½ Tbsp. fish sauce

½ Tbsp. fresh red chili pepper (Thai birds eye, jalapeño, serrano, or Fresno), minced

1 Tbsp. lime juice

1 Tbsp. white vinegar

¼ tsp. salt

1. Beat the egg in a small bowl. About half of it will be added to bind the filling and the remainder will be used to seal the dumpling wrappers.
2. Make the stuffing by mixing all of the filling ingredients together in a bowl, including half of the beaten egg.
3. Prepare a plate or sheet pan on which to place the dumplings by dusting it with a light coating of corn starch. This will prevent them from sticking if you are not going to cook them right away.
4. Make the dumplings. Put one dumpling wrapper on a flat surface and place a tablespoon of filling in the center of the wrapper. Using a finger, spread a thin layer of beaten egg around the outer edge of one half of the dumpling wrapper. Fold the dumpling in half, sealing the edges, squeezing out any air, and pleating if you want, and shape it so it stands up. Place it on the corn starch-dusted plate or sheet pan. (It may help to find a quick video showing you how to fill dumplings. There are plenty of good demonstrations online.) The dough will dry out as the dumplings are prepared, so cover the wrappers and completed dumplings with a damp paper towel.
5. Make the dipping sauce. Bring the sugar and ¼ cup water to a boil in a small saucepan and reduce the heat to low. Allow the mixture to cook until it has thickened a bit, about 5 minutes. Watch it carefully to make sure the water does not boil away. Remove from the heat and add half of the minced garlic. Stir, set aside, and allow to cool. Once cool, add the remaining dipping sauce ingredients and stir to combine. Set aside until the dumplings are ready.
6. Add the vegetable oil to a large non-stick skillet (with a tight fitting lid) and heat it over a medium-high heat until hot. You will know it is hot if an added pinch of corn starch or flour sizzles. Add the dumplings, leaving enough space between them so they do not stick together. (Cook in batches, if necessary.) Cook until the bottoms are golden brown. Reduce heat to medium-low. Carefully pour a ½ cup of hot water in the skillet around the dumplings, and immediately cover the pan. The water will steam the dumplings, cooking the meat inside. Be careful, as it will spit and sputter hot oil everywhere. When the water has boiled away, add another ¼ cup hot water.
7. Cook until all of the water has evaporated, about 5 to 8 minutes, and the dumpling skins are beginning to fry again in the oil that remains. Remove the dumplings to a plate and serve with dipping sauce.

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