These Kimchi Dumplings are juicy & bursting with exciting savoury flavours. They’re delicious in a simple soup or served crispy when fried
Our obsession with kimchi
We’ve been seeing kimchi everywhere, and I love it! I mean, what’s not to love? Kimchi is so good for us, keeps in the fridge for months, and it’s versatile! Who would have thought fermented cabbage could be so good?
There’s kimchi in burgers, pancakes, pasta, stir-fries and DUMPLINGS! As strange as this may sound, I feel obligated to try them all, and I have. I’m a huge fan and I intend to create home versions of all those kimchi dishes.
So far I’ve done Kimchi Fried Rice and I’ve tried making Kimchi Pancakes. The latter was a disaster. After 3 attempts, it’s back to the drawing board for that one because mushy pancakes are never good! However, I’ve made some kick*** Kimchi dumplings and I’m confident I’ve nailed them!
I first tasted Kimchi dumplings at the popular ‘Din Tai Fung’ restaurant. Along with the crispy seafood potstickers, they were my favourite dumplings to order. However, all good things end because they’re both no longer on the menu! So I had to make my own to satisfy my cravings.
These Kimchi Dumplings turned out even better than I expected! They’re bursting with savoury goodness and flavour. The kimchi gives the dumplings a little spicy kick too, which I love. These dumplings are delicious steamed, fried and in soups. They also freeze very well for a quick meal.
No fancy soup is needed here!
Folding dumplings isn’t something I love doing. Sadly, unlike Santa, I don’t have little helpers, but I do have a hubby and my sister living with me! So when I’m making a huge batch of dumplings, I get them to help with the folding. They also don’t like folding, but lucky for us, we’re motivated by juicy homemade dumplings.
These Kimchi dumplings are so incredibly delicious, we don’t need a complex soup to go with them. The dumplings should be the star of this show, so a simple soup will do. This soup is super easy, we throw everything in the saucepan and wait for it to boil. An easy-peasy and delicious quick meal, especially if you have any frozen dumplings!
What is kimchi juice?
Kimchi juice is the remaining brine used to ferment the cabbage. From my experience when buying store-bought Kimchi, some brands have more liquid in their jar than others.
To get that delicious kimchi flavour into the dumplings, this recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of kimchi juice. If you struggle to get this amount from your jar, don’t be too concerned. Just get as much as you can, and add the kimchi and all its juices from your chopping board into the filling mixture.
More heartwarming and tasty Asian dishes to try:
Tomato Egg Drop Soup
Thai Prawn and Pumpkin Curry
Filipino Chicken Adobo
Vietnamese inspired Quick Pho
Ingredients for Kimchi Dumplings (in simple soup)
FOR THE DUMPLINGS
Kimchi – I used store-bought kimchi, but you could use homemade kimchi. To get that delicious kimchi flavour into the dumplings, this recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of kimchi juice. If you struggle to get this amount from your jar, don’t be too concerned. Just get as much as you can, and add the kimchi and all its juices from your chopping board into the filling mixture.
Pork mince (ground pork) – For juicy dumplings with loads of flavour, use pork with some fat mixed in and not the lean variety.
Wonton wrappers come in squares or circles. I’ve used the square ones, but you could also use round ones and fold the em differently. Supermarkets usually stock them near fresh pasta and you could also get them at Asian grocers.
Shaoxing cooking wine is a Chinese cooking wine, sometimes known as Shao Xing or Shao Hsing. It comprises water, rice, wheat, salt and alcohol. Bottles of Shaoxing wine are cheap to buy from Asian specialty stores and some supermarkets stock them too. Mirin or dry sherry are suitable substitutes for Shaoxing wine.
Sesame oil is very aromatic with a roasted nutty flavour. Supermarkets usually stock sesame oil in the international or cooking oil section of the supermarket.
Light soy sauce or regular soy sauce but not the dark or sweet soy sauce varieties, as these are not interchangeable.
FOR THE SOUP
Chicken stock/broth – I prefer using salt-reduced or low-sodium chicken stock because I have more control over the sodium level. This way I can adjust the seasoning in dishes to my liking. It’s always better to be under-seasoned than over-seasoned as it’s easier to fix.
Chicken powder – I cannot live without Knorr Chicken Powder (not sponsored). It seriously enhances the taste in many of my savoury dishes. Although I highly recommend this brand, other chicken powder or chicken stock cubes would work as a substitute.
Bok choy – I used bok choy, but any Asian greens will do. You could also use broccoli.
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Watch how to make Kimchi Dumplings (in simple soup)
Written step-by-step guide with photos
For the dumpling filling – Chop up kimchi finely, and place it in a large bowl along with its juices. Add the remaining dumpling filling ingredients, then mix the filling together until well combined.
Place the wonton wrappers on a flat surface, and brush the edges with water, then place approximately 1.5 teaspoon of filling in the centre of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper into a triangle, then fold the edges of the base of the triangle to join at the centre and press down. You may need a little water to secure it down.
Alternatively, fold the dumplings in any way you prefer. Once folded, you can steam, deep fry or cook them in soup.
For the soup – Place all the soup ingredients into a medium-sized saucepan and give it a stir, then bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Once the soup boils, add in HALF of the dumplings (freeze the rest for later). Cook the dumplings until they float to the top. Have a taste of the soup and add more salt or pepper to your liking if needed. Place in the bok choy and blanch until they’ve slightly wilted, then add in the spring onions. Serve and garnish with some more spring onions.
Leftovers – Once folded, the dumplings will freeze for up to 3 months. For the dumpling soup, let it cool completely at room temperature, then transfer them into a sealed container and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
I’ve used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
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Cheers – Cat T
Kimchi Dumplings (in simple soup)
Ingredients
- 45 to 50 wonton wrappers (NOTE 1)
- ¼ cup spring onion (more for garnish)
- Optional – bok choy (or any Asian greens) (NOTE 2)
- salt and pepper to taste
FOR THE DUMPLING FILLING
- 300 gm pork mince (ground pork) (NOTE 3)
- 150 gm kimchi + 1 tbsp of kimchi juice from the jar (NOTE 4)
- ¼ cup thinly sliced spring onions (green onions/scallions)
- 1 tsp finely grated ginger
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (NOTE 5)
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce (NOTE 6)
- 2 tsp sesame oil (NOTE 7)
FOR THE SOUP
- 4 cup salt reduced (low sodium) chicken stock (NOTE 8)
- 1 cup water
- 2 thin slices of ginger
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tsp chicken powder (or chicken stock cube) (NOTE 9)
- 2 tbsp shaoxing wine
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
Instructions
- For the dumpling filling – Chop up kimchi finely, and place it in a large bowl along with its juices. Add the remaining dumpling filling ingredients, then mix the filling together until well combined.
- Place the wonton wrappers on a flat surface, and brush the edges with water, then place approximately 1.5 teaspoon of filling in the centre of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper into a triangle, then fold the edges of the base of the triangle to join at the centre and press down. You may need a little water to secure it down. Alternatively, fold the dumplings in any way you prefer. Once folded, you can steam, deep fry or cook them in soup.
- For the soup – Place all the soup ingredients into a medium-sized saucepan and give it a stir, then bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Once the soup boils, add in HALF of the dumplings (freeze the rest for later). Cook the dumplings until they float to the top. Have a taste of the soup and add more salt or pepper to your liking if needed. Place in the bok choy and blanch until they've slightly wilted, then add in the spring onions. Serve and garnish with some more spring onions.
