Ugh, this is such a bad photo. I didn’t manage to take a single good one of this finished dish. And, unfortunately, this is an example of a really yummy dish I probably won’t be making again. I just couldn’t get it to come together the way it did in the January ’14 issue of Food and WineI mean, I’m pretty terrible at folding dumplings. No matter how many attempts I make, YouTube videos I watch, or straightforward instructions I read, they just never look like they should.

And because I can’t make the shape correctly, I can’t get them to lay in the pan correctly. These did have a lovely crispiness to them, but only a few actually held together as intended with the pancake “batter.” I also only made a portion of the original recipe, since it was only for two people.

But, here is the recipe for anyone else who has more nimble fingers than I (which is probably most people).

Pork-Kimchi Dumpling Pancakes
Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean chile powder) or 1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon sugar

Dumplings
10 ounces ground pork
2 scallions, minced
1/3 cup finely chopped drained kimchi
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup firm tofu, finely chopped
30 round wonton wrappers
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons canola oil

Make the dipping sauce. Mix all of the ingredients until the sugar dissolves.

kimchisauce
Make the dumplings. In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients except the wrappers, cornstarch and oil.

kimchidumplings2

Arrange 4 wrappers on a work surface; keep the rest covered with a damp paper towel. Brush the edges of the wrappers with water and drop 1 tablespoon of the filling in the centers.

kimchidumplings3

Fold over one side of the wrapper to form a half moon, pressing the edges together. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap; assemble the remaining dumplings.

Look at those terrible sad-shaped dumplings. You were still delicious, dumplings! I love you just as you are.

kimchidumplings4
In a bowl, stir the cornstarch with 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of water to make a slurry. (Ew, but then later…yum).

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in an 8-inch nonstick skillet. Arrange 10 dumplings around the edge of the skillet, overlapping slightly (there should be almost no empty space).

This was clearly a big-time fail in the process for me.

kimchidumplings5

Cook over moderate heat until golden on the bottom. Drizzle one-third of the slurry over and around the dumplings, cover the skillet and cook for 1 minute.

kimchidumplings6Uncover and cook until the dumplings are cooked through and the slurry forms a thin crust, 4 minutes.

kimchidumplings7Carefully invert the dumpling pancake onto a plate. Repeat to make 2 more pancakes (if you make that many). Serve with the dipping sauce.