These are my Pan-Fried Lemongrass Beef Dumplings. They’re filled with a mixture of ground beef, lemongrass, fresh herbs, spices, and then are submerged in a spicy fish tangy sauce. The flavours are heavily inspired by Vietnamese ingredients, which makes the dish so fresh and comforting.
Despite what you may think, these dumplings take just over 30 minutes to make. They’re such a breeze to whip up and are some of the juiciest dumplings I’ve ever made. The trick is to use a high fat % beef mince. I used 15% fat beef mince, which worked perfectly.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Pan-Fried Lemongrass Beef Dumplings
Juicy: These pan-fried lemongrass beef dumplings are some of the juiciest dumplings I’ve ever made. You’ve got the juicy filling made with 15% fat ground beef, and for extra sauciness, the dumplings are drenched in a homemade spicy fish sauce. SO good.
Vietnamese-inspired: These pan-fried lemongrass beef dumplings are heavily inspired by Vietnamese ingredients. We’ve got the coriander and mint as fresh herbs, fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sugar as seasonings, and spring onion and sesame seeds as a topping. The spicy fish sauce is inspired by Nước chấm, one of Vietnam’s most popular dipping sauces.
Comforting: These are are a hug in a bowl. I always make dumplings when I’m in need of a comforting dish, so if you’re looking for some more inspiration, some of my favourites are my pan-fried harissa turkey dumplings and my cheat bao buns!
Step by Step Instructions : Pan-Fried Lemongrass Beef Dumplings
Step 1: First up, make your dough. Combine 200g plain flour and 100ml water in a large bowl and mix using chopsticks or your hands until a shaggy dough forms.
Step 2: Next up, knead your dough until a shaggy dough ball forms, then keep kneading for 30 seconds. Wrap the dough ball in cling film (plastic wrap) and set it aside while you make the filling.
Step 3: In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, minced garlic, chopped ginger, finely chopped lemongrass, fresh coriander (cilantro), fresh mint, grated carrot, chilli flakes, sugar, salt, fish sauce, and rice wine vinegar. Give it a good mix until a rough paste forms.
Step 4: Once you’ve made your filling and set it aside, get your dough and knead it for another 30 seconds on a clean, lightly floured surface until a firm and smooth dough forms.
Step 5: Poke a hole through the centre of the dough and then stretch the dough to form a doughnut. Cut the doughnut and form it into a log around 20cm long. Then, slice into 15-20 equal pieces.
Step 6: On a floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a thin circular wrapper, around 10cm in diameter. Set aside and repeat for all the pieces of dough.
Step 7: Once your wrappers are done, place a heaped tablespoon of the filling into the centre of the wrapper and in a clockwise motion, pinch the edge of the dough until it comes together. Alternatively, you can just bring all corners of the circle up together and pinch. Repeat for all the dumplings until the wrappers and filling has run out.
Step 8: It should look something a bit like this!
Step 9: Get yourself a large non-stick frying pan. Drizzle in a bit of oil and place on medium heat. Add in all your dumplings and then pour in 75ml water. Place on your lid and cook for 8 minutes. Remove the lid and cook until the bottoms of the dumplings are crispy (should be another 2 minutes).
Step 10: Meanwhile, make your spicy fish sauce by combining your fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, chillies, and boiling water. Get your cooked dumplings and divide them between your plates. Top with the fish sauce so they’re drowned in them, spring onions, and sesame seeds. Enjoy hot!
Ingredients: Pan-Fried Lemongrass Beef Dumplings
For the dough
- 200g plain flour
- 100ml water
For the filling
- 200g beef mince 15% fat content
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ inch ginger minced
- 1 lemongrass stalk top and tailed, bashed, and finely chopped
- 5g coriander finely chopped
- 5g fresh mint finely chopped
- 1 carrot grated
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
For the spicy fish sauce
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoon white caster sugar
- 2 Birds Eye chillies finely chopped
- 10 tablespoon boiling water
Extra toppings
- 2 spring onions finely sliced
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions: Pan-Fried Lemongrass Beef Dumplings
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First up, make your dough. Combine 200g plain flour and 100ml water in a large bowl and mix using chopsticks or your hands until a shaggy dough forms
-
Next up, knead your dough until a shaggy dough ball forms, then keep kneading for 30 seconds. Wrap the dough ball in cling film (plastic wrap) and set it aside while you make the filling.
-
In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, minced garlic, chopped ginger, finely chopped lemongrass, fresh coriander (cilantro), fresh mint, grated carrot, chilli flakes, sugar, salt, fish sauce, and rice wine vinegar. Give it a good mix until a rough paste forms.
-
Once you’ve made your filling and set it aside, get your dough and knead it for another 30 seconds on a clean, lightly floured surface until a firm and smooth dough forms.
-
Poke a hole through the centre of the dough and then stretch the dough to form a doughnut. Cut the doughnut and form it into a log around 20cm long. Then, slice into 15-20 equal pieces.
-
On a floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a thin circular wrapper, around 10cm in diameter. Set aside and repeat for all the pieces of dough.
-
Once your wrappers are done, place a heaped tablespoon of the filling into the centre of the wrapper and in a clockwise motion, pinch the edge of the dough until it comes together. Alternatively, you can just bring all corners of the circle up together and pinch. Repeat for all the dumplings until the wrappers and filling have run out.
-
Get yourself a large non-stick frying pan (that has a lid). Drizzle in a bit of oil and place on medium heat. Add in all your dumplings and then pour in 75ml water. Place on your lid and cook for 8 minutes (don’t overcook!). Remove the lid and cook until the bottoms of the dumplings are crispy (another 2 minutes).
-
Meanwhile, make your spicy fish sauce by combining your fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, chillies, and boiling water. Get your cooked dumplings and divide them between your bowls. Top with the fish sauce so they’re drowned in them, spring onions, and sesame seeds. Enjoy hot!
Notes
To double quantity: This recipe can be doubled to make the dish for 4 people.
Leftovers:
Any leftover dumplings, simply store them in an airtight container with the spicy fish sauce. To reheat, simply place in the microwave and heat until piping hot.
Freezing:
Once cooked, freeze the dumplings on a baking sheet so their sides don’t touch. Once frozen, remove from the freezer and place in airtight bags or containers, store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To defrost, thaw overnight and then heat up in the microwave with some water to ensure they’re fully moist and juicy. Make up the sauce ready to serve.