Hunan Dumplings
Hunan Dumplings are meat filled wontons generously covered in a sweet and spicy peanut butter sauce. A favorite in Quebec, they’ll no doubt win your heart!
I’m just about ready to bet that you have never heard of Hunan Dumplings before. I tried researching them online and didn’t find much information at all. To be honest, I’m not even sure that they are actually a thing in Asia, or wherever it is that they are supposed to originate from… but they sure are here in Quebec! They’re a HUGE favorite in Szechuan / Thaï restaurants. I’ll be sure to ask about their origin and history the next time I go to my favorite place!
But for the time being, you’re probably left wondering just exactly what are Hunan Dumplings? Simply put, they’re meat filled wontons generously covered in a deliciously thick, sweet and spicy peanut butter sauce. Deeeeeee-li-cious!
I’m telling you, if you’ve never tried them, you totally have to. I’ve no doubt that they’ll win you over, too! Especially if you’re a fan of peanut butter!
They are a food of love, though, and take a little bit of time to make, especially since you have to form all the little dumplings. But trust me, they are worth every single second you’ll spend in the kitchen, and then some!
Obviously, you’ll need to start by making the dumplings. Traditionally, I think that they are made with ground pork, but since I couldn’t find any rock solid information to confirm that and had ground beef on hand that needed to be used up, I chose to use ground beef that day. However, my preference definitely goes to pork and next time I make them, I will definitely use ground pork. You, however, can feel free to use whichever you prefer!
So just combine your ground meat, along with some minced ginger, green onions, garlic, sesame oil, tamari sauce, fish sauce, sambal oelek (if you have) and ground white pepper; mix with your hands or large spoon until well combined.
If you had the patience, or say it was a particularly rainy, boring day, you could very well double or triple that recipe and freeze the extra dumplings… just be sure to get enough wrappers!
Next, lay 9 to 12 wonton wrappers on a work surface and place about half a teaspoon of stuffing right in the center of each wrapper.
Where do you find wonton wrappers, you ask? Well, most grocery stores carry them in the frozen aisle, but if you’re not having any luck, try your local Asian grocery store. There, you’re absolutely certain to score!
If you end up getting the frozen wrappers, though, be sure to plan on letting them spend a good night in the refrigerator so they get a chance to thaw before you get started…
Ok now for the tricky part… brush the edges of each wonton with a little bit of milk and then fold the wrappers in half, bringing one corner slightly past the center of the opposing edge (see picture above for visual reference). Press to seal, taking care to remove as much air as you can.
Brush a little bit more milk on both sides of the edges of the folded wontons and then crimp that edge “accordion” style to form a little purse, pressing lightly as you go to ensure that they stick well.
Repeat with the rest of the wonton wrappers until you run out of stuffing. You should have enough stuffing to make about 48 dumplings.
While you are working, be sure to keep the wrappers and finished dumplings covered with a damp cloth to ensure that they don’t dry out.
Once all the dumplings are done, you can choose to cook them immediately or refrigerate or freeze them to cook at a later time; to do that, simply place them on a lined baking sheet and make certain that they do not touch until they are completely refrigerated or frozen to prevent them from sticking together. If refrigerating for more than a few hours, cover them well with plastic film to prevent drying out. If freezing, transfer the dumplings to a resealable plastic bag or airtight container as soon as they are completely frozen.
Refrigerated dumplings will keep for maximum of 24 hours, while the frozen ones will keep for up to several months. You can cook the frozen dumplings directly from the freezer without thawing them first.
To cook the dumplings, bring plenty of salted water to a roaring boil. Then, delicately add the dumplings to the boiling water and boil until fully cooked, about 2 to 3 minutes for fresh dumplings, 6 to 8 minutes for frozen.
While the dumplings are cooking (you might actually want to get started as soon as you put that water to boil) make the sauce by combining some creamy peanut butter, honey, tamari sauce, water, rice vinegar, sesame oil, fish sauce, minced ginger, garlic and crushed chili peppers in a small saucepan.
Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until smooth and creamy.
Remove the cooked dumplings with a slotted spoon, letting excess water drip, and immediately place them in a large serving plate or shallow bowl.
Pour the peanut sauce directly over the dumplings, garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve without delay.
Unfortunately, these dumplings really do not reheat well, so I strongly recommend that you eat them while they are still fresh; not that I think you’ll have any problems doing that!
Still, if you’re not planning on eating all the dumplings right away, you’d be better off cooking only the amount that you need and use only as much sauce as you want. Any leftover sauce you can then reheat over low heat and use over more freshly cooked dumplings!
Or eat it by the spoonful while no one’s looking, and make more when you feel like having Hunan Dumplings again…
Hunan Dumplings
Ingredients
For the dumplings
- 8 oz lean ground beef or pork
- 1 green onion, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp tamari sauce
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 tsp sambal oelek
- 1/2 tsp fish sauce
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
- 48 wonton wrappers
- 2 tbsp whole milk
For the peanut butter sauce
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup unpasteurized honey
- 1/4 cup tamari sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2-3 dried birds eye chilis, crushed (optional)
To garnish
Instructions
To make the dumplings:
- In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dumplings (except for the wrappers and milk) and mix with your hands or large spoon until well combined.
- Lay 9 to 12 wonton wrappers on a work surface and place about half a teaspoon of stuffing right in the center of each wrapper. Brush the edges with a little bit of milk and then fold the wrappers in half, bringing one corner slightly passed the center of the opposing edge (see picture in post for visual reference). Press to seal, taking care to remove as much air as you can.
- Brush a little bit more milk on both sides of the edges of the folded wontons and then crimp the edge "accordion" style to form a little purse, pressing lightly as you go to ensure that they stick well.
- Repeat with the rest of the wonton wrappers until you run out of stuffing.
- Be sure to keep the wrappers and finished dumplings covered with a damp cloth while you are working to ensure that they don't dry out.
- Once all the dumplings are done, you can choose to cook them immediately or refrigerate or freeze them in airtight containers to cook at a later time; just make certain that they do not touch until completely refrigerated or frozen to prevent them from sticking together. Refrigerated dumplings will keep for maximum of 24 hours, while the frozen ones will keep for up to several months. You can cook the frozen dumplings directly from the freezer without thawing them first.
To make the sauce
- Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until smooth and creamy. Note that you can make the sauce while the dumplings are cooking.
To cook the dumplings
- Bring plenty of salted water to a roaring boil; Delicately add the dumplings to the boiling water and boil until fully cooked, about 2 to 3 minutes for fresh dumplings, 6 to 8 minutes for frozen.
- Remove the cooked dumplings with a slotted spoon, letting excess water drip, and place them in a large serving plate or shallow bowl. Pour the sauce directly over the dumplings, garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve without delay.
Nutrition
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29 Comments on “Hunan Dumplings”
You are right!! Never heard of these. HA! Once you bring the first part of the wonton over the meat how do you get the shape you have at the end?
You simply crimp and then press the dough and it just happens naturally, Charlotte. It’s kinda hard to explain. I thought for sure that the picture would help in visualizing the process…
You did fine showing how but I am a person that is afraid to try without seeing every step. HA! I sorta thought you might have just pinched it up but wasn’t sure. I am confident most people understood completely.
Haha. You’ll see, once you have folded them, the pinching and crimping just comes naturally… 😉
I had these in a restaurant when I was I my 20s. I use to drive across town just to get some. These are my favorite! This recipe is amazing!
Hi !
Im gonna do it tonight for supper.
Thanks a lot
Gracias!
I quickly glanced in my inbox this morning and read “human dumplings”… I immediately knew I had to read this recipe! haha! Well anyway, they aren’t “human” but they look delicious. I might try them one of these days. Thanks for giving my morning a laugh today!
Hahahaha! Glad I made you laugh, Ashleigh. And thanks for sharing the morning giggle! 🙂
I thought this link might interest you..
https://www.saveur.com/peanut-butter-dumplings-montreal
You are correct, never heard of these before. Actually I can just buy dumplings and then pour peanut sauce over them. To me it doesn’t sound really too much like an actual dish, more like dumplings with dipping sauce poured on top. I’ll stick to your Poutine and those great stacked high smoked beef sandwiches that you get in Montreal..yum! I was not impressed with the Chinese food in Canada, but it was 1000 times better than the Chinese food in Dominican Republic….really bad!
The secret is go to Chinese restaurants the Chinese go to, skip the English menu and ask for the one in Chinese. If they have one, you’re good. Had them money ask them to choose dishes. Do give any allergy or personal dislikes or diet restrictions. At least $20 per person, at least 4 people. $40 is better. You may experience a once in a lifetime meal if the chef is feeling creative. Once did this with 12 people and got the feast of a lifetime …
These are perfect. It’s better than takeout! I make these for dinner parties and birthday meals.
Thanks Steph! I take this as one HUGE compliment!
Dumplings were very good however the sauce was not as good as I was expecting. Way too salty. If I we’re to make it again I would only put 1 tablespoon of soya sauce and cut the rice vinegar in half. Soya sauce also made it a very dark colour.
I’m real sorry to hear that, Carol. What kind of soy sauce did you use? It shouldn’t have made your sauce any darker than what you see on the pictures…
Yummy!!! Loved those when I lived in Montreal, but can’t find them around my current hometown. And homemade is always the best. The only thing I changed was I tripled the water, otherwise it was too thick and salty for my taste. I also got a darker sauce, but I can’t say that it bothered me. Tastes sooooo good!!
I used to live in Montreal and frequented a restaurant that made these. I couldn’t get enough. I have tried for years to recreate them. I always thought the sauce would be peanut butter, chili oil, soy sauce. I don’t know what tamari sauce is, but I’m going to give it a try
I feel you will be pretty pleased with this recipe, Sue. Can’t wait to hear what you think!
PRETTY SIMPLE
BETTER THAN MOST OF THE RESTAURANTS I TASTED
CERTAINLY A KEEPER
Thank you Ron! I take this as a huge compliment! 🙂
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! I love Hunan dumplings and I have never been able to find the “right” recipe…I think you’re correct about it being a Quebec thing. So excited to try this today but, your pics look spot on! Yippee!!!!
Hurray! Hope the dumplings were to your liking, Kelly!
These were my comfort food in Montreal. Haven’t found them anywhere else. I live in Rome now and Friday night is dumpling night. We make all sorts of dumplings but return to the Hunan Dumplings most regularly. I make a soya burger version of them for my wife. Making more than you need and freezing them is the ticket. I find the peanut butter sauce a bit tricky. It really needs to be made last minute and not left on the stove too long. It gets too thick (which you can correct easily) but it also gets quite dark and loses its peanut taste.
What are good alternative spices to replace chili? My spouse cannot stomach chili but is okay with certain other spices. I have Szechuan pepper but I think it might be a little too strong. It tends to numb my tongue, hahaha.
You can simply leave it out, Kaytee, although I’m guessing that a little bit of Szechuan pepper would work really well!
Thank you for sharing this! I used the sauce as a base to recreate the $2 chow mein on boul Saint Laurent at home. I improvised a little on ingredients but it turned out fantastic! So comforting…
A long long time ago…over four decades…there was a place in Wappingers Falls, NY…which is where I grew up…that was called Hunam 9. {it was in The Imperial Plaza…which is right on Route 9} They made these they called them “Spicy Wontons.”…and I was so madly in love with them. The place folded time passed I kept searching but no matter where I went in the world I couldn’t find them. There have been other people’s versions of them…they all sucked. For a while in the early nineties I enjoyed a dish at Uncle Chen’s in Bellingham Washington…called Wonderful Tasting Noodles….they had the sauce right…but of course served with noodles it was far from the same eating experience. I haven’t made yours yet but these are the ones…I can tell by the toasted almonds and the actual use of real chili peppers the wontons in the photo are the ones I fell for as a teenager. Finally I can accept the fact that if I get to have them again I must make them. I looked at your recipe and now I have the will to do it. Thank You 🙂
These Hunan Dimplings look delicious.
I’m from Montreal and whenever I go back we go to a Chinese restaurant on Decarie blvd in ville st Laurent to eat them. They are really good from there.
Can’t wait to try these.
Five well-deserved stars! I’ve been enjoying Hunan dumplings for 36 years – ever since tasting them for the first time at an Ottawa restaurant. These were super good, as good as the restaurant dumplings. Thanks!