These soupy lamb dumplings are irresistible! The lamb meat is seasoned with soy sauce, Sichuan peppercorn, and ginger to create a savory umami. The minced carrot adds a hint of sweetness. The zucchini adds some moisture to the filing, so that the hearty, flavorful broth fills up the whole dumpling!
Happy Chinese New Year, everyone! As part of a traditional New Year’s celebration, we cook and eat dumplings on New Year’s Eve. This is a northern Chinese custom and my family has been practicing it for generations. This year, we’re cooking lamb dumplings to celebrate the year of the sheep!
In addition to representing luck and wealth, dumplings with different fillings have their own special meanings. As for lamb dumplings, the Chinese pronunciation of “lamb” sounds like “ocean”. So lamb dumplings will bring you money as vast as the sea in the coming new year. Hop on over to read the post and get a feeling of the big festival currently going on here in China!
Since I started posting lamb recipes this year, I have had so many people tell me that they don’t associate lamb with Chinese cuisine. This might be true for southern Chinese cooking, but in the northern, western, and central part of the country, lamb is an important source of protein and one of the most popular meats. If I had to guess, I’d say that the rank of popularity for various meats in northern China would be: pork, lamb, chicken, then beef.
I am really proud of this recipe, because the finished dumplings are so tender and soupy. Have you ever tried Shanghai soup dumplings (xiao long bao, 小笼包), the one filled with a savory broth that tastes even better than the filling itself? The recipe here can create a very similar texture to that of xiao long bao!
If you read my last post, you already understand why boiled dumplings are so important to us, and why we prefer them to any other type of dumpling. However, if you prefer to cook potstickers or even meat pies, you can use this filling for those as well.
Cooking notes
- Choose a tender cut of lamb with 20-30% fat. This will keep the filling tender and moist.
- Sichuan peppercorn is a must. It brings out the greatness of the lamb.
- Cook the carrot beforehand, so it will be tender and release a sweet flavor.
- Do NOT squeeze the water out of the zucchini. We will utilize its moisture to create a soupy filling.
- Blend in the zucchini at the end. The zucchini will start to lose water and make the filling watery if mixed in too early.
- Wrap and cook (or freeze) dumplings as soon as possible. The moisture will start to seep into the dough, which will cause the dumplings to fall apart during cooking. If you are cooking a big batch of dumplings, you can wrap the dumplings in small batches and freeze them immediately after wrapping. You can cook them whenever you want, before serving the meal.
- Take extra care to seal the dumplings tightly if you’re planning on boiling the dumplings. Refer to this post to get more information on how to deal with boiled dumplings.
If you’ve never heard of Sichuan peppercorn, it is one of the most important ingredients in authentic Sichuan cooking. It has a pungent, lemony, and numbing flavor. It goes great with lamb dishes, as it eliminates the raw flavor of the meat and brings out its great taste.
If you cannot find Sichuan peppercorns at your local grocery store, you can purchase them from my partner’s store – The Mala Market. They sell the freshest Sichuan peppercorn and they truly makes your dish stand out.
I wish you all a Happy Chinese New Year!
More delicious dumpling recipes
- How to Make Chinese Dumplings – The Ultimate Guide
- How to Make Chinese Dumpling Sauce
- How to Make Steamed Dumplings from Scratch
- Mom’s Best Pork Dumplings with Cabbage
- Chinese Beef Dumplings
- Homemade Vegan Dumplings
- Carrot Dumplings
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
Mom’s Best Lamb Dumplings
Ingredients
- 500 grams (1 pound) ground lamb leg
- 4 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 4 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 10 grams (1 tablespoon) ginger , minced
- 1/4 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (Optional) (*see footnote 1)
- 80 grams zucchini
- 200 grams carrot
- 80 grams (1 cup) green onion , chopped
- 80 pieces homemade dumplings wrappers (or pre-made wrappers from store)
Instructions
To prepare the lamb filling
- Combine ground lamb meat, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, and dark soy sauce in a large bowl. Mix well until the mixture becomes a sticky paste. Add ginger. Sprinkle evenly with Sichuan peppercorn powder and salt (if you’re using it). Mix thoroughly. Add peanut oil and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside (or in the fridge if you’re not planning to make dumplings within an hour).
- (option) If you are making your own dumpling wrappers, mix the ground lamb with the seasonings first, and set aside at room temperature for up to 1 hour (or in the fridge for up to a day). Do not add any vegetables to the meat at this point, because the veggies will be dehydrated by the salt, and the filling will become watery.
- Right before you wrap the dumplings, prepare the vegetables. To mince the carrot and zucchini, you can use a mandoline to slice them into strips first, then chop them into small bits. You can also use a food processor to mince them.
- Cook carrot. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok (or a nonstick skillet) over medium high heat until warm. Add carrot, stir, and saute until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- When you’re ready to start wrapping dumplings, add green onion, zucchini, and carrot into the ground lamb. Mix well.
To wrap dumplings
- {If you are using fresh homemade wrappers} Scoop about 1 tablespoon (or slightly less) of the dumpling filling and place it in the center of the wrapper. Hold the dumpling with one hand and start sealing the edges with the other hand (refer to the video or this post to see detailed information on how to fold a dumpling).
- {If you are using pre-made wrappers from the store} Scoop about 2 teaspoons (or 1 tablespoon, depending on the size of the wrapper) of the lamb filling and place it in the center of the wrapper. Gently press the mixture into a round shape, so it will be easier to wrap. Wet your finger or a pair of chopsticks with water and gently brush water onto the edge of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper into a half moon shape. (*see footnote 2)
- If you have trouble sealing the dumplings, reduce the amount of filling until you can seal it easily.
- Place the dumplings on the working surface, one finger’s width apart. Work with the rest of the wrappers in the same manner.
- You should wrap the dumplings in small batches, 20 to 25 at a time. After the dumplings are wrapped, cook or freeze them within 30 minutes. Otherwise, the dumplings will start to lose moisture. For more information on cooking frozen dumplings, refer to this post.
To boil dumplings
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Carefully add dumplings into the water, one at a time. Use a big ladle to stir the water gently and continuously, until the water starts to boil again, so the dumplings won’t stick to the bottom, for about 1 minute. Adjust the heat so the water is at boiling point, but isn’t bubbling too fiercely.
- When the dumplings float to the surface, continue boiling until the dumplings are filled with air and swollen, and the dough starts to become transparent, about 1 minutes. Immediately transfer all the dumplings to a plate.
- Be careful, the dumplings cook quickly and you should always stand beside the pot throughout the boiling process. When the dumplings are cooked, they will start to fall apart within seconds, so transfer them as soon as possible.
To cook potstickers
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. When oil is hot, place potstickers in the skillet, pleat side up.
- Swirl 2 tablespoons water in the skillet, cover immediately, and turn the heat to medium. Cook covered until the water is evaporated and potstickers are cooked through, about 3 minutes.
- Remove the cover and flip one potsticker to see whether the bottom side is charred. If not, turn to medium high heat and cook until the bottom side turns golden brown.
- Transfer the potstickers to a plate.
To serve dumplings
- Option 1: Serve with Chinese black vinegar and a few ginger slices.
- Option 2: Serve with Chinese black vinegar and a few drops fresh Chili oil.
To freeze dumplings
- If you plan to store dumplings or won't serve them immediately, always freeze them uncooked. It won’t affect the texture or flavor of the dumplings.
- Dust the bottom of a big airtight box with a thin layer of flour. Place the dumplings, one finger’s width apart. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
*To get more information about dumpling storage, how to cook frozen dumplings, and how to reheat leftovers, refer to this post.
Notes
- Add salt if you like a strong flavor. If you find the finished dumplings are not salty enough, add a few drops of light soy sauce to the dipping sauce, and you’ll be all set.
- If you're using pre-made dumpling wrappers from the store, I highly suggest you to cook potstickers instead of boiling them. Pre-made wrappers don't seal as well as the homemade ones, and are tend to fall apart during boiling.
I was looking for something different to do with my ground lamb and found this recipe. Wow! These were delicious and so easy to put together. My pantry didn’t have any Chinese rice wine, or light and dark soy. Subbed Sake for the rice wine, and Bragg’s Liquid Amino for both soy sauces. It worked out fine! I also forgot to cook the carrots. But still tasty! Next time I will make sure to cook the carrots. Great recipe, thank you!! Will definitely make again!
Hi Maggie! I know you mentioned using a fatty cut of lamb, which part is best to use?
Thanks!
Hi Nathaly, lamb shoulder, neck or flank will work!
Made once and it was delectable. Want to make again but I don’t have zucchini. only squash. Can i substitute squash instead of zucchini?
Yes you can 🙂
Hello! I’m planning on making this these soon and I have a quick question on substituting. I like to make peppercorn oil when I make pork dumplings. Is this something I can do with this recipe as well?
Yes! It will work very well with the lamb.
I really want to make these dumplings but I can’t see anywhere how to cook the Minced lamb.. Am I missing something? 🤔
The lamb is raw when you wrap them in and they will be fully cooked through when you cook the dumplings.
Second time making this and it’s SO good. I definitely had filling left over so I would double the recipe and do three packs of dumpling wrappers! The second time I also did 1/2 beef and 1/2 lamb and it was still so tasty.
Thank you so much for the great recipe.
This one is now my default recipe, I love it so much; Making dumplings from scratch is now a great way for sister bounding in my family, and I am grateful.
These were fantastic! In my case I used ground lamb shoulder and they turned out spectacularly!
So happy to hear you made this and thanks for leaving a positive review! It’s a family recipe and one of my favorite dumpling fillings 🙂
Mine, too!!
Hi Maggie, how can I adapt this recipe into lamb potstickers? I’m assuming a soupy filling wouldn’t be great in that application. My favourite Xinjiang restaurant makes a super yummy panfried lamb (and fennel?) dumpling that I’d love to recreate!
The filling is juicy but not as soupy as soup dumplings, so there shouldn’t be a big issue. I think it would be helpful to add the 1/4 teaspoon salt (from the recipe) to the zucchini. Mix it well and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then squeeze out as much liquid as you can. So the zucchini will release less water in the potsticker. I think that should be sufficient to make the recipe into postickers.
Can you stem them in a bamboo steamer? How long?
Yes you can steam them in a bamboo steamer and steam for 10 minutes.
Yum! These are so good! Now my favorite dumpling filling!
I enjoy this recipe when I want a stronger-tasting dumpling. Since the lamb itself lends such a strong taste, I personally do not require a dipping sauce. I also handmade my wrappers, and the texture is perfect.