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Dumplings are a delicious dish, but there's always room for creative alterations. By replacing the traditional flour wrapper with something more protein-packed, you can create dumplings that cater to the gluten-sensitive, those reducing carb intake, or anyone with extra egg whites to use up.
A dumpling is typically a doughy bite, usually filled with meat or veggies. Traditionally, wrappers are made from flour, but in this recipe, we're swapping that for a delicate egg wrapper. You can opt for thinly fried whole eggs, or keep it lighter (and fat-free) by using egg whites.
Steps to prepare dumplings with egg white wrappers
I wasn’t feeling my best, and the thought of cracking and whisking eggs seemed overwhelming. So, I opted for a carton of pasteurized egg whites. They were pre-homogenized, and I only needed to open the spout. If you're using freshly separated whites, just whisk them briefly before cooking.
Melt a small amount of butter in an eight-inch or six-inch frying pan over medium-low heat. You only need enough butter to coat the bottom of the pan lightly, which should be roughly 1/4 teaspoon. Pour two to three tablespoons of egg whites into the pan, swirling it so the egg covers the bottom. This should form a very thin layer of egg. Depending on your pan, you may need a bit more or less. Let it set and cook through, then loosen the edges and flip it. Once done, remove the wrapper and place it on parchment paper. Repeat the process until you have as many wrappers as needed, stacking parchment between each one.
Prepare the filling in a medium-sized mixing bowl. My dumplings are flavored with Thai ingredients, such as chicken, pork, ginger, and chilis, but you can customize your filling with almost anything. Consider combinations like mushrooms and onions, tofu and cabbage, or minced shrimp and chives. For eight large dumplings, you'll need about 1 1/2 cups of filling.
Pour half an inch of water into a large pot or wok that has a steamer basket fitted inside. I used a steamer on top of another steamer, which might sound odd, but I wanted to use the bamboo basket and needed to keep it raised above the water. Be sure to line your steamer. (If you're unsure how to line a bamboo steamer, read here.)
Take one egg white wrapper and add a tablespoon of filling in the middle. Fold the edges up and over the filling, pleating them if necessary, to form a small purse shape.
Tie a chive loosely around the top to secure the parcel and place it into the steamer. If that sounds ridiculous, I totally get it. My clumsy fingers trying to tie a single chive? You’ll need a long chive for this. I only found pre-trimmed chives from ShopRite, which were too short, so I could only manage to tie one dumpling. It looks cute, but honestly–it’s not ideal. If you can’t find long chives, a toothpick works just as well. It’s quick, reliable, and even doubles as a little handle for when you need to take the dumplings out of the steamer later.
Once your dumplings are placed in the steamer basket, cover the pot with a snug lid and set the heat to medium until the water begins to boil. Once boiling, lower the heat slightly to medium-low. The water should continue to simmer. Steam the dumplings for 10 to 15 minutes, until the filling is cooked through.
Serve your flourless dumplings immediately with soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, or any other sauce that compliments the flavors. The following recipe is for the chicken and pork filling I used above.
Chicken and Pork Dumpling Filling
Ingredients:
4 ounces ground pork
4 ounces ground chicken
3 tablespoons finely chopped cabbage
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
A pinch of white pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon fish sauce
1-2 Thai chilis finely minced
In a medium mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Wear gloves and use your hands to prevent overmixing, and to keep the chili pepper’s capsaicin off of your fingers. Use this filling to fill flour or egg white dumpling wrappers.
