These juicy pork and shiitake mushroom dumplings are bursting with savoury flavour and perfect for a fun family dinner or easy meal prep. They’re surprisingly simple to make and always a crowd-pleaser.

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I'm a little bit in love with my new dumpling maker. Check out this post if you missed it. I absolutely love dumplings but, even though I know it's not a big effort at all, I don't make them all that often, thinking they're too difficult.
They're so worth the little bit of effort though and I think they look rather impressive served up as nibbles.
The filling is a cinch to make as long as you have my secret ingredient - shiitake mushrooms.

If you've been visiting for a while then you know how much I love mushrooms especially since finding out how good they are for you a couple of years ago - they're practically calorie-free and loaded with vitamins and minerals.
One of my regular lunches is toasted homemade sourdough with smashed avo, feta and mushrooms (actually it's my usual breakfast order when I'm out too).
If I had to pick a favourite though, it would be the shiitake. I find them the easiest to cook because they take a little longer than others so are harder to burn/make sloppy. I thought they would add a little something special to pork dumplings and I was so very right.

Check out those little black specks of goodness. I'm going to spill the beans here. I made up a batch of 16 for this post.
The one above was not cut into, it was bitten into and I quickly devoured a few after that. Will was at his Christmas party that night and I knocked off the rest at my dinner party for one. They were just so moreish, light and tasty.
The filling is really quite healthy with mushrooms, lean pork mince and some veges and sauces and I make a simple dipping sauce with soy and white vinegar.
They make the perfect party food for Christmas entertaining but are best made at the last minute. I'd advise making up the filling in advance then all you have to do is form the dumplings and pop them in the steamer basket before your guests arrive.

I made a trial run for dad's Birthday a few weeks ago and they were a hit. Just make sure you provide cocktail napkins to catch the juices. Enjoy!
If you're looking for any more holiday mushroom recipes my walnut and mushroom turkey stuffing is rather nice and you can't go past Christmas stuffed mushrooms as a fancy side. For a light lunch-time side, you'll love my mushroom and soba noodle salad too.
What about you? Which is your favourite mushroom?
This post was sponsored by The Australian Mushroom Growers' Association as part of their Summer Mushroom Campaign.

Recipe

Pork and shiitake mushroom dumplings
Ingredients
Dumplings
- 400 g lean pork mince
- 150 g fresh shiitake mushrooms chopped
- ½ cup finely shredded white cabbage
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 cm piece ginger peeled, grated
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 shallot finely sliced
- 32 wanton wrappers
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 4 tablespoon soy sauce
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients up to the wanton wrappers.
- Working with 4-6 at a time, spread out your wrappers on the bench and cut large rounds from them (or use a handy dumpling-maker).
- Place a teaspoon of the mixture in the middle of each wrapper and then lightly brush around the edges with water
- Fold the wrapper to enclose the filling and press the edges together.
- Brush with a little more water and then pleat the edges.
- Place in a baking paper-lined steamer basket (make sure the paper has some holes cut in it).
- Continue until the steamer is full.
- Fill a wok with enough water to come ¾ of the way up the underside of the steamer (so the dumplings are well clear of the water) and set it on the stove to boil.
- Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and place the steamer basket on top.
- Steam, with the lid on, for 15-20 minutes or until firm.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the steamed dumplings until browned and crisped on one side.
- Serve immediately with dipping sauce.
- To make the dipping sauce, combine the soy sauce and white vinegar. Taste it and adjust according to your liking.
milkteaxx says
i love dumplings especially ones with shiitake mushrooms!
Hotly Spiced says
What lovely looking dumplings. Now I need a dumpling gadget but my cupboards are about to explode! I agree these would be the perfect pre-dinner snack. I wish I could make some for my Christmas Eve dinner xx
Claire says
It's pretty small Charlie. You could squeeze it in :-)
The Café Sucre Farine says
Oh Claire, I wish I'd been there to help you taste test these. I just hate that you had to do it all by yourself. :) These look just wonderful. I'm quite a fan of mushrooms too. When I was growing up with 5 siblings, we all LOVED mushrooms and would actually fight over them.
Claire says
It would have been nice to not HAVE to eat them all myself Chris! I didn't like them growing up but I'd fight for them now!
Dedy@Dentist Chef says
gosh,this post made me misssing home for christnmas even more!
even this dumpling is nothing to do with christmas, but since it a staple snack in my home, i guess this comforting dish drive my mood into mellow now......
Claire says
Aww sorry Dedy. You might just have to make some!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
We always use shiitakes in dumplings too. They give such a lovely umami flavour to things! :D
Claire says
They do indeed!
Danielle says
These would be ALL MINE too! Thank you for sharing your fabulous recipe for one of my favourite things to eat...I have never made dumplings though, as I thought it would be too fiddly, but with a dumpling maker I think it will make all the difference ;-)
Claire says
Surprisingly they're not nearly as hard to make as you would think!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
It's funny, I'm like you and I love mushrooms. My favorite is always what I had last. :) These dumplings look fantastic. I love your party for one. :)
Claire says
Haha yes I'm a bit like that too. Just had the last of the shiitakes for dinner. Yum!
Vija says
They look delish. I have made dumplings and they are the best. I didn't know that you could get a dumpling press. Will check that out.
Claire says
This is the one I have Vija but I've also seen that you can buy individual ones. I think they might take a while to make with it though! http://dumplingcube.com/
Jess says
Seriously, that dumpling press makes the prettiest dumplings ever! I have got to get one!
Claire says
It's great isn't it? This is it although I'm not sure where you can buy them http://dumplingcube.com/
Christie says
Combining two of my favourite foods here Claire, absolute perfection! Ps. I have eaten more than 16 dumplings in one go, don't worry ;)
Claire says
Ok I'm glad I'm not the only one!