The past few days have been a whirlwind of cooking and working on small business stuff. Donating old clothes. Playing pool. And the return of my beloved farmers market. On Friday I found myself cooking for nearly 4 hours. Then, I made an amateur move and messed up my recipe. So, I pivoted, and made the one I really wanted to make all along. Sweet potato dumplings. Orange-dyed dumpling dough filled with an umami sweet potato mixture. 

Sweet Potato Dumplings + Pool

I woke up a little low-energy Monday, coming down from a small work setback. Not a big deal, just a bummer. So I endeavored to get my butt in gear and tick some things off my to-do list that I’ve been avoiding. Selling old things from our now clean(ish) basement. Donating old clothes that I love but I’ll never wear again. I stopped between sessions to play pool with my dad on our newly re-discovered basement pool table.

It functioned as a storage table for the past decade or more of my life. But I’ve been cleaning and organizing like a mad man for months now. One of my goals was to clean off the pool table so we could play again. I wanted to hear the heavy thud of the ball through the wooden mechanism underneath, dropping onto a hard wooden cubby with each shot. We have to step down lightly on the bottom to retrieve the balls from the drawer. They make a satisfying clink against the old wooden bumpers. 

Billiards with My Dad

My dad and I have been hitting around a little here and there. But we devoted the full afternoon Monday to duke it out in both 8-ball and 9-ball. He just taught me 9-ball, which he apparently used to play for money in his youth. But after a couple flubbed final shots of the 9-ball, he left the door open for my comeback. And I won 3/5 games. Proud and confident, I demanded we play 8-ball too.

I was solids during most of the games. My dad kicked into that old pool shark gear and beat me every round. There was one game where I went on a run of sinking 4 balls in a row, and then I just missed the 8 ball victory. I almost fell to my knees and groaned and he tapped it in effortlessly. We stopped to have lunch, cheese and crackers, since it was a heavily humid and hot day. The basement is cooler so we were in no rush to leave.

Hot Weather and Chinese Food

The next couple days were even hotter. A hellish mixture of humidity and blistering sunshine, which saw me huddling by the fan indoors for most of the day. I stopped to do some things in the basement, which is about 10 degrees cooler, then I decided to go for a walk with my mom. Despite being drenched in sweat and claustrophobically warm. I’m a glutton for suffering, I guess. Sometimes when it’s this hot I think back to Southeast Asia in 2014 during my gap semester. One of the best times of my life.

Last week I had doctors appointments, so I stopped on the way home to get pork buns. Our very favorite steamed dumpling from Zao Ze in Brunswick. Until recent years, the staff only had an upscale restaurant in Brunswick and couldn’t make enough pork buns to sell for takeout. So I’ve fully taken advantage of their glorious Chinese BBQ pork buns in both the freezer and steam case each time I’m nearby. My parents love them, too. Even my grandmother does. I got some neon-orange hot sauce this time, too, which is homemade and so tasty. 

Ginger-Soy Dipping Sauce

My mom and I also picked up a ginger-soy dipping sauce from a local gourmet store a few weeks ago. It looked delicious, and we knew just what to use it for. I dipped my pork buns in them, which added so much beautiful sweetness and tang. And lately I’ve been thinking about other dim sum recipes. Good old steamed dumplings or shumai to coat in sweet soy sauce. I’ve been eyeing potatoes at the farmers market, hoping to make potato salad or potato pave again.

The market was so busy. Lively. And the rain was lightly misting. I stopped to admire a few golden retrievers and Japanese plums. Then I traveled down the street to the farm stand to pick up some sweet potatoes, along with a russet potato for my lunch. After I ate my home fries and eggs I knew I had to get working on my recipe. I decided to make lemon flan. A citrus-spin on the classic jiggly, creamy dessert. 

I spent the day making homemade condensed milk with whole milk and sugar. I had a can of evaporated milk, too, and some bottled vanilla. Then, when it was done, I let it chill to thicken. And I made flan. I added gelatin and cooked it over a double boiler. It went into a piping bag and chilled in the fridge so I could pipe it like frosting. Then, I planned to let it sit again in the fridge to firm up. Long story short, I wasn’t happy with it. The presentation. And I couldn’t stop thinking of sweet potato dumplings. 

A Gift of Cucumbers

Have you ever seen those dumplings that are artfully tied in a bow with thin strips of scallions? They’re so elegant and cute. I remember watching an amazing Netflix cooking show last year where a chef made a black dough, dyed with squid ink, to look like garbage bags. So I have a whole treasure trove of inspiration when it comes to dumplings. Especially with my favorite dumpling spot in Brunswick and my travels to Asia. I wanted to make my sweet potato dumplings orange like sweet potatoes. And tie them with scallions. 

It was already 3pm after about 5 hours in the kitchen. My aunt stopped by to drop off green beans and cucumbers from her garden. I cleaned my failed flan dishes. And instead of having an anxiety attack and giving up, I doubled down. I went into warp speed. Thanks ADHD. I started by grabbing my favorite cookbook, First Generation by Frankie Law, which has an amazing homemade dumpling guide. Specifically, Frankie displays dozens of colored dough recipes.

Orange Dumpling Dough

I went for orange, of course, to make sweet potato dumplings. I started by blending red bell peppers. Which needed a few drops of water to whip up nicely. I had a pretty pale and muted orange color, so I added some beet puree from my beet ravioli recipe. It reddened it up a little. Then, I strained the liquid into my bowl of flour and found myself kneading away for about 10 minutes. Thankfully the weather was much more tolerable, or I would have been a puddle on the floor. I just kept telling myself that I was on Masterchef, trying to beat the clock. 

Finally I had a pastel orange dough for my sweet potato dumplings. I held it up to slices of my fresh farm sweet potatoes and they were nearly the same color. Then, I roasted my thick slices of sweet potato in the oven with a little oil and salt. I blasted the heat, hoping to caramelize them well to achieve a deep flavor profile. But then I realized that I had no scallions. Nothing green, besides basil, which a chipmunk outside keeps eating. So, in a spur of determination, I got in the car and went back to the farm stand.

Sweet Potato Dumpling Filling

They didn’t have scallions. Which made my heart sink. Did I really go all the way there for nothing? Thankfully they had garlic scapes. And a couple stray pieces of scallions next to an empty bin. Just enough to use for my green bow ties. I got home as fast as I could and chopped up my garlic scapes. If you haven’t eaten them before, they’re garlicky and crunchy, much like scallions. My garlic scape pancakes are heavenly. Then I took my sweet potatoes out of the oven, which were a deep amber color. The skins peeled off easily. 

I mashed up all the potato flesh with my garlic scapes, which were lightly cooked in butter. Then I threw the steaming orange mush into the freezer to chill quickly while I made my dumplings. The rest of the cook went by in a cantaloupe-orange flash. I cut my dough in four. Rolled each into a log. Then each log into 6 pieces. I was a machine, smushing balls of dough, rolling with my favorite rolling pin and bracing the disc with my other hand. There was flour everywhere. I darted back and forth to DJ my podcast queue. 

Cooking Like a Machine

Then, all of a sudden, I had a pile of thin discs of dumpling dough to fill. So I got my sweet potato dumpling filling out of the freezer and mixed it up again. Then, I added as much flavor as I could from the Asian section of my pantry. Oyster sauce, soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, a little rice vinegar. Black pepper. I forgot to add chili crisp. Then, I thought of Thanksgiving sweet potatoes and added garam masala, extra cinnamon, and the end of my gallon jug of Maine maple syrup. I tasted the filling and it was bright, savory, sweet, and balanced. 

I turned into a machine again. Preheating a nonstick pan with a little oil as I spooned a dollop of filling into each of my sweet potato dumplings. I pinched and twirled the best my inexperienced hands could and cut my two scallion stalks in little strips. Then, I tied each of my shumai shapes with a dark green bow. Nothing is ever good enough in my head, but I was happy. Finally I crisped their bottoms in oil until golden brown, and I poured in 1/4 cup water quickly and covered the pan with a lid. 

Finishing My Recipe

All done. By just before 6pm. A normal person would just clean up if they had the energy. Or eat their dumplings and stretch. Lay on the couch. Watch a film. But instead I made homemade pizza for dinner. More of a stubborn promise to my parents as if not to disturb their weekly gift of my best Neapolitan pie. I was exhausted, but forged on. I blinked and it was all over. Pizza staying warm in the oven. Dumplings resting on a metal pan. We had dinner. I cleaned. And I compromised with my perfectionism by agreeing to finish my recipe the next day. 

On Saturday I woke up tired but more focused. I had conquered much of my recipe anxiety. All I had to do was gently steam my dumplings again to refresh them. Plate with some of my ginger soy sauce. And make a fresh cucumber slaw. Lightly dressed with sugar, salt, and rice vinegar. I also used my first homegrown Sungold tomatoes for color and flavor. Then I got out my favorite black chopsticks and went to town. I tasted a few bites the previous day, but eating it all together was heavenly. 

Dumplings + Slaw

Rich, flavorful sweet potato filling with pops of garlic scape crunch. The umami of soy sauce and roasted sweet potatoes with sweet maple and warm cinnamon. The dumpling wrappers are chewy and crisp. And with fresh eyes I’m in love with the stylish scallion bows. Dipping them in the ginger soy sauce adds another huge punch of flavor and fragrance of ginger. The slaw is so crunchy, crisp, fresh, and light, too, and adds a really welcome pop of acid. It all turned out even better than I hoped. 

I’ve been on the go nonstop it seems. Which is not how I want it to always be. I revel in relaxation and calm. Low-stress baking and fun, simple recipes. But my perfectionist brain gets the best of me sometimes. I was so proud of my last two recipes, so I really put the pressure on to make a big hit this week. The lemon flan was great, and could have sat proudly amongst my best recipes. But I just kept pushing myself to do even better. I’m proud. But next time I want to just give myself a break.

Money Bags

Anyway, I’m so proud of these orange money bags of pure sweet potato luxury. I love the recipe, the taste, and the combination of the rich dumplings and light slaw. Somehow it feels like it was meant to be all along. The lucky two scraps of scallions at the farm stand. My aunt’s random cucumber gift. And my miraculous ability to withstand 8 hours in the kitchen. Jamming out to Gracie Abrams in the car helped. And eating my weight in dumplings doesn’t hurt. 

Thank you for reading, as always! If you enjoy my recipes and paintings, please check out my prints selection and my Etsy for 100’s of recipe cards and art prints. Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off.

Print Pin

Sweet Potato Dumplings

Salty, sweet, and sour sweet potato filling in orange dumplings with a fresh cucumber slaw

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword dumpling recipe, dumplings, sweet potato

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 24 dumplings

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 2 cups AP flour + more for dusting
• 3/4 cup red pepper juice 3-4 red bell peppers blended with 2 tbsp water
• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 1/2 lb scallions or garlic scapes
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp fresh grated ginger
• 4-5 cloves finely chopped garlic
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sweet soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp garam masal
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp chilli crisp optional
• 2 large cucumbers
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp white sugar

Instructions

• Blend 3-4 bell peppers with water in a blender until completely mixed and orange-colored.
• Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Add your 2 cups of flour and mix lightly with a chopstick until shaggy.
• Dump your dough out onto a clean work surface and knead until dough is cohesive and elastic, about 10 minutes.
• Wrap dough and let chill at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Chop sweet potatoes into large chunks and place on a lightly-oiled tinfoil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkled lightly with salt and place flesh-side down.
• Roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are deeply caramelized and the skins begin to peel off.
• Remove rest of potato skins and add flesh to a large heat-proof bowl. Let cool and heat a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat.
• Add your butter and melt until lightly browned. Add your chipped scallions or garlic scapes and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Pour your lightly cooked greens into the mashed sweet potatoes. Mix with a spatula to combine and place in the fridge or freezer to chill completely.
• To make dumplings, cut your dumpling dough into 4 equal triangles. Roll each into a 6″ log, then cut each log into 6 equal pieces.
• Flour each piece generously on your work surface. One at a time, flatten a ball of dough into a small disc and roll with a rolling pin until 1/2″ thick. You should have a rough circle, about 4″ in diameter.
• Flour each dumpling circle with flour once rolled and stack on a plate until ready to fill. Cover with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out.
• Slice your cucumbers thinly and add to a medium bowl. Add rice vinegar, sugar, and a generous pinch of salt and mix to combine. Place in fridge until ready to serve.
• Remove your sweet potato filling from fridge and one at a time, place a tablespoon of filling into the center of your flat, thin dough disc.
• Pinch the sides of the dough together repeatedly until the dumpling is sealed, and pinch the neck of the dough to create a “bag” shape on the bottom. Like a tied garbage bag.
• Slice scallions into long, thin, flat strands. Tie each orange dumpling bag with a 8-10″ long piece of scallion, gently pulling together to secure without breaking the scallion.
• Heat 2 tbsp neutral oil in a sauté pan that has a lid over medium-high heat. Place your dumplings 8 at a time in the hot oil and cook for 3-5 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown and crisp.
• Hold your lid in one hand and add 1/4 of water to the pan, carefully, and immediately place the lid on top. Otherwise you risk being spit on by hot oil.
• Steam dumplings to cook the filling and dough through for another 5 minutes. Then, remove from pan and let cook slightly.
• Serve dumplings on a plate with ginger-soy sauce and cold cucumber slaw.

Notes

• I added a little beet juice to my bell pepper juice to get a deeper reddish-orange color. Feel free to get creative!
• The dough will always be slightly less intense in color than the hue of your juice. Adjust accordingly. 
• To make these protein-filled and non-vegetarian, add ground pork or bacon to your sweet potato filling. I’m going to add mushrooms next time!