Say hello to the ultimate cheesy snack: gooey gochujang-laced pizza dumplings.
They’re crispy on the outside, soft and oozy in the middle, and are (essentially) a gorgeous mix of cheesy, spicy pan-fried dumplings and a cheese toastie.
You can easily double, triple (or quadruple) this recipe to make more dumplings if you like.
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 cups (300g) plain flour
3/4 cup (190g) just boiled water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons gochujang paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce (plus more to serve)
1 cup of grated mozzarella
2 spring onions, finely sliced
A handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil Instructions
Method
Add the flour and 1 teaspoon of salt to a large, heatproof bowl. Pour in ¾ cup of just boiled water, and mix with a chopstick or a knife until a lumpy dough starts to form. At this point, carefully go in with your hands (the dough will be hot) and knead the dough for about 2 minutes in the bowl. Form it into a rough ball, then wrap it in clingfilm and let it rest for 15 minutes at room temperature.
While the dough rests, mix 2 tablespoons of gochujang paste, 2 tablespoons of sweet chilli sauce, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, the chopped spring onions and coriander in a bowl. Add the grated mozzarella and mix well, so that the sauce is mixed right through the cheese.
Divide the dough into 12 roughly equal pieces. Use a scale if you want to be precise (each piece should be about 45g). Use a rolling pin to roll out each piece into small circles (rough 8cm in diameter).
Add a heaped tablespoon of the filling to the centre of the dough. Use your hands to pleat the dough together, working in a circle and sealing the dough by pressing it together at the top. Don’t worry if it’s imperfect - as long as it’s sealed, you’re good. Press down gently on the dumpling to flatten it slightly, then set aside and repeat with the rest of the dough.
Set yourself up with 2 bowls. Add 3 tablespoons of water to one bowl, and the sesame seeds to the other. Place a pan over a large, non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Working with one dumpling at a time, dip the bottom into the water, then place it in the bowl with the sesame seeds, then transfer it to the hot pan.
Repeat with the rest of the dumplings (you may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your pan). Pan-fry them for 3 - 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the pan and place on a plate or board lined with a piece of kitchen towel to absorb any excess oil. Let cool slightly before serving with more sweet chilli sauce on the side.
Ingredient notes
Gochujang paste is a sweet, spicy Korean fermented chilli paste and it brings so many lovely layers of flavour here. You can find it in the Asian/international food aisle in the supermarket If you can’t find it, you could use another chilli sauce, like sriracha.
Substitutions
You can mix up your cheese here if you like - mozzarella is great for the gooey, stretchy factor but adding a stronger cheese like Gruyere, mature cheddar or blue cheese will up the flavour even more. I like to replace about 1/4 cup or 1/3 cup of the mozzarella with a different cheese. Swap the coriander for mint, Thai basil or flat-leaf parsley if you’re not a fan (or leave it out). Use honey instead of sweet chilli sauce if you don’t have any - you just want something sweet to balance out the strength and heat of the gochujang paste.
Storage instructions
You can form the dumplings and then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days before cooking them (just make sure to put a layer of baking paper in between if you’re stacking them up - they may stick together otherwise). You can also reheat them after you’ve cooked them - the easiest way is to do this in the toaster.
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