Tapioca Dumplings with Pork Filling
Small, savory opaque balls of deliciousness filled with caramelized seasoned ground pork, sweet pickled radish, and peanuts in both Thai and Lao cuisines
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 50 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 1/2 cups pearl tapioca (approximately 8 ounces)
- 3/4 cup hot water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons of white peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 4 stems of cilantro
- 1/4 cup of white onion, chopped
- 2 whole shallots, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, mined
- 8 ounces of lean ground pork
- 1 tablespoon of palm sugar
- 3 tablespoons of fish sauce
- 2 teaspoon of finely chopped Thai birds eye chiles
- 3 tablespoons of unsalted roasted peanuts, crushed
- banana leaves or parchment paper
- Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
- Crushed fried garlic
- Lettuce
- Cilantro
Instructions
- 1
To make the dough for the dumplings, rinse the tapioca pearls in a mesh strainer. Transfer it to a bowl.
- 2
Dissolve salt in hot water (not boiling), and gradually add tapioca while mixing well. Allow to sit for an hour while the tapioca blooms and expands.
- 3
To prepare the filling, grind together the white peppercorns and cilantro stems until it is completely ground together.
- 4
Next, heat up cooking oil on medium heat. Cook onions, shallots, and garlic cloves until golden brown. Stir in palm sugar, the paste from the white peppercorns and cilantro and allow it to caramelize.
- 5
Next, add in ground pork, fish sauce, and chopped Thai birds eye chiles and allow the mixture to solidify. Take it off heat and add in the peanuts. Allow the pork mixture to cool for 10 minutes.
- 6
To shape the balls, use moistened fingers to roll the tapioca pearls into a 1.5 inch ball. Do this for all of the tapioca pearls, setting them aside covered with a damp cloth.
- 7
Next, take the tapioca flour and dust your hands with them. Press your thumb to form a cup shape into the ball. Add in a teaspoon of the ground pork mixture. Use your fingers to bring the flexible edges over the filling to meet in the middle. Gently squeeze the edges together with your fingers to seal and mold it into a ball again. Cover with damp cloth until you are ready to steam.
- 8
Once ready to steam, get the water boiling in your steamer. Place the tapioca balls onto a banana leaf onto a stacked steamer, leaving 1/2 inch between each tapioca dumpling to allow the ball to expand. Once the water starts to boil, add the tapioca into the stacked steamer and allow it to steam for 20 minutes.
- 9
Serve sprinkled with crushed fried garlic and garnish with lettuce and cilantro. Provide sweet chili dipping sauce as an accompaniment.