Fried Lamb Dumplings

We’re always looking for new flavors to add into our recipe box. These fried lamb dumplings will serve up some delicious variety for your family at your next meal. 

The trick with asian-style cooking is that the ingredients list is often long and involved. 

However, I’ve kept things pretty simple here, and if you’ve cooked something in the style of Asian before, chances are you have most of these ingredients on hand. 

This fried lamb dumpling recipe comes together fairly easily, but it is labor-intensive to form each dumpling. If you’ve made dumplings before, you know the drill.

Firstly, fry up the meat, then use wonton wrappers to assemble each fried lamb dumpling. 

You could boil these dumplings as well, but we love cast iron here, and will use that to make fried dumplings instead. 

We love one-dish recipes, and cast irons are perfect for just that!

Potstickers vs. dumplings

The main difference between the two is all in the wrapper used to enclose the filling. Potstickers tend to use a thinner wrap than dumplings. Both options are fried or boiled. 

Potstickers are also steam fried, so traditionally they’re first steamed then fried for extra juicy flavors. 

For our lamb dumplings, we’ll be using a wonton wrapper which is a bit larger and thicker. 

Simple fried lamb dumpling recipe 

This recipe for fried dumplings calls for lamb, but feel free to substitute with other local, organic ground meats you may already have in your refrigerator or freezer. 

Ground beef, chicken, and turkey all work great here. 

Aside from wonton wrappers, you may have all of the required ingredients already in your pantry. 

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What you’ll need:

• Ground lamb
• Wonton wraps
• Garlic
• Rice vinegar
• Soy sauce
• Worcestershire sauce 
• Sesame seeds
• Carrots
• Green onions
• Coconut oil
• Sweet chili sauce (for dipping)

Instructions:

Prep all vegetables if you haven’t yet. Mince the garlic. Slice the carrots. Chop the green onions. 

Start by heating a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Melt a dab of the coconut oil until shimmering and brown the meat with the minced garlic. 

Once the meat is almost cooked through, stir in the rice vinegar. 

Next, once the meat is fully cooked, add in the soy and Worcestershire sauces, sesame seeds, carrots and green onions. Stir to combine. 

The residual heat in the pan should cook the carrots and green onions quickly.

How to fry lamb dumplings

Now comes the wonton assembly work for these fried lamb dumplings.

Lay the wonton wrappers on a clean surface, and place a small scoop of filling in each. To seal, brush the edges with water, then fold over and pinch the edges.

I find that setting a few wrappers out, filling, then sealing, makes the process move quickly.  

Work all the way through the package, so you should end up with around 25 fried lamb dumplings. 

Heat a small skillet with coconut oil over medium heat. 

Furthermore, too much heat will dry out the dumplings, so make sure the pan is hot enough to brown the dumplings, but so hot that they fall apart or dry out quickly. 

Place 4 or 5 dumplings in the pan at a time with the folded side up. Fry each dumpling for 2 minutes. 

Then add a splash of water to the skillet, and cover them for about 2 minutes. This keeps the dumplings moist and delicious to eat. 

Serve them with chili sauce or more soy sauce if you’d like. 

Can you freeze lamb dumplings?

Yes, you can freeze dumplings either pre-cooked or not. They must be wrapped tightly and protected and should be used within 3 months to ensure freshness. 

However, it’s easier to freeze them when they’re not yet cooked, in my opinion. That way, when you serve them, the dumplings are freshly cooked. 

Finally, simply thaw overnight in the refrigerator before beginning the later half of the fried lamb dumplings recipe. 

Fry them in the small skillet and steam just as you would completing the entire recipe. 

More Asian-inspired recipes

Authentic Chinese Beef and Broccoli 

Pan-Fried Egg Rolls

Savory Oxtail Pho | Dutch Oven Recipe

Wrapping up

Dumplings can be as complicated or easy as you want to make them. This fried lamb dumpling recipe is fairly easy and finishes within an hour. 

Serve them up with rice and dipping sauces, and enjoy some new flavors for dinner with your family.

Be sure to ask in the comments if you have any questions! I’m happy to help.