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These easy skillet ravioli are my version of the viral recipe that has been making the rounds on social media. With a flavorful pork filling and spicy dipping sauce, they’re fun to make and even more fun to eat.
These Lazy Skillet Dumplings are my take on the viral recipe that’s popping up everywhere: the one where mounds of pork filling are placed in a skillet, topped with dumpling wrappers, steamed, and served with a simple dipping sauce. I loved the idea, but like many viral recipes, it didn’t work as promised. The wrappers don’t really stick to the filling, so they never really come together to form actual dumplings.
So I went back to the drawing board and developed a version that was simple, reliable, and definitely worth making. The dumplings have a juicy and flavorful pork filling, tender wrappers and slightly crispy bottoms, and a savory and spicy dipping sauce that ties it all together. They make a great appetizer for a group, but are also hearty enough for a light dinner with a vegetable.
Contents
What you’ll need to make lazy dumplings in a pan
To make the skillet dumplings, you will need the following ingredients: cornstarch, soy sauce, sesame oil, fresh ginger, green onions, garlic, sugar, salt, white pepper, ground pork, Hong Kong-style dumpling wrappers (like these), vegetable oil, rice vinegar, and chili crunch or chili oil.
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Prepare the filling. In a medium bowl, whisk together cornstarch, soy sauce, water and sesame oil until cornstarch dissolves. Stir in ginger, green onions, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Add the pork and mash everything together with your hands until well combined. The mixture will be quite wet, this is normal.
Step 2: Set up your assembly station. Lightly grease a large nonstick skillet with vegetable oil and place next to your pork mixture.
Pro tip: Allowing space to lay out the wrappers and get everything set up (the pork mixture, the pan, and the dumpling wrappers) before filling the dumplings will help you find a rhythm fairly quickly.
Step 3: Fill the packaging. Arrange 12 wrappers and place about 1½ tablespoons of filling in the center of each. To shape, make a loose “O” shape with your thumb and index finger and place a filled wrapper inside it so that it settles naturally. Use your other hand to press down on the filling while gently pleating the wrapper at the sides. You opt for an open dumpling (like shumai) with the filling exposed.
Pro tip: Keep wrappers you’re not currently working with covered under a damp paper towel – they dry faster than you think, and dry wrappers will crack and won’t seal properly.
Step 4: Steam and crisp. Place the meatballs in the pan, leaving about 1 inch between each. Add about ¾ cup of water to the pan (it should come ⅛ to ¼ inch up the sides). Bring to a boil, cover tightly, reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 8 minutes, until the wrappers are tender and the filling is cooked through. Remove the lid and continue cooking until the water evaporates and the bottom is lightly browned.
Pro tip: You’ll need to use two skillets or cook the ravioli in batches – overcrowding will cause them to stick together.
Step 5: Prepare the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili crunch and sugar. Feel free to adjust the crunch of the chili to your liking.
Step 6: Serve. Transfer the meatballs to a platter or serve straight from the pan. Drizzle with sauce and garnish with additional green onions if desired.
Pro tip: A thin spatula is your best tool for lifting ravioli without tearing the wrappers or losing the crispy bottom.
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Lazy Skillet Dumplings
Made with store-bought packaging and cooked entirely in a pan, these pork meatballs are weeknight-friendly, crowd-pleasing, and perfect for dipping.
Ingredients
Filling
- 3 tablespoons cornflour
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger, in 1 inch (2.5 cm) bud
- 3 green onions, light green and dark green parts, finely chopped (plus more for serving, if desired)
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Crowding ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 kg ground pork
Assembly
- 22 to 24 Hong Kong-style dumpling wrappers (or wonton wrappers; see note)
- About ¾ cup water
- Vegetable oil, for cooking
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1½ tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 to 1½ teaspoons crunchy chili or chili oil, to taste (see note)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
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In a medium bowl, combine cornstarch, soy sauce, water and sesame oil. Whisk until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Stir in ginger, green onions, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Add the pork and mash it with your hands until the mixture is smooth and cohesive. It will be quite humid.
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Prepare an assembly station with the pork mixture and a large (12 in/30 cm) non-stick frying pan lightly greased with vegetable oil.
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Arrange 12 wrappers on your work surface, making sure to separate them one at a time so you don’t accidentally use two stuck together, and place about 1½ tablespoons of filling in the center of each. To shape, make a loose “O” shape with your thumb and index finger of one hand and place a filled wrapper on top of it so it settles naturally. Use your other hand to press down on the filling while gently pleating and bringing the wrapper to the sides, forming an open dumpling (like shumai) with the filling exposed. Gently flatten the top and bottom so it’s straight.
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Arrange the meatballs in the pan, meat side up, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) between each. Continue until the pan is full; you’ll need to cook the meatballs in batches or use two pans, as crowding will cause them to stick together.
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Add about ¾ cup (180 ml) of water to the pan (it should come about ¼ inch/3 mm up the sides). Bring to a boil, then cover tightly, reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 8 minutes, until the wrappers are tender and the filling is cooked through.
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Remove the lid and continue cooking until the water evaporates and the bottom is slightly crispy and golden.
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Meanwhile, combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
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To serve, transfer the meatballs to a platter (or serve straight from the pan). Drizzle with a little sauce and serve the remaining sauce on the side for dipping. Garnish with additional green onions, if desired.
Remarks
- Nutritional information is for the meatballs only.
- Dumpling wrappers (Hong Kong style, like these) are yellow, thin and round and do not need to be moistened or folded underneath, making them the easiest and best choice here. They are typically sold in 16-ounce packages; one packet is more than enough for this recipe. (If using wonton wrappers, dip them lightly in water before filling and fold the corners underneath to form a round base, as they are thicker and square. If you are using wonton wrappers, you will need to assemble them one at a time.)
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Chili crunch is a spicy Chinese-style condiment made with crunchy pieces of garlic, shallots and chili flakes suspended in oil. It adds heat, texture and lots of savory flavor to the dip. You can usually find it in the Asian foods aisle, next to soy sauce and other condiments. Momofuku Chili Crunch is a great option and is widely available in many grocery stores and online. If you don’t have chili crunch, chili oil can be used in place of a smoother sauce.
Nutritional information
Per serving (12 servings)Calories: 118kilocaloriesCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 7gFat: 9gSaturated fat: 3gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 168mgSugar: 1g
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional information on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. Data is calculated via an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these numbers should only be considered estimates. Various factors such as types of produce or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and how ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information of a given recipe. Additionally, different online calculators provide different results based on their own nutritional data sources and algorithms. To get the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your favorite nutritional calculator.
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