Mama's Dumplings

Image courtesy of Callum Su.

When it comes to making both art and food, Callum Su’s approach is rooted in memories of love and care from his childhood. Themes of nostalgia permeate all aspects of Su’s work, from portraiture inspired by birthday cards to home-made dumplings reminiscent of helping his mom as a child. “Whenever I visit my mum in Manchester, she packs over 60 in a freezer bag for me,” the London-based photographer tells Family Style. “They will have taken her the whole day before to make,” Stuffed with hand-minced pork and homegrown Chinese chives, he fondly presents his family variety as Mama’s Dumplings: “a recipe passed down through three generations and now to you.” 

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Ingredients 

• 2 ⅛ cups ground pork
• ½ cup water chestnuts (optional)
• 2 cups chopped Chinese chives

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Dumpling wrappers

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

• Black vinegar
• Lao Gan Ma crispy chili in oil 

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Instructions

1. Start by making the filling for the dumplings: add pork and water chestnuts into a bowl. Mix in all the seasonings for the filling until well combined.
2. Add Chinese chives and mix again. To assemble the dumplings, wet the edges of the dumpling wrapper.
3. Add a tablespoon of filling into the center of the wrapper and fold in half.
4. Pinch the edges back and forth to seal the filling.
5. To cook, drop dumplings in a wok of boiling water and boil until dumplings float.
6. Add an extra ½ cup of cold water to the wok.
7. Once the water starts to boil again, cook for another minute or two.
8. Serve with vinegar and Lao Gan Ma chili oil!

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