When summer corn is at its peak, you really don’t have to do much. But if you want to take it just one step further—without masking its natural sweetness—this quick stovetop Korean Honey Butter Corn is the move. It’s buttery, slightly sticky from the honey, read more
I used to think my mom made this up. When I was little, she’d serve us bowls of strawberries and let us mash them up, drizzle in a little honey or a sprinkling of sugar, and pour cold milk over the whole thing. The strawberries read more
I love a good dumpling as much as the next girl, but let’s be honest—wrapping them can be a bit of a chore. If you’ve ever found dumplings intimidating—fancy pleats, sticky dough, a million steps—these Crispy Shrimp Dumplings are here to change your mind. They’re made with rice paper instead of traditional wrappers, so there’s no fiddling with dough or flour. Just juicy, flavorful shrimp filling, wrapped up and pan-fried (or air-fried!) to golden perfection. They’re crispy on the outside, tender inside, and so packed with flavor they don’t even need a dipping sauce.
Whether you pan-fry them for maximum crisp or toss them in the air fryer for convenience, these little rolls of joy are perfect for a snack, appetizer, or even a light meal so let’s get into it!
My sister Mimi is always on the prowl for fun tasty food. She cooks a ton and looks through social media a ton. So when she comes across something that she thinks will interest me, she’ll forward it. This started with a clip of a super cute Asian girl making this snack. I’m not sure what’s in hers except that it was a shrimp filling. I thought it was creative, especially the rolled up little packages and so I went about creating my own version. My favorite dim sum are the ones with shrimp and cilantro, sometimes called parsley in Chinese restaurants. There’s a magical synergy between the shrimp and cilantro that’s just amazing. And this dumpling is chock full of fabulous filling. If you’re one of those, looking at you dad, who’s not a fan of thick wrappers, then you’ll love these.
It all starts with the filling, which is packed with flavor bombs like garlic, ginger, scallions, and fresh cilantro. Oyster sauce lends depth, toasted sesame oil brings nutty goodness, and a little white pepper for funk rounds it out. First I quickly chop the aromatics. You need to chop them fine because they don’t spend enough time in the food processor to get thoroughly chopped.
Pop everything except the rice paper and oil into a food processor. Pulse 8–10 times until the shrimp are very roughly chopped. You want texture, not paste. Scoop the mixture into a bowl and give it a good stir to make sure everything is evenly combined.
Then, I transfer the filling into a quart-sized zip top bag and squeeze out all the air. You could certainly skip this step and try and spoon the filling onto the rice papers, but I find this to be the quickest, most consistent way.
Now it’s time to shape the dumplings. First fill a large bowl with water. Dip a rice paper sheet in until fully submerged, then lay it flat on a cutting board. Repeat with another piece and lay it next to the first. Give them a minute to soften.
Snip off one corner of the filling bag so the opening is about ½ inch wide. Voilà: makeshift piping bag. This will make filling the dumplings really easy and virtually mess free. Pipe a line of shrimp filling across the bottom third of each sheet, leaving a little space at the sides.
Fold the bottom of the rice paper up over the shrimp filling, then continue rolling it up like a cigar.
Curl one end in and roll again to form a little spiral—kind of like a mini cinnamon roll. The rice paper is sticky, so it’ll hold its shape.
Place them on a plate lined with plastic wrap or a silicone mat so they don’t stick. Aren’t they so cute?!
Repeat until all your filling is used—you’ll get about a dozen dumplings. It’s important to leave space between each dumpling so they don’t stick together. Remember the rice paper is very sticky.
Now it’s time to cook these babies up! You have two options, you can either pan fry in air-fry them. I prefer pan frying because that really puts the crispy in my Crispy Shrimp Dumplings and the dumplings have better color, plus it helps them stay intact better. Most importantly, they are ready for devouring quite a bit faster. I give instructions for both though on the recipe card below.
To pan fry, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat with a tablespoon of neutral oil. Add dumplings in a single layer, making sure there’s space between them.
Cook for 3 minutes until golden, then flip gently.
Cover the pan and cook for another 3 minutes to steam the filling through.
Uncover, flip one more time, and cook for an extra minute to crisp the other side.
These delectable little snacks are meant to be eaten right away, they don’t hold well and lose their crispiness. I mentioned how flavorful the filling is and how they don’t need a dipping sauce. Of course, we won’t judge you if you still want to dip. The classic dipping sauce in our Pork Gyoza will go beautifully with these. Or the nuoc cham dipping sauce from our noodle bowl would perfectly at home here as well.
If you’ve been craving dumplings but dreading the folding, give these a go. They’re the perfect shortcut with zero compromise on flavor. Let me know if you try them—tag me @funkyasiankitchen so I can cheer you on!
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Make the filling- Put all of the ingredients except for the rice paper and oil spray into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 8-10 times until the shrimp is very roughly chopped. Scrape the shrimp mixture into a bowl and give it a good stir so everything is well mixed. Place the shrimp filling into a quart size zip top bag, squeezing out all of the air. Cut a corner tip off so that the hole is about ½ inch long.
Make the dumplings- Fill a large bowl with water. Slide the rice paper into the water and submerge it gently. Put the rice paper onto the cutting board. Repeat with another piece of rice paper and put it next to the first one. Let it sit for a minute to rehydrate and soften. Squeeze the shrimp filling across the paper at the bottom third of the rice paper, leaving a small gap at the edges.
Fold the rice paper over the shrimp filling and then continue to roll it up like a cigar. Next curl one edge in and start rolling it up so it looks like a mini cinnamon roll. Place the rolls on a plate (I covered my plate first with plastic wrap so the rolls wouldn’t stick.) and continue making dumplings until you use up all of the filling.
It is very important that you leave enough space between the dumplings so they do not stick together.
You will yield about a dozen pieces.
Cook the dumplings– You can either cook the dumplings in a non-stick pan or air fry them. I prefer pan-fried, which gives the dumplings better color, texture, and the skins break apart less too.
Pan Fry– Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat with a Tablespoon of oil. Place the dumplings in the pan so that there is space between them. Cook them for 3 minutes and then flip them over gently. Place a lid over the pan and continue to cook for 3 minutes. Take the lid off and flip the dumplings one more time, cooking for another minute or so to give them a little more crispiness. Transfer the dumplings to a plate and serve immediately.
Airfry- Spray the baking sheet with oil and then place the dumplings on the sheet, leaving space between them. Spray the dumplings with the oil spray and cook for 12 minutes on 350 degrees. Transfer the dumplings to a plate and serve immediately.
*These dumplings are highly seasoned and do not need any sauce.
*Eat these dumplings right away as they do not reheat well. If 12 dumplings are too many to finish, either make half the recipe or only make half of the dumplings, reserving the rest of the filling. Cover and refrigerate the leftovers. Use up the rest of the filling within 2 days.
Keywords: dumplings, crispy, rice paper, shrimp
If you’ve tried my tteokbokki, you already know the joy of biting into chewy, satisfying Korean rice cakes. But let’s be real—sometimes you don’t have the time (or patience) to run to the store for specialty ingredients but you need to eat. You want something read more
As the weather cools down and the holiday season approaches, roasted chestnuts become a beloved snack enjoyed by many around the world. Whether you’re strolling through the streets of New York or taking in the festive atmosphere in a bustling Tokyo market, the sweet and read more
If there’s one cake you could feel good about serving for breakfast or sneaking into a lunch box, this Chocolate Zucchini Cake is it. I mean chocolate is a Superfood and zucchini is a nutrient rich vegetable, this is starting to sound like the breakfast of champions! While it does have its fair share of sugar (because, let’s be real, it is still a cake!), the zucchini adds a wholesome touch. And with the abundance of zucchini this time of year, why not put it to delicious use? If you’ve never baked with zucchini before, don’t worry. There is no veggie taste, the zucchini blends seamlessly into the batter and keeps this fudgy and decadent tasting cake super moist. If you’ve been disappointed by lackluster chocolate cakes before, let this cake show you how amazing they can be. My Chocolate Zucchini Cake may look humble, but it is a chocolatey treat you are going to crave morning, noon, and night, so let’s get into it.
Baking is not my comfort zone. And that’s the reason why I always use a digital scale to weigh ingredients-the scale never lies. And unlike cooking, baking is a science. If you don’t follow the rules, you may not always get what you want. But using a scale ensures you’re getting the exact measurements every time. Flour, sugar, and other ingredients can vary a lot depending on how they’re scooped or packed into measuring cups, but a scale takes out the guesswork. It also makes it easier to follow recipes from around the world, which often use weight measurements. Once you get into the habit, you’ll wonder how you ever baked without it!
I get it—not everyone has a kitchen scale and maybe you don’t want to invest in one if you don’t bake that often, which is why I always include standard measurements in my recipes, too. However, if you’re using cups to measure dry ingredients like flour or sugar, make sure to use the ‘spoon and level’ method. Instead of scooping directly from the bag, lightly spoon the ingredient into the measuring cup and then level it off with a straight edge. This prevents you from accidentally packing too much into the cup, which can throw off the balance of the recipe.
It’s important to have everything prepped and measured and ready to go when baking. It will make your life so much easier and you’ll feel just like you’re on the Great British Bake Off when you reach for your ingredients.
Then I add the salt. Never skip the salt in a baking recipe-baked goods taste flat without it. I grew up in an Asian household and we never had Kosher salt, so I just use sea salt in all of my recipes, even baking ones. It’s one less thing to keep on hand. So if you’re like me, and you don’t have Kosher salt, you can definitely use sea salt, just use less to account for the smaller grains.
Sifting is a pain, I get it. One more bowl and the sieve to wash. But don’t skip it. Cocoa powder is very clumpy and if you live in a place with humidity, like me, it’s even more clumpy. Nothing ruins a cake quite like a chunk of unmixed cocoa powder. So take the extra step. And while we’re on the topic of cocoa powder, look for a good one. I only use dutched cocoas which include an additional step to neutralize the acidity (a process developed by a Dutch chemist, hence the name). Dutch-processed cocoa powders are not all equal; some of them look dark and fudgy but are in fact bitter and almost burnt tasting. My go to is Valrhona cocoa powder, which I love for its strong, rich flavor. But Scharffen Berger, Droste, and Guittard are all great too.
Once sifting is done, I grate the zucchini, our star ingredient. I’m going to be honest, when I look into my veggie bin, too often, I see a mushy zucchini staring up at me. Why are these things so hard to use up? In my never ending fight against wasted food, I decided I need more recipes that use up the things that I can rarely finish. This recipe uses 2 cups of packed shredded zucchini, which is about 2 small, 1 1/2 medium, or 3/4 a large one, just enough to get me over the hump. And there’s no tortured process of draining, squeezing, or rolling. Just shred it and use it.
There’s one more little surprise ingredient-instant espresso powder. A small amount of coffee enhances chocolate flavor, making it deeper and richer, but not enough to impart coffee flavor to the cake. Dissolve it first in some hot water so it won’t be gritty in the Chocolate Zucchini Cake.
When I have all the other ingredients ready, I melt the chocolate. I find the microwave really great at this, but you could always melt it in a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Make sure you are using chocolate that is made to melt. Chocolate chips that are meant for cookies are designed to hold their shape. I’m using chocolate wafers which, like regular bar chocolate, will melt.
The secret to using the microwave for melting chocolate is to lower the heat. Using it at full power will scorch your chocolate, making an inedible mess. Low and slow is the way to go. I drop my microwave to 50% power and it works perfectly. Although the chocolate may not look melted, once you stir it, it will turn into a lush puddle.
Now it’s time to start putting it all together.
Mix for about 5 minutes, until thick and creamy:
Once I’ve mixed in all the flour and cocoa mixture, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla and espresso, I take the bowl out and mix in the zucchini by hand.
Now this baby is ready to go in the oven. This batter makes a 12 cup Bundt cake. Make sure to really get baking spray in all the nooks and crannies of the pan so your cake releases perfectly.
Bake the cake for 50-55 minutes; a toothpick test will show moist crumbs.
Cool for 10 mins in the pan before flipping it out gently, to finish cooling on a rack. Dust with some cocoa powder before serving.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake is certainly comfortable being served with some ice cream or whipped cream. But it’s also absolutely perfect on its own. I can’t wait for you to try it. Drop a comment on the recipe below, and remember to tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!
Made this cake and still have more zucchini than you know what to do with? Try this Zucchini Jam, Lemon Zucchini, or Vegetarian Bibimbap!
*Use a kitchen scale for the best, most consistent results.
* You can use any bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, just make sure not to use baking chips, which will not melt and are made to keep their shape.
*You can substitute low fat sour cream (which is what I had) or full fat yogurt for the recipe with excellent results.
Keywords: chocolate, snacking cake, sweets, cake, zucchni
Hi there!
I’m Kazu, a restaurateur in Miami who wants to show you all of the best tricks for creating restaurant quality Asian meals at home.
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