Pork Dumplings

Jeep Muu

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Serves 2 Cooks in 40 minutes Difficulty EASY

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I’m so excited to share this recipe with you! These lovely Pork Dumplings, or Jeep Muu as we call them in Thailand, came about through a special request from one of my students at my Khao Lak Thai cooking class. You know, I really love it when my guests ask me to teach dishes that aren’t on my regular menu. It keeps things interesting for me and means I get to share even more authentic Thai recipes with all of you!

Thai dumplings are quite different from Chinese dumplings, even though they might look similar. We have our own special way of seasoning the pork and shaping them, and of course, our dipping sauce is very Thai with its sweet and tangy flavours. These little parcels of deliciousness are popular all over Thailand – you’ll find them at street food stalls, in restaurants, and Thai families love making them at home too.

What makes Jeep Muu so special is the combination of flavours and textures. The wanton wrapper becomes silky and soft when steamed, whilst the pork filling stays juicy and full of flavour. We season the pork with garlic, coriander root, and black peppercorns that we pound together in a mortar and pestle – this creates an amazing aromatic base that makes the pork taste so good!

I have to be honest with you – folding the dumplings does take a little practice. But don’t worry if your first few don’t look perfect! Even wonky dumplings taste delicious, and the more you make, the better you’ll get at shaping them. I always tell my students that in Thai cooking, the most important thing is the flavour, not making everything look Instagram-perfect.

The dipping sauce is really simple to make – just a quick sweet and sour mixture that complements the savoury pork perfectly. Some people like to add a little chilli to the sauce if they want some heat, but that’s completely up to you. I prefer to keep the dipping sauce mild so everyone can enjoy it.

These dumplings are perfect as a snack, an appetiser, or even as part of a larger Thai meal. I love serving them when friends come over – they always disappear so quickly! You can also make a big batch and freeze them uncooked, then steam them straight from frozen whenever you want a quick Thai snack.

Please try making these at home! They’re much easier than you might think, and once you get the hang of folding them, you’ll want to make them all the time. The recipe makes about 15 dumplings, which is perfect for 2-3 people as a snack or appetiser.

Ingredients

Method

1. Smash the garlic, black pepper corns and the coriander root in a pestle and mortar.
2. In a blender, blend the smashed garlic, black pepper corns with the pork, corn flour, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil and soy sauce. Leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
3. Whilst the mixture is marinating, to make the dipping sauce simply combine the sugar, vinegar, dark soy sauce, water and salt in a sauce pan and bring to the boil. Stir well and remove from the heat and let it cool.
4. To make the dumplings, make a circle shape with your finger and thumb and lay a wanton wrapper on top. Take a heaped teaspoon of the pork mixture and lightly push this into the centre of the wanton wrapper. Keep pushing until the pork fills all of the wanton wrapper with only the top left open.
5. Bring a large sauce pan of water to the boil. Arrange the dumplings on a steaming rack and sprinkle with the spring onions. Steam the dumplings for around 20 minutes until all the wanton is soft and the pork is cooked.

To Serve

Serve on a plate. You can top with crispy garlic for some extra flavour.

Hope you enjoy my Jeep Muu. Khop Khun Ka from Apple 🍎 Riverside Thai Cooking in Khao Lak.