Sweet and Spicy Squash with Pan-Fried Dumplings

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and I present to you a lovely side dish you can serve or bring as a contribution. I rarely do a “traditional” American Thanksgiving, likely because I grew up eating a very Chinese feast during this holiday. We gathered and would host, but instead of turkey, we’d have a fairly traditionally Chinese meal: steamed fish, duck, braised meats, egg rolls. In fact, you’d see a similar menu repeated for Christmas, and the new year. I didn’t attend a traditional Thanksgiving feast, with turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, until I went to college, and I stayed in the dorms for the holiday. Alex and I went to a professor’s house for Thanksgiving and it was quite a cultural experience!! Nowadays, we do a Chinese American feast. We do sticky rice for stuffing (the one dish I make every single year, with variations: with and without duck, with mushrooms, etc. I think this year I’m going to do a wild mushroom sticky rice stuffing with pancetta and bits of kabocha). This year, I’ll be bringing this to my Friendsgivings and to the main event, “thanksgiving dumplings”, a saucy dish of pan-friend dumplings with slices of squash.

This post is sponsored by MiLa. All opinions are my own.

Dumplings are an ultimate canvas for customization – not just the dumpling filling/skin, but also how you serve it. They can be steamed and served with a dipping sauce; pan-fried with a dipping sauce or dressed; cooked and served in broth. Cooking dumplings at the same time as squash and tossing it all in a sauce has been making a frequent appearance in my kitchen. Recently I’ve leaned more towards efficient, quick recipes, particularly for a weeknight – and my not-so-secret “hack” is to use frozen dumplings. Mìlà is one of my favorites! The flavor of the fillings (I used chicken, but they have a wonderful beef as well, and they have an amazing noodle and soup dumpling line, too) has the perfect balance of savory umami with some sweetness, all encased in a just-thick-enough wrapping. I have been making this dish on repeat, not only because of the abundance of squash in the fall, but because the dumplings slide seamlessly into this recipe. Pan-fry the dumplings and squash simultaneously, and toss it all together with your prepared sauce. It thickens up in the hot pain, thickening and coating the dumplings in a shiny, thick glaze. 

This recipe is a riff off of my Sweet and Spicy Delicata Squash in my book, The Chinese Way. By focusing on technique (sauce), you can make endless riff of dishes that work. Once you have mastered mixing sauces and how to use heat to marry it to a dish, your pantry becomes a playground for experimentation. This sauce includes a step that I love, love: caramelizing soy sauce. Heat and soy sauce transforms the flavor, deepens the umami, and gives it a caramel-y flavor. It also thickens the sauce through caramelizing the sugars you’ve added, resulting in a glossy, viscous glaze. Hope you enjoy!!!

Spicy and Sweet Squash with Pan-fried Dumplings

Recipe a riff on Sweet and Spicy Delicata Squash in my book, The Chinese Way.
on Serves 2 

1. Make the sauce: Combine 1/2 cup water, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, soy sauce, gochujang, dried Chile peppers, ginger, and gochugaru in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until sauce is slightly thickened, with small, even bubbles on the surface, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside. 
2. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons neutral oil. Add dumplings, bottom side down, in a single layer, 1” apart, and add squash around it. Do this in batches if necessary. Let sit, undisturbed, for 4-5 minutes, until bottom of dumplings are golden brown and squash have started to brown. Turn the squash, then enough water to reach 1/4 up the sides of dumplings. Cover with lid and steam on medium-low heat for 6-8 minutes. By then, most of the water should have cooked off. 
3. Remove pan from heat, return all squash/dumplings to pan if you did this in batches, and pour in sauce. Given residual heat of the pan, the sauce will bubble and thicken, becoming a glaze. Toss so that the dumplings and squash are evenly coated. 
4. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with scallions, flaky salt, and black pepper.