Say hello to the ULTIMATE cheesy snack: gooey gochujang-laced pizza dumplings. They’re crispy on the outside, soft and oozy in the middle, and are a gorgeous mix of cheesy, spicy pan-fried dumplings and grilled cheese.
Anything with a hot, gooey, cheesy filling is always up my alley, and these GORGEOUS little bites, loaded with gochujang and sweet chilli, really are the ultimate snack.
My inspiration for them came from two places – having leftover gochujang sauce from making Korean fried chicken, and an episode of Masterchef Australia (the best Masterchef, by far). In the episode, a contestant made ‘cheesy Korean fire pockets’ – essentially, minced chicken mixed with a gochujang sauce and cheese stuffed inside a simple dough and pan-fried until crispy.
In this recipe, I’ve skipped the minced chicken and created what may be my new favourite cheesy snack. You could use puff pastry or filo to make this even quicker, but the dough is super easy and uses just two ingredients (flour and water).
The recipe makes six large dumplings, but it’s easily doubled (or tripled, or quadrupled!) They make fab little party snacks and are particularly popular when you bring them out late in the evening.
Ingredients
- Mozzarella. Pre-grated is totally fine here. I like using mozzarella for the stretchy, gooey factor, but you could mix in other cheeses if you like. I often add 1/4 cup of good strong cheddar, blue cheese, or Gruyere.
- Gochujang paste. This sweet, spicy, deeply savoury Korean fermented chilli paste is one of my most used ingredients and it pairs SO WELL with the cheese here. You’ll find it in the Asian food aisle of large grocery stores, and Asian supermarkets or you can pick it up from Amazon. If you can’t find it use another chilli sauce, like sriracha.
- Sweet chilli jam. Gochujang is strong, and pairing it with something sweet helps to temper it without losing its signature flavour. I love using my sweet chilli jam, but you could use any sweet chilli sauce or honey.
- Cilantro (coriander). I know this is a divisive herb, so if you don’t like it, either leave it out and use an extra scallion, or replace it with mint, Thai basil or flat-leaf parsley.
And all you’ll need for the dough itself is plain flour, water and a little salt.
How to make them
Combine flour, salt and just boiled water in a bowl and mix into a shaggy dough. Knead a couple of times, then wrap in clingfilm and set aside. Mix your gochujang, sweet chilli, soy sauce, cilantro and scallions in a large bowl, then add the mozzarella and mix so that the cheese is well coated.
Divide your dough into 6 pieces, then roll out each piece into a small circle. Pile on a heaped spoonful of the cheesy mix, then fold and seal your dumpling. This will get easier the more you do it, but essentially, you’re going to make little folds in the dough, working your way all the way around. The dough should stick to itself really easily, so even if it’s not perfect, as long as you seal the top it’ll be absolutely fine.
Press down on your sealed dumpling to flatten it slightly, then set it aside and get ready to pan-fry.
Dip each dumpling in a little water in a bowl, then into the sesame seeds in a separate bowl, to create your sesame crust. Drizzle olive oil into a large, non-stick pan over medium-high heat, then place the pockets onto the pan. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to do this in batches. Pan fry for 3 – 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy.
Serve with more sweet chilli jam on the side and enjoy!
Got a question?
You can assemble the dumplings and then pop them into an airtight container and refrigerate them for 3 days before cooking them – just make sure you don’t place them directly on top of each other as they will stick. Just pop a layer of baking paper in between each layer. You can also reheat them after cooking them – either in the toaster or pop them into the pan for a minute on each side, just to warm them through.
Gochujang has a kick, but the spice is tempered down here thanks to the sweet chilli and the cheese. If you’re worried, give your cheese mix a taste before filling your pockets and then you can adjust as you like. Add a little honey if you’re finding it too spicy.
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Cheesy Spicy Gochujang Pizza Dumplings
- Total Time: 34 minutes
- Yield: 6 dumplings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Say hello to the ULTIMATE cheesy snack: gooey gochujang-laced pizza dumplings. They’re crispy on the outside, soft and oozy in the middle, and are a gorgeous mix of cheesy, spicy pan-fried dumplings and grilled cheese.
Ingredients
For the dough –
- 1 cup (150g) plain flour
- 1/3 cup (95g) just boiled water
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the filling –
- 2 tablespoons gochujang paste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sweet chilli jam (plus more to serve)
- 1 cup of grated mozzarella
- 2 scallions (spring onions), finely sliced
- A handful of cilantro (coriander) leaves, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Make the dough. Add 1 cup of plain flour and 1 teaspoon of salt to a large, heatproof bowl. Pour in 1/3 cup of just boiled water, and mix with a chopstick or a knife until a lumpy dough starts to form. At this point, CAREFULLY go in with your hands (the dough will be hot) and knead the dough for about 2 minutes in the bowl. Form into a rough ball, then wrap in clingfilm and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Mix the filling. Mix 2 tablespoons of gochujang paste, 2 tablespoons of sweet chilli jam, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, the chopped scallions and coriander in a bowl. Add the grated mozzarella and mix well, so that the sauce is mixed right through the cheese.
- Roll out the dough. Divide the dough into six roughly equal pieces. Use a scale if you want to be precise (each piece should be about 45g). Use a rolling pin to roll out each piece into small circles (rough 8cm/3″ in diameter). Add a heaped tablespoon of the filling to the centre of the dough. Use your hands to pleat the dough together, working in a circle and sealing the dough by pressing it together at the top. See the photos in the post above for more detailed guidance on how to do this. Don’t worry if it’s imperfect – as long as it’s sealed, you’re good. Press down gently on the dumpling to flatten it slightly, then set aside and repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Pan-fry the pizza pockets. Set yourself up with 2 bowls. Add 3 tablespoons of water to one bowl, and the sesame seeds to the other. Place a pan over a large, non-stick skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Working with one dumpling at a time, dip the bottom into the water, then place it in the bowl with the sesame seeds, then transfer it to the hot pan. Repeat with the rest of the dumpling (you may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your pan). Pan-fry them for 3 – 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the pan and place on a plate or board lined with a piece of kitchen towel to absorb any excess oil. Let cool slightly before serving with more sweet chilli jam on the side.
Notes
INGREDIENT NOTES: Gochujang paste is a sweet, spicy Korean fermented chilli paste and it brings SO many lovely layers of flavour here. You can find it in the Asian/International food aisle of larger grocery stores, or at an Asian supermarket if you’re lucky enough to have one nearby. You can also pick it up from Amazon. If you can’t find it, you could use another chilli sauce, like sriracha.
SUBSTITUTIONS: You can mix up your cheese here if you like – mozzarella is great for its gooey, stretchy factor but adding a stronger cheese like gruyere, mature cheddar or blue cheese will up the flavour even more. I like to replace about 1/4 cup or 1/3 cup of the mozzarella with a different cheese. Swap the cilantro for mint, Thai basil or flat-leaf parsley if you’re not a fan (or leave it out). Use honey instead of sweet chilli jam if you don’t have any – you just want something sweet to balance out the strength and heat of the gochujang paste.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: You can form the dumplings and then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days before cooking them (just make sure to put a layer of baking paper in between if you’re stacking them up – they may stick together otherwise). You can also reheat them after you’ve cooked them – the easiest way is to do this in the toaster.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 4
- Category: snacks
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pocket
Keywords: grilled cheese, cheese buns
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