Beef Meat Pies
Bursting with meat juice and flavor, these minced beef meat pies are a delicious cross between a pot sticker and a pie. Inspired by the Taiwanese restaurant, A&J’s, RIP to the Cupertino Village location.
Beef and Scallion Meat Pies
yields 8 meat pies
Ingredients
Dough
285g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
1g sugar
2g kosher salt
120ml (½ cup) water, 110-120°F
30ml water, room temperature
Filling
1 lb 80/20 ground beef
½ cup chicken bone broth
5 stalks green onion, chopped
12g rock sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, grated
½ tsp white pepper
1 tbsp black bean soy sauce
2 tsp black bean soy paste
1 tbsp shao hsing wine
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Directions
Begin by whisking together the all-purpose flour, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add the warm water, mixing with a spatula. When all the warmwater has been poured into the bowl and the flour has started to clump, pour the room temperature water in as well, continuing to mix with a spatula. Then, begin gathering the pieces with your hand to make a ball. The dough should feel tacky, but should not stick to your fingers. If the dough feels too dry, add a bit more water, no more than a tablespoon at a time. If too dry, sprinkle some more flour into the mix. Knead the dough for 2 to 3 minutes before covering the bowl loosely with plastic wrap. Set aside and let rest for a couple hours.
To make the filling, begin by dissolving the rock sugar in the chicken broth in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally, and once the rock sugar has completely dissolved, remove the saucepan from heat and let the liquid cool. Next, place the ground beef in a medium bowl and pour in the cooled chicken broth with dissolved rock sugar, mixing until the liquid is incorporated into the meat. Then, add the green onions, minced garlic, ground ginger, white pepper, and kosher salt, combining well. Finally, add the black bean soy sauce, black bean soy paste, shao hsing wine, and sesame oil, stirring well. The filling should feel tacky and sticky. To check the seasoning, fry up a tiny patty of the meat mixture in a pan and taste it, adding more salt if needed. When satisfied, cover the bowl and let rest in the refrigerator.
To assemble the meat pies, knead the rested dough for a couple minutes, until smooth. Roll out one piece of dough into a circle about ¼ inch thick and brush ½ teaspoon of oil on the surface. Starting from the edge closest to you, roll the dough into a tube, to help create some layers. Next, cut the tube into eight equal pieces, using a scale to measure if you have one; then, take each dough piece and gently press into a ball. Roll the ball of dough out to about 6 inches in diameter, like a mini pizza. Take care to keep the edges of the circle thinner than the center, as the layers will pile up when you wrap the meat pie. Add 1 to 2 heaping tablespoons of filling in the center before sealing the dough around the filling, pinching the edges together. Finally, gently press the ball into a puck-like shape roughly 3 inches in diameter and an inch thick. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
Preheat an 8- to 10-inch cast iron skillet or nonstick pan over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of the oil, and let the oil heat until shimmering. Add four meat pies to the skillet, taking care to not let the sides touch as we want to prevent them from sticking together. Cook, covered, for 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until both sides are crusty and the color is a rich golden brown. Repeat with the rest of the meat pies. Serve immediately with soy sauce, garlic, and chili oil.
Notes
1. The key to these meat pies, as with any dumpling, is the chicken bone broth.
2. If you don’t want to eat all 8 meat pies (although it is quite easy for one person to eat 4 in one sitting), wrap each uncooked meat pie with plastic wrap and store in freezer.
