These are my Open-Ended Chipotle Pork & Aubergine Dumplings on a bed of chipotle tomato stew and topped with a guacamole-style dip. They're honestly so delicious and are super easy to fold and pleat. The flavours are unreal!

Dumplings are some of my favourite comfort foods. If you're reading this, it's probably cause you adore them too. However, a lot of people are afraid of the pleating or folding. Well, this recipe helps with that, because it requires very basic folding techniques. I guarantee you'll find it a super easy recipe, and one that will blow away your taste buds!!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Flavour bomb: The combination of the spice from the chipotle stew with the freshness of the avocado crush is SO delicious. The juicy dumplings add a wonderful texture and bite to the dish...honestly I could eat this dish on repeat.
Easy pleating: Traditional dumpling recipes often require some pleating technique. Not this recipe, just fold up and pinch at the top to seal.
Dumplings!!: Because they're dumplings, and everyone LOVES dumplings!!
If you're a fan of dumplings, then you should definitely try out my pan-fried beef spinach dumplings, chicken and prawn dumplings, or my viral cheat bao recipe!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Chipotle paste: This flavourful and versatile condiment made from chipotle peppers, which are smoke-dried jalapeño peppers, is the star of the flavour show in this dish. It's a concentrated paste that captures the smoky, spicy, and slightly sweet essence of chipotle peppers. Most supermarkets have their own version, but Gran Luchito Chipotle Chilli Paste is great. My chipotle carbonara is a great way to use up any leftover chipotle paste!
Tomato paste: For an extra depth of umami, tomato paste adds a richness to the stew and the dumplings.
Cumin: Ground cumin over cumin seeds. If you don't have cumin powder, you can use mild curry powder instead.
Kidney Beans: I wanted to add kidney beans into the stew to imitate the textures and feels of a chilli con carne. If you don't have kidney beans, black beans or pinto beans would both work as a substitute.
Vegetable stock: I used a vegetable stock cube and then combined it with 200ml of water, but you can use pre-made vegetable, chicken, or beef stock from the supermarket.
Circular dumpling wrappers: I bought fresh dumpling wrappers from my local Asian supermarket. You can also buy frozen ones but make sure to defrost them slowly first. If you're making dumplings but you don't know what to serve them with, check out my blog post on what to serve dumplings with, for when you next make them!
Pork mince: Ground pork mince is the main ingredient for our filling. I've used a higher percentage fat content of around 15% instead of 5% because it gives you a juicier result. If you don't want to use pork mince, you can use chicken, turkey, beef, or lamb. Or for a vegan alternative, either a plant-based mince meat or crumbled soft tofu would work too!
Aubergine: Or eggplant, finely chopped into cubes. Aubergine absorbs all the flavours from the pork, chipotle paste, and seasonings, acting as a sponge. It transforms into a creamy, soft filling that is bursting with flavour.
See the recipe card below for full list of ingredients.
Step by Step Instructions with Photos
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine pork mince, finely chopped aubergine, 1 garlic minced, 1 tablespoon chipotle paste, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper. Mix thoroughly until a chunky paste forms. Set aside.
Step 2: Place a saucepan on medium heat and add in a drizzle of olive oil. Next, add in ½ chopped red onion, 1 garlic cloves and fry for a minute. Next, add in 1 tablespoon chipotle paste, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon sea salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Fry for another minute. Pour in the kidney beans, tinned tomatoes, and 200ml vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and then leave to simmer while you make your dumplings. Stir from time to time and season to taste.
Step 3: Next, get your dumpling wrappers (make sure to cover them under a damp towel so they don’t dry out) and one by one, lightly wet the edges of the dumpling wrappers with your finger and add a heaped teaspoon of the filling into the centre of the wrapper.
Step 4: Bring up two of the sides of the wrapper like and pinch to form a little basket-style bag. Set aside and repeat for the rest of the dumplings.
Step 5: Place a large nonstick frying pan on medium heat and drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Gently place in your dumplings and fry for 2 minutes. Then, pour in 75ml water and cover with a lid. Cook for 6 minutes and then remove the lid and let the remaining water evaporate.
Step 6: Meanwhile, combine the avocado, baby tomatoes, red onion, and ½ lime juice in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and give it a taste. Set aside ready to serve. To serve, ladle your bean stew onto your plates and top with dumplings. Garnish with your avocado crush, coriander, a wedge of lime, and enjoy!
What To Do With Leftovers
Storage: Place any leftovers in an airtight container (place the avocado crush in a separate container). Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. If freezing, store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Reheating: If you're heating the dumplings and the stew, place the container in the microwave with a loosely fitted lid and heat until piping (around 3 minutes). Serve up with your cold avocado crush.
FAQs
Absolutely! I've pan-fried them, but steaming them for 6-8 minutes also works really well!
Yes, absolutely! You may need to use two frying pans to cook the dumplings. Or, cook them in two batches.
Yes, you can make the stew, the avocado crush, and the dumplings in advance. Cook and prepare everything apart from the dumplings. Assemble the dumplings but then leave them in an airtight container in the fridge and remove when ready to pan-fry.
Some more recipes you might like!
If you tried this Open-Ended Chipotle Pork & Aubergine Dumpling recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thank you!
Open-Ended Chipotle Pork & Aubergine Dumplings
Ingredients
For the stew
- ½ red onion chopped
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon chipotle paste
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 200g kidney beans
- 200g tinned tomatoes
- 200ml vegetable stock
For the dumplings
- 16 circular dumpling wrappers
- 200g pork mince
- 100g aubergine, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon chipotle paste
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
For the avocado crush
- 1 avocado ripe, mashed
- 5 baby tomatoes finely chopped
- ½ red onion finely diced
- ½ lime juiced
For garnish
- 2 lime wedges
- Coriander
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine pork mince, finely chopped aubergine, 1 garlic minced, 1 tablespoon chipotle paste, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper. Mix thoroughly until a chunky paste forms. Set aside.
- Place a saucepan on medium heat and add in a drizzle of olive oil. Next, add in ½ chopped red onion, 1 garlic cloves and fry for a minute.
- Next, add in 1 tablespoon chipotle paste, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon sea salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Fry for another minute.
- Pour in the kidney beans, tinned tomatoes, and 200ml vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and then leave to simmer while you make your dumplings. Stir from time to time and season to taste.
- Next, get your dumpling wrappers (make sure to cover them under a damp towel so they don’t dry out) and one by one, lightly wet the edges of the dumpling wrappers with your finger and add a heaped teaspoon of the filling into the centre of the wrapper.
- Bring up two of the sides of the wrapper like and pinch to form a little basket-style bag. Set aside and repeat for the rest of the dumplings.
- Place a large nonstick frying pan on medium heat and drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Gently place in your dumplings and fry for 2 minutes. Then, pour in 75ml water and cover with a lid. Cook for 6 minutes and then remove the lid and let the remaining water evaporate.
- Meanwhile, combine the avocado, baby tomatoes, red onion, and ½ lime juice in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and give it a taste. Set aside ready to serve.
- To serve, ladle your bean stew onto your plates and top with dumplings. Garnish with your avocado crush, coriander, a wedge of lime, and enjoy!
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