Ugh, this is such a bad photo. I didn’t manage to take a single good one of this finished dish. And, unfortunately, this is an example of a really yummy dish I probably won’t be making again. I just couldn’t get it to come together the way it did in the January ’14 issue of Food and Wine. I mean, I’m pretty terrible at folding dumplings. No matter how many attempts I make, YouTube videos I watch, or straightforward instructions I read, they just never look like they should.

And because I can’t make the shape correctly, I can’t get them to lay in the pan correctly. These did have a lovely crispiness to them, but only a few actually held together as intended with the pancake “batter.” I also only made a portion of the original recipe, since it was only for two people.

But, here is the recipe for anyone else who has more nimble fingers than I (which is probably most people).

Pork-Kimchi Dumpling Pancakes
Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 tablespoon gochugaru (Korean chile powder) or 1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon sugar

Dumplings
10 ounces ground pork
2 scallions, minced
1/3 cup finely chopped drained kimchi
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup firm tofu, finely chopped
30 round wonton wrappers
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons canola oil

Make the dipping sauce. Mix all of the ingredients until the sugar dissolves.

Make the dumplings. In a bowl, mix all of the ingredients except the wrappers, cornstarch and oil.

Arrange 4 wrappers on a work surface; keep the rest covered with a damp paper towel. Brush the edges of the wrappers with water and drop 1 tablespoon of the filling in the centers.

Fold over one side of the wrapper to form a half moon, pressing the edges together. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap; assemble the remaining dumplings.

Look at those terrible sad-shaped dumplings. You were still delicious, dumplings! I love you just as you are.

In a bowl, stir the cornstarch with 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of water to make a slurry. (Ew, but then later…yum).

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in an 8-inch nonstick skillet. Arrange 10 dumplings around the edge of the skillet, overlapping slightly (there should be almost no empty space).

This was clearly a big-time fail in the process for me.

Cook over moderate heat until golden on the bottom. Drizzle one-third of the slurry over and around the dumplings, cover the skillet and cook for 1 minute.

Uncover and cook until the dumplings are cooked through and the slurry forms a thin crust, 4 minutes.

Carefully invert the dumpling pancake onto a plate. Repeat to make 2 more pancakes (if you make that many). Serve with the dipping sauce.