The dumpling bake that makes dinner almost effortless

Forget standing over the stove or juggling several pots and pans. This deliciously simple dumpling bake is winning fans for good reason, turning a handful of supermarket ingredients into a comforting dinner with hardly any effort.

Some nights, the last thing anyone feels like doing is spending an hour in the kitchen. That’s where this clever little recipe comes in.

The one-dish dumpling bake has been making the rounds on social media, and it’s easy to see why. Frozen dumplings are nestled into a creamy coconut curry sauce, with a handful of spinach thrown in for good measure, before the whole lot goes straight into the oven.

There’s no need to defrost the dumplings, no complicated preparation and, best of all, very little washing up.

The coconut milk gives the sauce a lovely richness, while Thai red curry paste adds a gentle kick. You can adjust the amount to suit your taste, making it as mild or spicy as you like.

It’s also wonderfully flexible. Use your favourite chicken, pork or vegetable dumplings, add whatever greens you have in the fridge and finish with a squeeze of lime.

Serve it straight from the baking dish, with a spoon to scoop up every last drop of that delicious sauce.

Easy one-dish coconut curry dumpling bake

Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 25–30 minutes
Serves: 3–4

Ingredients

• 500g frozen dumplings (chicken, pork or vegetable)
• 400ml can coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 100ml water
• 2 generous handfuls baby spinach
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• Fresh coriander, to serve (optional)
• Chilli oil or chilli flakes, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).
2. In a medium-sized baking dish, whisk together the coconut milk, Thai red curry paste, soy sauce, brown sugar, lime juice and water until well combined.
3. Stir the baby spinach through the sauce.
4. Arrange the frozen dumplings in a single layer in the baking dish, nestling them into the sauce.
5. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 5–10 minutes, or until the dumplings are piping hot and cooked through. Check the packet instructions, particularly if using dumplings containing raw meat.
7. Sprinkle with sliced spring onions, fresh coriander and a little chilli oil if you like extra heat.

Make it your own

If you’re not keen on spicy food, start with just one tablespoon of curry paste. You can always add more next time.

For extra vegetables, try adding finely sliced mushrooms, grated carrot or a handful of snow peas.

And if you’d prefer something a little more substantial, serve the dumplings with steamed rice to soak up the creamy coconut sauce.

One dish, a few simple ingredients and dinner is sorted. It’s the sort of kitchen shortcut worth keeping.