Spring Lamb Pan-Fried Dumplings

1. Combine lamb, garlic, green onions, chile pepper, peas, salt, pepper, cayenne, and cumin in a bowl. Mix with 2 forks, starting on the surface of the mixture, until ingredients are evenly combined. Wrap in plastic and chill for 3 hours, or up to overnight.

2. Mix rice vinegar, soy sauce, and mint together in a bowl for dipping sauce. Refrigerate until needed.

3. Combine beaten egg and water in a small bowl. Brush the edges of a wonton wrapper with some of the egg wash. Drop 2 to 3 teaspoons of filling in the center. Fold over and press edges together while squeezing out any air bubbles. Continue with remaining wrappers and filling. Let rest for about 10 minutes.

4. Heat butter in a pan over medium heat. Fry batches of dumplings in the hot butter until meat is no longer pink and dumplings are golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Serve with dipping sauce.

Chef's Notes:

A regular sweet red bell pepper will work instead of a Fresno chile pepper.

You can fry these in oil instead of butter if you like.

Once you open the package of wonton wrappers, keep a damp towel on top of them so they don't dry out. If you use homemade wonton dough, just a little bit of water on the edges will generally seal them, but if you use store-bought, make sure to use an egg wash.

You can also try these with ground beef and sauteed mushrooms, ground chicken and green chiles, or Italian sausage and caramelized onions. If you do change your filling, you might want to change your dipping sauce.