Pangsit Goreng – Indonesian Crispy Fried Dumplings

Pangsit Goreng Cincang are Indonesian crispy fried dumplings filled with seasoned ground beef. These little snacks are golden brown on the outside, savory and juicy inside, and incredibly tasty. They’re often made for parties or special occasions in Indonesian families, and once you start eating them, it’s hard to stop.

These bite-sized flavor bombs are typically enjoyed as a snack or appetizer, often served with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. It’s not usually a main dish but can complement other Indonesian meals like nasi goreng or saoto soup.

Pangsit is one of the recipes in my Indonesian snacks and fritters guide.

How to Make Pangsit Goreng

First, blend garlic, onion, sambal, and turmeric into a paste. Mix that into the ground beef with the egg yolk to bind everything. Then you wrap small spoonfuls of filling in square wrappers, seal the edges with egg white, and fry them until golden brown.

Pangsit recipes can vary slightly depending on the region of Indonesia, family traditions, personal taste, or even what’s available in ones pantry.

Continue below for the full recipe with ingredients and step-by-step instructions.

Family Notes

These pangsit dumplings are based on my cousin’s recipe. She makes them for every party, and my son always looks forward to it, even though he doesn’t usually like ground meat. Somehow, in these little crispy bites, he’s all in. She always packs us a frozen bag of extras to take home. The next day, we pop them into the air fryer and they’re just as good.

She notes that 1 kilo (about 2.2 pounds) of ground beef makes around 155 pangsit. So if you’re making these for a big party, that’s a helpful number to keep in mind.

Tips for Prepping and Folding Pangsit

• Folding pangsit can be a bit time-consuming, but it’s more fun with company. Get a folding buddy, I’ve roped my kid into it many times, and make a large batch together. You’ll be surprised how quickly it goes with two sets of hands.
• Planning a party? Make a big batch ahead and freeze them. You can reheat straight from frozen in the air fryer or oven – about 12 minutes at 400°F (200°C) – no deep frying needed while guests are arriving.
• There’s no one “right” way to fold these dumplings. Every family has its preferred way. I’ll show another folding method in an upcoming vegetarian version. Just do what works for you.
• You can use pangsit wrappers if you find them, or substitute with wonton wrappers. My family uses square spring roll pastry wrappers. They’re larger, so we cut each one into four, turning a 40-pack into 160 wrappers.

Pangsit Goreng (Fried Dumplings)

These Indonesian fried pangsit dumplings are a crowd favorite. They’re crispy, savory, and packed with flavor. Serve them as an appetizer, snack, or side.This recipe makes around 75 dumplings. Each dumpling is about a bite-sized portion, so 3-5 dumplings can be considered a serving.

5 from 3 ratings

Print recipe

Prep

2 hrs 30 mins

Cook

30 mins

Total

3 hrs

Servings

75 pangsit dumplings

Ingredients

• 75 wonton wrappersor spring roll wrappers cut into fourths
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 medium onionroughly chopped
• 1 tsp sambal terasior 1 tsp sambal oelek chili paste + a pinch of shrimp paste
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 eggyolk and white separated
• Oil for frying

Instructions

1. Blend the onion, garlic, chili paste, and turmeric into a smooth paste.
2. Mix the paste into the ground beef until well combined.
3. Beat the egg yolk and stir it into the meat mixture.
4. Place about 1 1/2 tsp of the filling onto the center of each wrapper. Keep a damp cloth over the wrappers as you work so they don’t dry out.
5. Fold the wrapper into your preferred dumpling shape and seal the edges with egg white.
6. Fry in hot oil over medium heat until golden brown and crispy. fry in small batches and avoid overcrowding the pan.
7. Serve hot with sweet chili sauce.

Notes

Cooked pangsit can be stored in the fridge for 2–3 days. Reheat in the oven or air fryer to crisp them up again. Avoid the microwave, they’ll get soggy.Uncooked dumplings freeze well. Lay them flat in a single layer until frozen, then store in a freezer-safe bag or box. They keep for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen in the air fryer or oven, no need to thaw.

Nutrition

Per serving (3-5 pangsit dumplings)

Calories

254 kcal

Carbs

24 g

Protein

17 g

Fat

9 g

Fiber

1 g

Sugar

1 g

Sodium

543 mg

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Recipe by Deborah Green

For more tasty savory snacks, check out the full collection of appetizer recipes here.

Deborah Green

I'm Deborah Green, Dish Full of Memories is where I share my recipe collection, a blend of Asian-Indonesian family recipes, Dutch favorites, and a pinch of New York. Join me in cooking the dishes and the flavors that have shaped my life. When I'm not in the kitchen, I enjoy gardening and photography.