3 Minute Single Suet Dumpling in a Mug

It takes just 3 minutes to whip up a hot and tasty single suet dumpling in a mug – sometimes I’ll make a dumpling to serve with a stew and sometimes I make a dumpling all on its own, to be eaten as a snack meal.  I’ll serve dumplings with a beef stew or chicken stew and even with savoury mince.  One dumpling takes just 3 minutes in a microwave and cooking a dumpling in a mug is just one of the ways I make a dumpling.

I keep a nice, large, wide mug just for this purpose – using a large container works best when making dumplings as it gives room for steam to accumulate and the dumpling to grow and become light and fluffy.

Dumpling Mix: 

To make a suet dumpling mix you mix self raising flour and suet in a 2:1 ratio by weight, with a pinch of salt.  Then just add water.  What I don’t want to do is to weigh this out each time just to make a single dumpling, so I do keep an airtight container in the cupboard of dumpling mix that I make up in one go and just scoop out a heaped tablespoon of dumpling mix when I want some.

If you want to weigh out and make one dumpling, this is the method:

1. Using digital scales, put a mug on the scales and set the scale to 0.
2. Spoon out 1 rounded tablespoon of self raising flour – see how much that weighs.
3. Add half that weight in suet to the flour.
4. Add a pinch of salt.

That is your dumpling mix recipe – now simply add cold water very slowly to bring it together into a single suet dumpling.  Try to handle the mix as little as possible so the dumpling isn’t overly tight and dense.  I use the spoon to do this.

Add gravy to your mug – you can do this with 1 teaspoon of instant gravy granules and boiling water.

To Cook the Suet Dumpling: 

1. With your single suet dumpling floating in the gravy, cover your mug with a lid, or clingfilm and microwave on full power (800 watts) for 1½ minutes .
2. Turn the dumpling over, cover the mug again and microwave for 1½ minutes.
3. Check your dumpling by turning it over again – it’s probably cooked already; if it looks like it needs a bit more time, then recover and microwave again for 30-60 seconds.

Now serve your dumpling with your meal!