Boiled Dumplings (Jiaozi)
Jiaozi are a traditional Chinese New Year food and popular in traditional Chinese dim sum. Serve them with a salty, spicy, or sour dipping sauce. Makes 4 dozen dumplings.
⏱️ Prep: 30 min🍳 Cook: 5 min🍽️ Makes 48
Ingredients
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | fresh ginger, crushed and chopped |
| 4 | garlic cloves, crushed and chopped | |
| 1/2 lb | 225 g | ground pork |
| 1 cup | 240 ml | Napa cabbage, chopped |
| 1 bunch (6-8) | scallions, finely chopped | |
| 1/2 cup | 120 ml | soy sauce, divided |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | black vinegar |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | hot sesame oil |
| 1 package | round wonton wrappers | |
| 2 quarts | 1.9 l | salted water |
Instructions
- Use a Chinese cleaver or chef's knife to chop together the ginger, garlic, pork, cabbage, scallions, and 1/4 cup of the soy sauce.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup of soy sauce with the black vinegar and hot sesame oil. Set aside as the dipping sauce.
- Fill a small bowl with water. Place 1 teaspoon of filling horizontally on the center of a wonton wrapper in the shape of a football. With two fingers, paint the perimeter of the wrapper with water. Fold the wrapper in half to enclose the filling and form a half-moon shape, pressing firmly along the perimeter to remove excess air and seal the dumpling. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers.
- Bring the salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the dumplings and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until they float and the wrappers are translucent. Drain and serve with the dipping sauce. Troubleshooting: Avoid overfilling the wrapper. If the filling gets on the edges, the dumpling won't seal.
Source: Toy, Chris. Easy Chinese Cookbook: Restaurant Favorites Made Simple (p. 18).