Recipe for the "better" Jiaozi (also good for pot-stickers)
Updated: Mar 31, 2018
Adapted from Fuchsia’s Dunlop Recipe
Around 30 dumplings
Adapted from Fuchsia’s Dunlop Recipe
Around 30 dumplings
Ingredients
3 cups plain flour (around 400 gr)
1 – 1¼ cups of cold water (around 250 ml)
500gr minced beef
half a leek finely cut (300 gr)
coriander, finely chopped (200gr)
small piece of ginger (unpeeled), chopped into small pieces
½ small egg, beaten
2 tsp Shaoxing wine
2 tbsp chicken stock
1 tsp sesame oil
light soy sauce
salt
pepper
Preparation
In a bowl, sieve the flour and slowly add 1 cup of water. With the help of a pair of chopsticks mix to incorporate both ingredients. Knead until dough becomes soft and elastic then cover with a damp cloth and let sit for 60 minutes.
In a bowl, place the chopped leeks and add a little of salt.
In a large bowl, place the meat, the ginger, one third of the leeks, wine, stock, sesame oil, salt and pepper and mix well for 15 minutes (not changing directions). Cover with foil.
Divide the dough in two parts. Leave one half in the bowl (covered) and work with the second half. Shape dough into a ball, carve a hole in the middle and with circular movements slowly shape the dough into a circular log (about 2-2.5 cm in diameter).
Over a lightly floured surface, cut the log in 2 equally long pieces.
With a knife, cut the dough into 2cm pieces, giving the log a half roll between cuts to stop it from getting flatter with each cut.
Sprinkle flour over the cut pieces and then flatten each one into a disc with the help of the palm.
Roll each disc into a flat wrapper about 7cm in diameter. The best way to do this is to cradle the far edge of a disc in your fingers while you roll from the near edges into the center using a Chinese rolling pin, turning the disc between rolling movements. You will end up with a slightly curved disc that is thinner at the edges than in the center.
Add the rest of the leeks to the pork mixture.
Fill every disc with about 1 tbsp. of the stuffing in its center. Bring the opposite edges of the wrapper towards each other. Lay the dumpling in the left hand and pinch the wrapper at the right end. Continue then pleating the far edge of the wrapper against the near edge (press firmly both edges after each pleat). Another option is to just seal the jiaozi without doing the pleats, just pressing the opposite edges together around the plumpness of the filling. Place dumplings on tray.
The same wrappers can be used to prepare pot-stickers (which to me are much tastier than boiled dumplings and the sealing process is much much simpler). Place the filling in the center of the wrapper and lay the dumpling in the left hand. Bring the edges of the wrapper together and press firmly, the should resemble an Italian canolo. Place dumplings on tray.
When the tray is full, place the dumplings for 5-10 minutes in the fridge. This will help them seal tightly.
Boil water in a large pan. Drop dumplings and cook them for four to five minutes. They will be ready when they start floating.
If you are making potstickers, brush pan with oil and place dumplings one next to each other. Fry one side until slightly golden-brown (around 2 to 3 minutes) and then turn pot-stickers to one side, then to the other. When both sides become golden-brown and crispy they are ready.
Serve with laba garlic or with Chinese vinegar or soy sauce.