Make It Yourself: Jiǎozi (the real deal)2

For one of my first “Make It Yourself” posts, I began my education in dumpling making by learning how to successfully heat frozen ones up.  Today, I completed that education, by successfully making jiǎozi from scratch (save for the actual wrappers, as those were wet market bought).

Ingredients

• 1 jīn ground pork (1 part)
• enough bok choy to equal 3 parts to the 1 part of pork (not weight…just volume)
• 1 egg
• 1 tbs finely chopped ginger
• 1 tbs huángjiǔ (Shaoxing wine)
• ½ tbs soy sauce
• ½ tsp white sugar
• 1 tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp MSG (no kidding)
• a splash of oil (I used extra virgin olive oil, and it added great depth)
• 40 round dumpling wrappers (not wonton wrappers, as they will be too thin)

Method

• Remove bottoms of bok choy, and soak in a sink of water to clean
• Blanch bok choy, then place in ice water
• Finely chop the bok choy, then ring and squeeze out all excess water
• Mix all of the ingredients in a small bowl using chopsticks, only stirring in one direction (clockwise) until well combined
• Once combined, cover and let set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes
• Take mixture out of the refrigerator
• Take a dumpling wrapper, and take a scant tbs of the filling and place in the middle of the dough
• Dab the edges of the wrapper with water, and then seal the dough, pinching it shut, creating a half moon dumpling
• Repeat until all of the filling is used
• Either freeze in a plastic bag for later use, or cook
• Fill a wok half way with water, set over high heat and bring to a boil
• Once the water is boiling, gently place the dumplings in it, and cover and cook for 3 minutes
• Then add about 2/3 cup of cold water, and bring back to a boil
• Repeat this step three times
• Once the dumplings have finished boiling, drain, and serve

These dumplings have a lot of flavor packed inside them, so a dipping sauce really isn’t necessary here (and believe me, I love my dipping sauces).  If you absolutely must have one, follow this simple recipe

Ingredients

• 3 parts soy sauce
• 2 parts black vinegar (or any kind you have on hand, apple cider vinegar works well here, too)
• Minced garlic clove
• 1 tbs minced ginger
• Pinch of chili flakes or ½ tsp chili sauce

Method

• Combine all ingredients

These dumplings really aren’t that difficult to make – and they are delicious.

Enjoy.