Chinese Dumplings

Chinese Dumplings (餃子, Jiao zi) are typically eaten during Chinese New Year to usher in wealth & good luck, because they look like money pouches. But for me, I eat dumplings anytime of the year, and this is how my mom makes dumplings at home. 

---

Recipe

Servings: 25 Dumplings 

Time: 1 hour 

Ingredients

• 400g Minced pork (can substitute with minced chicken)
• 50g dried Black Fungus (Wood ear) mushrooms
• 2 Carrots (finely diced)
• Approx 8 Prawns (roughly chopped)
• Bunch of Spring Onions (chopped)
• 1 tbsp of salt 
• 1 tbsp of sesame oil 
• 1 tbsp of sugar
• 1 tbsp of soya sauce
• 1 tbsp of Shao Xing (Chinese cooking) wine
• ½ tsp of white pepper
• 1 packet of Dumpling skin

Steps:

1. Soak the dried black fungus mushrooms in water. Once they’re fully rehydrated, finely chop the mushrooms. 
2. Finely dice carrots, either by hand or in a food processor. 
3. Chop spring onions. 
4. Roughly chop up the prawns into smaller pieces. Do not mince the prawns, as you would want to have small pieces of prawns in the dumplings. 
5. In a bowl, add minced pork, mushrooms, carrots, prawns, sauces and spices. Using your hand or with a fork, mix everything until combined. 
6. To assemble the dumplings, prepare a small bowl of water, dumpling skin and the dumpling filling.
   • Tip: Have some dumpling skin out when assembling, but keep the rest in the fridge (covered) so that it remains chilled. If the dumpling skin becomes too warm, it might start to tear more easily, making it harder to fold the dumplings.
7. Scoop about slightly less than 1 tbsp of dumpling filling into the dumpling skin.
8. Dip 1 finger tip into a bowl of water, and dampen the edges of the dumpling skin.
9. Fold the dumpling skin into half and pinch the edges together, sealing tightly and squeezing out as much air. OR Feel free to fold them however you like! 
   • Tip: Careful not to touch the rest of the skin with your damp fingers, as the dumpling skin will tear easily once damp.
10. Set the dumplings aside and continue folding until all the filling has been used up!  
    • Tip: As you are assembling the dumplings, arrange them on a tray and keep the folded ones in the freezer. 
    • Tip: When keeping the dumplings, be careful not to let them touch each other, or they might end up sticking together. 

Final Words:

1. To store, place the dumplings in a container and into the freezer for about 30 mins or until frozen, ensuring that the they are not touching each other. Once frozen individually, you can store them together in ziplocks. 
2. To eat, you can boil the dumplings in soup with some cabbage, deep fry till crispy golden or serve boiled dumplings in chilli oil vinegar sauce.

Video steps below

@bakereeve

Who’s eating dumplings 🥟 this Lunar new year? #CNY2022 #easyrecipe #dumplings #lunarnewyear

♬ The Name of Life ~ from Spirited Away – Alpha Wave Music Box