Dumplings
Chinese dumplings, or jiaozi, are a family project: everyone at the table folds, then everyone eats.
Fill, fold, boil
Stir one way
Salt chopped napa and squeeze it dry. Stir the pork in one direction until sticky, adding a little stock as you go.
Seal, then pleat
Spoon filling onto a round wrapper and wet the edge. Pinch the middle, then pleat toward each end. A tight seal beats pretty folds.
Add cold water three times
Boil them. When the pot foams up, add a cup of cold water. Do this three times. After the last boil, cut one open to check the pork.
Nothing tastes better than dumplings, nothing rests better than lying down.
Good to know
What is the difference between potstickers and dumplings?
Potstickers are dumplings that are pan-fried on the bottom, then steamed in the same pan. In Chinese they are guotie. Boiled jiaozi are the everyday northern version.
Why do Chinese people eat dumplings at New Year?
It is a northern Chinese tradition. Dumplings resemble old gold ingots, so they stand for wishes of good fortune. Families fold them together on New Year's Eve, sometimes hiding a clean coin in one.
Can you freeze homemade dumplings?
Yes. Freeze them raw on a floured tray so they do not touch, then bag them. Boil straight from frozen without thawing.
