Feb. 8 is Chinese New Year, the first day of the Year of the Monkey. One of the most important foods traditionally eaten on this day happens to also be one of our favorite foods: dumplings! Soup dumplings, potstickers, boiled, steamed or fried, we've never met a dumpling we didn't like. Dumplings are eaten on Chinese New Year as its shape resembles an ancient currency, so the food is said to bring prosperity, said China Highlights.
If you want to enjoy dumplings today, along with most of China, take a stab at making your own. Jiaozi are the best kind of dumplings for beginners, and they're unbelievably delicious.
Watch the video below from The Telegraph in which Chef Jason Li puts together some jiaozi for Chinese New Year. Get hungry and inspired, then read on for The Woks of Life's jiaozi recipe.
Here's the amazing recipe for jiaozi dumplings from The Woks of Life:
Ingredients
3 lbs. green leafy vegetables (like shepherd's purse, baby bok choy, napa cabbage or Chinese chives)
1 ½ pounds ground pork (or ground chicken or beef, as long as it isn't too lean)
2/3 cup shaoxing wine
½ cup oil
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ teaspoon white pepper
2/3 cup water, plus more for assembly
3-4 packages dumpling wrappers
Instructions:
Wash your vegetables thoroughly and blanch in a pot of boiling water. Transfer the veggies to an ice bath to cool. Ring out all the water from the vegetables and chop very finely.
In a large bowl, stir together the vegetables, meat, wine, oil, sesame oil, salt, soy sauce, white pepper and water. Mix for 6-8 minutes, until very well-combined.
To wrap the dumplings, dampen the edges of each circle with some water. Put a little less than a tablespoon of filling in the middle. Fold the circle in half and pinch the wrapper together at the top. Then make two folds on each side, until the dumpling looks like a fan. Make sure it's completely sealed. Repeat until all the filling is gone, placing the dumplings on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Make sure the dumplings aren't sticking together.
To cook the dumplings, boil or pan-fry them. To boil, simply bring a large pot of water to a boil, drop the dumplings in, and cook until they float to the top and the skins are cooked through, but still slightly al dente.
To pan-fry, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Place the dumplings in the pan and allow to fry for 2 minutes. Pour a thin layer of water into the pan, cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Allow dumplings to steam until the water has evaporated. Remove the cover, increase heat to medium-high and allow to fry for a few more minutes, until the bottoms of the dumplings are golden brown and crisp.
Serve with soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, chili sauce or another dipping sauce of your choice!
