Pork and Chive Dumplings
Dumplings are a traditional Chinese food with various names such as "jiaozi," "jiao er," "bian shi," "bian shi," "lao wan," "fen jiao," "jiao er," "shui jiao er," "shui dian xin," "shui jiao zi," "jiao er," and so on. Since the Song Dynasty, there has been a tradition of eating dumplings on the winter solstice, symbolizing reunion, happiness, and warmth, which has been passed down to this day.
INGREDIENTS
- 60 dumpling skins
DIRECTIONS
Chop the meat into minced meat, then mix the minced meat with oyster sauce, chicken bouillon powder, salt, light soy sauce, ground white pepper, and the egg.
Stir the mixture thoroughly with chopsticks until evenly combined. At this point, you'll notice that the filling mixture is relatively dry.
Next, begin adding the cold water gradually, stirring well after each addition.
Tip:
Adding water gradually while stirring ensures that the filling remains moist and prevents it from becoming dry. Once thoroughly mixed, the filling should feel noticeably fluffy and moist.
Then add the cooking oil and stir until well combined.
Tip:
Adding cooking oil helps remove any gamey taste, enhances flavor, and adds smoothness. The oil also helps to seal in moisture in the filling, making it more tender and juicy.
After washing the chives thoroughly, only use the leafy parts and chop them finely. Allow the chopped chives to dry a bit to remove excess moisture, then mix them with 10g of cooking oil until well combined.
Tip:
It's recommended not to use a meat grinder for this step; hand-chopped chives are more aromatic. Also, avoid adding salt to the chives as it can draw out moisture.
After mixing well, pour the chopped chives into the meat mixture and stir thoroughly in one direction until evenly combined.
Next, let's make the dumpling wrappers. After mixing all the ingredients into a smooth dough, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, knead the dough until smooth, then cut it into strips and use a rolling pin to roll out the dumpling wrappers.
Tip:
Rolling out dumpling wrappers takes some time. If you're short on time, you can opt to buy ready-made dumpling wrappers instead.
Place an appropriate amount of filling onto each dumpling wrapper.
Pinch and seal the edges of the dumpling wrapper together. Start by pinching the top and bottom edges together, then gather and pleat the sides towards the center. Finally, use your thumb along with your index and middle fingers to firmly pinch and seal the edges together in the middle.
That's how you wrap a dumpling. Continue the same process with the remaining filling. Now you have your chive and pork dumplings ready.
Tip:
Store the wrapped dumplings in the refrigerator for freezing. They can typically be kept for 60-90 days.
If you want to eat them immediately, bring a pot of water to a boil and add the dumplings. When the water returns to a boil, add a small amount of cold water twice during cooking, then bring it back to a boil.
Tip:
Cooking dumplings this way ensures the filling is tender, the seasoning is balanced, the chives are aromatic, and the dumpling wrappers have a good texture.