Dumplings aren’t just a food, they are almost a religion in their own right. They have experienced a surge in popularity in Melbourne lately, with people discovering how delicious, fulfilling and fun they are to eat. Just this week I went to the famous Shanghai Village Dumpling house to re-discover this delicacy myself, after a long absence.
Of course, many cultures have ‘dumplings’ of many varieties of their own. But here we are talking about the Chinese Jiao Zi kind, the ones you can have steamed or pan-fried. Both delicious, but some devotees have a strict preference. I am polygamous in my dumpling eating.
So, we decided to have a dumpling-making and eating session!
My recipe is as follows:
Chicken and Pork Jiao Zi
Makes a WHOLE LOT of dumplings. Over 100. Enough to feed 6 adults and 4 kids, with leftovers.
1KG pork mince
1KG chicken mince
1tblspn corn starch
a small handful of finely chopped chinese or strong garlic chives
a tablespoon of xiao shing wine
a good grind of black or white pepper
4 cloves of good Australian garlic, crushed
a generous chunk of fresh ginger, minced
a splash of soy sauce (I use premium)
2 teaspoons of sesame oil
And many, many rice dumpling skins. We had 3 packets of 60. Enlist help from friends, and all share the fruits of your labour together!
Mix the ingredients together, and put small dollops (about a teaspoon) into the middle of each skin, sealing with a drop or two of water, as you would for making ravioli.
Kids love making these, and really, you cant go wrong!
Fold, seal, and crimp. There is a traditional way of doing this, but we just decided to wing it!
And what a magnificent mountain of dumplings we did create!
Pan-fried:
Pour a little vegetable oil into a hot non-stick pan. Let the dumplings cook for a moment or two, and then splash over half a cup of water, and put the lid on. The water will make the oil spit like crazy, but at the same time, make a heck of a lot of steam, which cooks the dumplings. After a minute, take off the lid, swish the dumplings around, flip them over, and repeat, adding more oil or water as is needed.
Cook until the dumplings are golden brown on at least one side.
Steamed:
Lay dumplings in bamboo steamers, atop of either cabbage leaves, lettuce leaves, or baking paper. Place on top of a wok or pan with water simmering underneath. Remember to check the water levels frequently, and top up from a kettle if needed.
Steam for at least 10 mins, or until the dumpling skin is soft, and the filling cooked. We appointed a highly skilled and VERY experienced dumpling eater to test one of each batch, y’know, just in case!
Cook in batches, and serve with condiments like soy, spicy dumpling sauce, vinegar, or chilli paste.
We ate them with stir-fried bok choi with garlic and oyster sauce. YUM!
Photos taken by the lovely Christina N/@knitster/cn33
