Dumplings 101....

Who can resist dreamy scrumptious jiaozi dumplings? We've had countless handmade dumplings go through this household and it remains a supreme beloved comfort staple and a quick go-to meal- weekend lunch or easy weeknight dinner when batches are prepared and frozen raw to cook up on these no-nonsense days. Making dumplings at home is easy if you take advantage of the many good pre-made wrappers available in grocery stores.

Differences are seen amongst various regions in both the methods of making jiaozi and cooking them. For example, in most areas of Beijing and Hebei Provinces, dumpling wrappers are made with a rolling stick. Other parts such as Shanxi Province, wrappers are hand-pressed. Fillings can be anything from a variety of vegetables, mushrooms, meat to seafood. In Northern China, the skins are chewier, and popular stuffing entail lamb or pumpkin. Oil and cornstarch are important ingredients to keep the filling moist but firm. Regardless of the fillings, wrapping skills needs to be artful to make jiaozi attractive. Dumplings may be round, rolled, pleated or moon-shaped that can be boiled, steamed, pan or deep-fried. Ways of serving Chinese dumplings also vary from region to region. Typically, Northern Chinese dumplings are boiled in clear water and served dry traditionally with black vinegar. Another way is to pan fry them, steam in a little water or broth until they are slightly crispy and golden brown. This recipe is a family favourite and some ways to cook them, even trying my hands on a new extra crispy-base version- see method.

Pork, Shrimp and Chive Dumplings
Makes about 100 dumplings

2 packages of dumpling wrappers (found in refrigerated section with fresh noodles and tofu)

2 lbs. ground pork (you can use lean however I find regular ground provides the best texture)
1 lb. shrimps, shelled and deveined, soaked in water to cover with 1/2 tsp. salt, rinsed, drained, pat dry and chopped
1 cup preserved radish, chopped or water chestnuts, drained finely chopped
1 large bunch Chinese chives, thinly chopped
2 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. ground white pepper

1/2 tsp. chicken seasoning

2 Tbsp. cooking wine

2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1-1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch 

Place ground pork in a bowl. Add salt, pepper, chicken seasoning cooking wine, soy sauce and oil; incorporate well then add cornstarch and mix again. Add shrimps, radish or water chestnuts and chives and mix well. Chill at least one hour or several hours if possible for flavours to meld.

Assemble dumplings right before cooking. See Illustration One below for more wrapping instructions. Wet half the wrapper rim with water and place one Tbsp. filling in centre of wrapper. Fold the wrapper over so that the dry edge meets the wet one. Press along seam to seal shut. Repeat with wrappers. Cook immediately or freeze remaining lined on a tray with minimal overlap for one hour (*see tip below). Do not refrigerate prepared dumplings or they will get moist and stick together and to the plate.

Here are a variety of wrapping and cooking tips in an article I wrote and developed recipes for Asian Gourmet Magazine's Summer 2008 issue titled, "Do-it-Yourself Dumplings".

Illustration One: Different ways to wrap dumplings.

Illustration Two: Different ways to cook dumplings.

*Take partially frozen dumplings from freezer after one hour and place into a freezer bag. 
Freeze for one month. Remove as many as needed. 
See illustration Two for instructions to cook from frozen.

Tonight, I tried for the first time to make extra crispy based dumplings with steamed tops: Heat a large skillet with 1 Tbsp. oil on medium high. Lay the prepared dumplings in a circular pattern and let pan-fry for two minutes until golden brown underside. Make a slurry with 2 tsp. potato starch and 1/3 cup water per batch. Drizzle over the dumplings in a circular motion and cover lid immediately. Let steam for three minutes. Remove lid and let cook until the slurry on the pan appears golden and crisp. Carefully place a serving plate over top; keeping your hand steady on the plate, tip the skillet upside down to remove "attached dumplings" onto the plate.

For the first batch, I wanted to test the slurry in creating a crispy base! 
They didn't stick together but crispy they were.

The second batch, held together when flipped to form a circle, but the bottoms burned a bit. 
Not bad for the first go! Next time, I will mind the heat better and it'll turn out just right...

UPDATE: In my next attempt, success with slightly lower heat! 

Mix 2 tsp. potato starch to 1/3 cup water for each batch of 15 to 20 dumplings.

Crispy, delectable extension of skin!

Dipped in red vinegar sauce or soy sauce mixed with toasted sesame oil,
dumplings are lapped up immediately!

Dumplings Mania!! See more recipes over on a recent post cooking them up in my cooking class.

Pan-Fried Chinese-Style and Steamed-Top Crispy Bottom Japanese-Style Gyozas.

For these recipes, see my Dumplings 101 Part Two Post.