Pork and Cabbage Dumplings (Chinese Jiaozi)

Ingredients

Method

1. 01
   Make the dough. Stir 2 g of the salt into the 210 ml water, then pour it gradually into the flour while mixing with chopsticks. Knead for 8 minutes until the dough feels smooth and firm, cover it, and let it rest for 45 minutes; the rest relaxes the gluten so the wrappers roll without springing back.
2. 02
   Drain the cabbage. Finely chop the Napa cabbage, toss it with the remaining 10 g salt, and leave it for 15 minutes until glossy puddles form in the bowl. Squeeze it firmly in a clean towel until no stream of liquid runs out; loosely drained cabbage is the usual cause of split, watery dumplings.
   
3. 03
   Season the pork. Grate the ginger and stir it into the pork with the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, sugar, and white pepper. Mix vigorously in one direction for 4 minutes, adding the 80 ml cold water in four portions, until the meat looks tacky and leaves fine strands on the spoon; chill for 15 minutes.
4. 04
   Finish the filling. Thinly slice the scallions, then fold them and the squeezed cabbage into the chilled pork just before you begin wrapping. Stir only until evenly distributed, because prolonged mixing at this point draws more water from the vegetables.
5. 05
   Roll the wrappers. Divide the rested dough into 40 pieces of about 15 g and keep them covered with a damp towel. Flatten one piece at a time and roll it into a 9 cm round with a slightly thicker center and thin edge; dust sparingly with flour so the pleats still seal.
   
6. 06
   Shape the jiaozi. Place about 1 tablespoon filling in the center of each wrapper, fold it into a half-moon, and pinch the top shut before making three pleats on each side. Press out trapped air and set the dumplings upright on a floured tray without touching; keep both dough and finished dumplings covered.
7. 07
   Boil and serve. Bring a wide pot of water to a lively boil and cook the jiaozi in three batches, stirring once along the bottom so they do not stick. After they float, keep them at a steady simmer for 4 minutes until the skins look slightly translucent and the pork reaches 71°C, then lift them out with a slotted spoon and serve with Chinkiang vinegar.
   

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