China · Flour and Confectionery Products

Pork and Cabbage Dumplings (Chinese Jiaozi)

These northern Chinese jiaozi have thin, pleasantly chewy skins and a juicy pork filling threaded with sweet Napa cabbage.

120 min✻6 servings✻472 kcal
Pork and Cabbage Dumplings (Chinese Jiaozi)

Ingredients

  • all-purpose flour400 g
  • water210 ml
  • ground pork500 g
  • Napa cabbage500 g
  • salt12 g
  • scallions3
  • fresh ginger20 g
  • light soy sauce3 tbsp
  • Shaoxing wine2 tbsp
  • toasted sesame oil1 tbsp
  • sugar1 tsp
  • ground white pepper0.5 tsp
  • cold water80 ml
  • Chinkiang vinegar60 ml

Method

  1. 1Make 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. 2Drain 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. 3Season 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. 4Finish 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. 5Roll 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. 6Shape 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. 7Boil 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.