Chinese dumplings recipe

300g cabbage, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
500g minced pork
50g Chinese chives, finely chopped
50g spring onions or scallions, finely chopped
1 tbs minced young ginger
1 tbs minced garlic
2½ tsp light soy sauce
1 tbs Chinese cooking wine
2 tbs sesame oil
1 tbs chilli bean paste (dou ban jiang)
96 frozen round pot-sticker wrappers

Dip

Julienned young ginger
Rice vinegar
Light soy sauce
Chilli bean paste (optional)

Preparation for Chinese dumplings

• Toss the chopped cabbage and salt in a bowl. Set aside for 30 minutes, then squeeze the cabbage to extract water.
• Combine the cabbage, minced pork, chives, spring onions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, Chinese cooking wine, sesame oil and chilli bean paste in a large bowl. Mix well and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• To wrap the dumplings, have a small bowl of water handy. The frozen wrappers should be defrosted in the fridge and kept under a damp towel as you work. Place approximately one tablespoon of filling onto a wrapper. Place it slightly off-centre. Dip a clean finger into the bowl of water and use it to moisten the rim of the wrapper. Fold it over so that you end up with a semicircle, crimping only the layer facing you as you press it down to seal. Six pleats are usually just about right. Place the completed dumplings on a tray dusted with flour. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers.
• At this point, the dumplings can be dusted with more flour and frozen.
• The dumplings can be boiled, steamed, pan-fried or deep-fried. To prepare pot-stickers, preheat a shallow pan filled with just enough oil to thinly coat its base. Use a pan that has a lid. A non-stick surface also helps.
• Place the dumplings in the pan (frozen ones go in frozen). Be careful not to overcrowd the pan or they will stick together. Fry them until they develop a crisp, golden brown base. Drizzle some water or stock into the pan and cover it immediately. Add just enough liquid to cover the base of the pan, and be sure to drizzle some onto the jiaozi so that the crimped edges don’t get crispy. Let the dumplings steam until the skin becomes somewhat translucent. Uncover the pan and continue to cook until the water has evaporated.
• Serve immediately with julienned ginger, rice vinegar, soy sauce and chilli bean paste (if using), combined to taste.