Thursday, March 13, 2008

Jiaozi or Chinese Dumpling



When we were in Memphis, TN we worked with the Chinese community for 8 years plus. Our ESL students would often have us to there homes for "jiaozi" making parties. All would stand around the central table and using rolling pins without handles, we would make dozens of these dumplings. The idea was to make them beautiful. Beautiful is not a typical food description for the average American family, but it is one I have tried to adopt.

Here are my "beautiful jiaozi" neatly lined up for Feng Shui effect.

2 cups of ground turkey
1 cup finely chopped nappa
1 finely chopped yellow onion
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. sesame oil

Mix well - put 1 tsp. into each dumpling skin. Use a dip of water to moisten edges and shape dumpling. Take care to make them beautiful and evenly pleated.
Boil 5 minutes.
Serve with hot black sauce.

This sauce is delicious! My friends from Linyi, China taught me how to make this.
In a sauce pan bring 1 cup of oil to "hot" in that you can see the surface begin to move - this in not boiling! Have prepared minced green onion and minced red chili pepper. Toss onion and pepper into the hot oil and cover immediately (be careful as the oil will sputter and if you have a lot of pepper fumes will make your eyes water - sometimes its good to take it outside at this point!). After a few minutes, add 1T. honey and 2T. Chinese black rice vinegar and 1 T. soy sauce. Drizzle over your dumplings.
Yum, Yum, Yum!