{"id":608,"date":"2020-04-10T17:29:31","date_gmt":"2020-04-11T00:29:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lingscorner.com\/?p=608"},"modified":"2020-11-22T14:05:19","modified_gmt":"2020-11-22T22:05:19","slug":"lings-dumplings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lingscorner.com\/zh\/2020\/04\/lings-dumplings\/","title":{"rendered":"\u997a\u5b50"},"content":{"rendered":"

I love dumplings, you love dumplings, we all love dumplings! Dumplings are the best! Dumplings are not just the most delicious food, they’re also a part of me my culture. They are a key dish of family gathering times for Chinese New Year celebrations and other special occasions. Dumplings bring me happy memories from my childhood to adulthood. Nowadays eating dumplings is not a novelty anymore; opposite from the time when I grew up in China, when we could only make them once a month or for holidays with limited supplies. Dumplings are my kids’ most beloved food. My kids learned many family stories and some Chinese culture from making and eating dumplings. Now I have all three of my kids help me make the dumplings. Yes, they are perhaps more creative at making all kinds of funny strange shaped dumplings 😉, but I’m happy with them as long as they don’t break in the pot. Their help saves me time and it’s a lot of fun to make dumplings with them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My favorite dumpling has always been the Three Fresh Stuffing – pork, shrimp and egg with chives. But shrimp was very expensive so we didn’t have this kind of stuffing often. The most common dumplings were made with either cabbage or celery as the main vegetable. There are many good choices of vegetables for the stuffing like white onion, eggplant, dill, leeks and even tomatoes. One helpful tip for the meat is not to choose very lean meat, 85% or less lean will bring more flavor to the dumplings. I’m going to try the ground beef with onion and tomatoes for my next dumpling stuffing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dumplings I made are northeastern style since I grew up in Shenyang, in the northeastern part of China. There are many other styles of dumplings in different regions. I hope you give it try to make your own dumplings very soon. Have your whole family help you. It’s a great bonding experience!<\/p>\n\n\n

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<\/div>\n\t<\/g><\/svg><\/span> Print Recipe<\/a>\n\t\n\t
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5<\/span> from 6<\/span> votes<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Ling\u2019s Chinese Dumplings<\/h2>\n
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This was, is, and this will be always my favorite food!<\/span><\/div>\n
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Prep Time<\/span>2 hours<\/span><\/span> hrs<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Cook Time<\/span>10 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Total Time<\/span>2 hours<\/span><\/span> hrs<\/span> 10 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
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Course: <\/span>Dinner, Main Course<\/span><\/div>
Cuisine: <\/span>Chinese<\/span><\/div>
Keyword: <\/span>Chinese Dumplings, Pork and cabbage dumplings<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
Servings: <\/span>8<\/span><\/div>\n
Calories: <\/span>816<\/span>kcal<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n
Cost: <\/span>25<\/span><\/div>\n

Equipment<\/h3>
  • Big Saucepan<\/div><\/li>
  • Large cutting board<\/div><\/li>
  • Rolling Pin<\/div><\/li>
  • Dumpling Press set\/Dough Press set<\/div><\/li>
  • mixer<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n

    Ingredients<\/h3>

    Dough (3 cups of flour and slightly shy of 1 cup of water) by hand kneading or mixer<\/h4>
    • 435<\/span> g<\/span> Unbleached all purpose flour<\/span><\/li>
    • 200<\/span> g<\/span> Water<\/span> room temp<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div>

      Stuffing<\/h4><\/div>

      Ingredients for marinating the pork the night before or at least for 2 hours prior cooking<\/h4>
      • 1<\/span> pound<\/span> ground pork<\/span> 85% or less lean (for better flavor)<\/span><\/li>
      • 1<\/span> tsp<\/span> salt<\/span> to taste<\/span><\/li>
      • 1\/2<\/span> cup<\/span> soy sauce<\/span> can be more or less as your preference, soy sauce gives more umami flavor<\/span><\/li>
      • 1<\/span> tbsp<\/span> ginger <\/span> minced<\/span><\/li>
      • 1<\/span> teaspoon<\/span> Chinese Five Spice Powder<\/span><\/li>
      • 1\/4<\/span> teaspoon<\/span> anise powder<\/span><\/li>
      • 1\/4<\/span> teaspoon<\/span> garlic powder<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div>

        The rest of ingredients for the stuffing<\/h4>
        • 2<\/span> cup<\/span> Napa cabbage <\/span> diced in the food processor <\/span><\/li>
        • 2<\/span> tbsp<\/span> vegetable oil<\/span><\/li>
        • 1\/2<\/span> cup<\/span> green onion<\/span> diced in the food process <\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div>

          Dumpling sauce<\/h4>
          • 1\/2<\/span> cup<\/span> Chinese black vinegar<\/span><\/li>
          • 2<\/span> tbsp<\/span> Soy sauce<\/span><\/li>
          • 1<\/span> tbsp<\/span> Sesame oil<\/span><\/li>
          • 1<\/span> tbsp<\/span> Chili oil<\/span> to taste, feel free to skip if you don't like spicy food<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n

            Instructions<\/h3>
            • (see the pictures and extra detail below)<\/span><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div>

              Marinate the grund pork (or other ground meat chicken or turkey) the night before or 2 hours prior cooking<\/h4>
              • Add the Chinese Five Spice Powder, Anise Powder, minced ginger, salt and Soy sauce to the ground pork. Mix them well. Cover the meat and store it overnight in the fridge.<\/span><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div>

                Dough prep<\/h4>
                • Pour the flour to a big mixing bowl, add the water to mix and knead the dough until its surface is pretty smooth. When you're done kneading and mixing, the dough should have a slightly smooth surface.<\/span><\/div><\/li>
                • Cover the bowl to let the dough rest at least for one hour.<\/span><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div>

                  Stuffing<\/h4>
                  • While the dough is resting, we can get the stuffing ready.<\/span><\/div><\/li>
                  • Bring the meat out of the fridge.<\/span><\/div><\/li>
                  • Take apart the cabbage and wash all the leaves<\/span><\/div><\/li>
                  • Cut them to 2 inches pieces, and load into the food processor until it's half-full.<\/span><\/div><\/li>
                  • Use the Pulse button to dice the cabbage to small pieces instead of pressing the On button, to avoid the mushy texture<\/span><\/div><\/li>
                  • Pour the diced cabbage to a large cheese cloth in a strainer. Leave it for 10 minutes to let juice drain from the cabbage<\/span><\/div><\/li>
                  • Dice the green onion in the food processor. Add it to the marinated meat and mix them well.<\/span><\/div><\/li>
                  • Squeeze 95% of the liquid out of the cabbage that\u2019s in the cheese cloth.<\/span><\/div><\/li>
                  • Pour the dry cabbage over the meat, coat with the vegetable oil, then sprinkle the 1\/2 teaspoon salt over the cabbage to mix. This method prevents the cabbage from leaking its liquid to the meat. Then the last step is to mix the cabbage and the meat together well.<\/span><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div>

                    Dumpling shells<\/h4>
                    • It\u2019s time to make the dumpling shells. This is a labor intensive process. But it\u2019s fun for me, even more fun to do this with my kids. Prepare a large wooden cutting board or a large kitchen counter for making the shells. And 1 cup of dry flour on the side.<\/span>
                      <\/div>(You can always skip this part to use the store bought shells to save you a lot of time.)<\/span><\/div><\/li>
                    • Poke a hole in the middle of the dough, work both of your hands in the hole to stretch the dough outward to make a dough ring. Keep stretching and working on the dough until it becomes about an inch thick. The ring will get quite long.<\/span><\/div><\/li>
                    • Cut the circle into two even lengths, add some flour on them to avoid having them stick. Roll them on the board to make sure they have the similar size and the round shape. Cut the dough into many 1 inch thick slices.<\/span><\/div><\/li>
                    • Add more flour to the slices to separate them. Make sure each slice is covered with the flour on both sides. Flatten each piece somewhat with the palm of your hand.<\/span><\/div><\/li>
                    • You need a rolling pin and a cup of flour on the side. I\u2019m right handed so I roll the dough by my right hand, and my left hand rotates the dough shell. It takes a lot of practice to synchronize the two hands with a rolling pin. Roll the pin on the dough from the edge to the center with some pressure. Make sure to form a little bump in the center of the dough to prevent the broken shell in the process of stretching the shell to hold the stuffing.<\/span><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div>

                      Finally, it\u2019s time to make some dumplings!<\/h4>
                      • First step: don\u2019t be intimidated!<\/span>
                        <\/div>Set an easy goal if this is your first time to make dumplings. The goal should be to seal each dumpling well no matter how it looks. You succeed if there is not broken dumplings in the pot.<\/span><\/div><\/li>
                      • Use a teaspoon to scoop the stuffing and place it in the center of the shell. Fold the shell together, pinch the top center part of the shell first, then pinch the left and right side. Make sure to seal the shell well. If the shells are too floured, dip your finger in a small dish of water and wet the outer edge, so that it can stick to the other half of the shell. Here you have made a dumpling!\u00a0<\/span><\/div><\/li>
                      • My videos below will show more ways of folding the dumplings. They\u2019re easy to learn.\u00a0<\/span><\/div><\/li>
                      • We\u2019re almost there. <\/span>
                        <\/div>Heat the big saucepan over high heat. Have a strainer ladle ready and a 1\/4 cup of cold water ready near your cook top. Put in the dumplings once the water is boiled, while taking care to not splash yourself. Gently stir the dumplings to prevent the dumplings from sticking to the bottom of the pot right away once they\u2019re all in the pot. Stir them every minute. It should take less than 5 minutes to have all the dumplings float in the pot. Pour in the cold water to the pot for the second boil. Your dumplings are ready!<\/span><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div>

                        Dumpling sauce<\/h4>
                        • Soy sauce, Chinese Black vinegar and sesame oil are essential for the sauce. We love to add our homemade Sichuan Chili oil to the base since everyone loves spicy taste in my family. You can find any Asian hot sauce if you prefer a little kick to the sauce. <\/span><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n
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                          Nutrition<\/h3>
                          Calories: <\/span>816<\/span>kcal<\/span><\/span> | <\/span>Carbohydrates: <\/span>75<\/span>g<\/span><\/span> | <\/span>Protein: <\/span>32<\/span>g<\/span><\/span> | <\/span>Fat: <\/span>42<\/span>g<\/span><\/span> | <\/span>Saturated Fat: <\/span>21<\/span>g<\/span><\/span> | <\/span>Cholesterol: <\/span>82<\/span>mg<\/span><\/span> | <\/span>Sodium: <\/span>1572<\/span>mg<\/span><\/span> | <\/span>Potassium: <\/span>598<\/span>mg<\/span><\/span> | <\/span>Fiber: <\/span>4<\/span>g<\/span><\/span> | <\/span>Sugar: <\/span>1<\/span>g<\/span><\/span> | <\/span>Vitamin A: <\/span>253<\/span>IU<\/span><\/span> | <\/span>Vitamin C: <\/span>14<\/span>mg<\/span><\/span> | <\/span>Calcium: <\/span>76<\/span>mg<\/span><\/span> | <\/span>Iron: <\/span>6<\/span>mg<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

                          Dough prep<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                          • \"\"
                            Mixing the dough<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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                            The dough ball after mixing and kneading<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
                          • \"\"
                            Covered, to rest for 1 hour<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

                            Veggies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                            Prepare the veggies while the dough is resting. You can pick one of your favorite veggies (cabbage, celery, chives…) to pair with your choice of the meat. I choose cabbage for this recipe because this is the most common one in my region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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                              Napa cabbage and celery<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
                            • \"\"
                              Coarsely chopped<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
                            • \"\"
                              Pulse to chop it but not so much to lose all the texture<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
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                              Draining the excess liquid<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
                            • \"\"
                              Seasoned veggies, added to the meat<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

                              Making the dumpling shells<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                              Below is some detail on making the shells from scratch. While we like these much better than store-bought ones, if you want to save a lot of work and time, feel free to use store-bought dumpling shells instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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