← Nouns Cooking · Chinese

Ingredients

• 450 g Napa (Chinese) cabbage, finely chopped
• 1 tsp salt, for the cabbage
• 450 g fatty minced pork (about 20% fat)
• 1 tbsp Ginger, finely grated
• 3 Spring onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp Toasted sesame oil
• ¼ tsp White pepper
• 3 tbsp cold water or stock
• 40 round dumpling wrappers
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil (for potstickers) (optional)
• 3 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
• 1 tbsp Chilli oil (optional)

Method

1. Toss the cabbage with the salt and leave for 15 min. Squeeze it hard in a clean tea towel or by the handful to get rid of as much water as you can.
2. In a big bowl, mix the pork with the ginger, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil and white pepper. Stir in one direction while adding the water a spoonful at a time, until the filling turns sticky and springy. Fold in the cabbage and spring onion.
3. Put a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre of a wrapper. Wet the edge with water, fold it into a half-moon and pinch the edges together firmly, pleating one side if you like. Keep finished dumplings on a floured tray under a cloth.
4. To boil: bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add about 12 dumplings, stirring gently so they do not stick. When they float and the water returns to the boil, add a cup of cold water. Do this twice more, then they are ready, about 6–8 min in all.
5. To pan-fry: heat the oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat and arrange the dumplings flat-side down. Fry for 2 min until golden underneath, add 120 ml water, cover at once and steam for 6–7 min until the water is gone. Uncover and fry for another minute to re-crisp.
6. Cut one open to check: the filling should be firm and no longer pink (71°C / 160°F). Serve with black vinegar and chilli oil for dipping.

Tips

• Freeze uncooked dumplings spread out on a tray, then bag them; cook straight from frozen, adding 2–3 minutes.
• Contains wheat (wrappers) and soy. Hand-wringing the cabbage really matters, or the filling turns watery.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Omnivore's Cookbook RecipeTin Eats The Woks of Life