How to Make Dumpling?

[alice]

Dumpling, it is also called "Jiǎo zi". I know many people like it. Have you thought about make it by yourself?

When you see so many steps as below, you may think, woo, it is too complicated, I cannot make it. Well, I can only say, yes, it looks complicated,but when you make one time, you will find it is not difficult. Just try, you can make it!!

How to prepare dumpling.

Part I: Prepare stuffing for dumping
1． Put a shrink-wrapped tray of ground pork (around 1-1.5 pound) into a big bowl.
2． Put in 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
3． Put in one egg
4． Put in 1 teaspoon salt
5． Chop one shallot (or called green onion, but it does not look like onion at all) into very small bits. Put in the bowl as well.
6． Put in 1/4 cup starch (looks like flour, but is not. You can buy at some Chinese or Korean supermarket. Around 1 dollar per bag. You can do without it)
7． Put in light soybean source (around 2-3 teaspoons).
8． Put in 1/2 teaspoon of dark soybean source
9． Stir mixture well until same in color and look.
10． Obtain around 8 leaves of cabbage. Wash and throw off water.
11． Cut the cabbage into tiny pieces and bits. This is touch job. If you have an electric mixer or cutter, it would be perfect.
12． If the cabbage dust is watery or has obvious water in it, squeeze it to remove water.
13． Mix the cabbage dust well with the mixture prepared previously.

Part II: Prepare dumpling
1． Purchase dumping skin or Mandon peel from Korean or Chinese food market. You maybe need 2 packages ($1 each)
2． Get a half bowl of water. You need the water to wet the rim of the Jiaozi skin. Otherwise it will not stick together.
3． Put around 1-1.5 teaspoon of the stuff prepared in Part I onto the middle of the Jiaozi skin.
4． Enclose the dumpling skin cross the diameter. Then close the rest of the skin rim. You can try to twist one side of the rim so that the completed Jiaozi will stand on its own. Otherwise forget about it since they always taste the same. Just close all rim with each other.

There are mainly three ways to cook dumpling.
1． Steam them. Just put on a steam rack and steam them for around 20-30 minutes. If frozen, then it may take 5-10 minutes more time.
2． Boil them. After water boils, put dumplings in it and wait till they surface. Don't use too much firepower or water will spill over like crazy. Put in cool water from time to time if it happens.
3． Fry them. Put some cooking oil (do not put much. 1/4 cup should be good to start with) in a pan and put Jiaozi in. Be patient and do not use too much fire power. Medium fire is good. Patience pays for lovely looking fried Jiaozi. If you worry the stuffing may not be well done, cover the pan with cover to let it heat up inside, but always watch out and turn the Jiaozi around so that all sides are fully cooked. I think it will take around 20 minutes for them to be done. But just watch and make your judgment. Don't let them become charcoal.

We need to prepare a nice source to dip the Jiaozi.

Personally I love the following one.

1． In a little bowl or container. Pour in around 2 teaspoon light soybean source. 1/2 teaspoon or 1/3 teaspoon of dark soybean source. If you don't love dark soybean source, then simply use 3 teaspoon light soybean source.
2． On a clean chopping board reserved for cooked food,cut three individual garlic (not the whole garlic. Just three pieces from a bulb) into small bits. If not small, keep on cutting/chopping them.
3． Put the finished garlic pieces into the soybean source.
4． Put in 1/4 teaspoon of cooking oil.
5． Let the source sit for 2-3 minutes so that the juice in garlic enter the source.

Now, Dig and enjoy the Jiaozi!!