Celebrating Togetherness with Dumplings

The hustle and bustle that precedes Christmas has already begun, and if I'm not careful, I find myself lost in the busyness and missing out on the joy and thankfulness that marks this season.

Last year, I actually sacrificed treasured traditions (making gingerbread houses with friends and family, attending Christmas concerts) because I was too overwhelmed with unrealistic demands I was making on myself (homemade gifts and cookies for everyone!)

"This year will be different," I vowed to myself. I will prioritize time spent with family and friends, or tuántuán yuán yuán (团团圆圆)--which is a Chinese phrase often translated as "the family is happy and together," but I like to understand it as "togetherness."  

One of my "go to" togetherness activities is cooking.  Before Thanksgiving, my mother-in-law taught my daughter how to wrap dumplings (jiǎozi, 饺子).  It was a "win-win" activity for the two of them: they spent quality time together, my mother-in-law shared a Chinese tradition with her granddaughter, and my daughter gained confidence by learning a new skill.

Some things to keep in mind when you want to try this "togetherness" activity at home:

1. If you are working with pre-made wrappers (found in the freezer section of your local Chinese supermarket), choose your wrappers carefully. We found that using pre-made dumpling wrappers worked best when cooked by boiling, but we preferred wonton wrappers (they are thinner) for dumplings that are fried.

2. There are many different techniques for wrapping dumplings. My mother-in-law taught my daughter the pleat method (right). In this technique, each side of the outer wrapper is pleated toward the center. Pleats are then pressed firmly to the bottom wrapper. (See my blog post from last year, Jiaozi-making Party, for folding methods we created at our dumpling party last year, and also don't miss Beijing Gourmand's explanation of the "one fold" and "crimp and fold" techniques.)

3. No matter how you fold your dumplings, each method seems to require a little extra moisture for a tight seal (this seems especially true with frozen wrappers). Dip your index finger into a small bowl of water, and run your finger along the edge before starting to pleat the wrappers. 

*Chinese dumplings do not need to be eaten right away. They freeze wonderfully (in freezer bags, for at least a month). Make sure to date and label the bag! 

How will you celebrate "togetherness" with family and friends this holiday season?

Jiaozi-making Party

This weekend we invited friends over to celebrate the Year of the Dragon with us by making Chinese dumplings (jiaozi). This was our first jiaozi-making party since our college days, when we co-hosted a party for 20+ international students in our friends’ tiny apartment.

This year, since half of our guests were children under the age of seven, we wanted our party to be simple and kid-friendly. We used frozen dumpling wrappers from our local Chinese food store.  They defrosted on the counter in about two hours with the wrapper off. 

We made two different fillings, pork and shrimp and pork only, based on our friend Rob's recipe from years ago. 

Rob’s Dumpling Recipe

2 lbs of ground pork, turkey, or shrimp (We ground shrimp in our food processor.)

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon white pepper

2 teaspoons of brandy, sherry, or other aromatic alcohol (We used Shaoxing cooking wine.)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Mix all of the above together and let sit.

1 inch fresh ginger

3-4 stalks spring onion

Either 8-10 celery stalks or one small head of Chinese cabbage (Cabbage should be approximately 1/3 of meat mixture; we used about ½ of a large head for one recipe.)

Mince ginger, green onion, and cabbage, each separately. 

(A food processor works great for mincing Chinese cabbage, but we found that it needed to be cut into big pieces before being tossed into the processor to ensure uniform mincing.)

Squeeze excess water out of cabbage.

Mix minced veggies into meat and store in fridge until party.

Makes filling for around 90 dumplings. (We divided the recipe in half and used pork only for one half and pork and shrimp for the other.) 

Everyone helped with the wrapping, though the two-year-old’s dumplings were subjected to a second inspection to make sure the edges were totally sealed. Since our expert jiaozi maker from Beijing wasn’t able to come and instruct us, we experimented to find the best way to crimp and seal the dumpling wrappers.  This experimentation resulted in beautiful creations subsequently named “the stegosaurus” and “the full moon.” 

                                

(Above, the "stegosaurus," "the wave," and "the purse")

When the dumplings were ready to eat, we set them out with other simple dishes: cool cucumber salad, a tofu dish, stir-fried bok choy (qing cai), and white rice.  We also provided kid-friendly food such as “fishie” crackers, juice boxes, and berries.  After dinner, the kids scampered off to play while the adults enjoyed cherry pie, fresh whipping cream, and spiral jade tea.

All in all, it was tremendous fun, and my daughter is already talking about next years’ party.  I think we will add a vegetarian filling to the line-up as well as a contest (and award, of course) for the most creative wrapping style.  For those of you who want to get a head start on the competition, the filling must stay within the wrappers.

If you are planning to host a dumpling-making party this weekend, check out Carolyn Phillip’s wonderful recipes and instructional video. Also check out Kelly the Overthinker’s dragon cake.  So cute! I wish I had discovered this one last week.

Weekly Jiaozi Night

When life gets hectic--especially in these weeks leading up to Christmas, we are often forced to choose between cooking a meal or sitting down at the table to eat together. Some families turn to weekly pizza night as a solution, but our weekly “go to” when life gets busy is jiaozi (Chinese dumplings).

Jiaozi can be found in the freezer section of most Chinese grocers. I buy the Wei-chuan brand because they taste good, and because they have a seal (lower left corner) assuring they've been inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

   

Jiaozi are very affordable (I get mine for around $3.50 per bag), and they come in a many flavors:

  

Pork, scallops, and shrimp                 Pork and Chinese spinach

Chinese Celery and Shrimp               Pork, Leek, and Shrimp (my fav!)

Lotus Root and Chicken                    Green Onion and Beef

Leaf Mustard and Pork                      Seafood and Cilantro

According to Andrea from Viet World Kitchen, Wei-Chuan also makes a MSG-free brand, their Shandong Dumpling series (look for 山东 on the wrapper).  I haven’t seen this in the stores, but intend to keep my eyes open for it!

Jiaozi can be steamed, boiled, or pan-fried. 

Boiling Jiaozi

When boiling jiaozi, make sure to follow instructions on the package.  Jiaozi should come to a boil four times, and each time this happens, 1 cup of cold water must be added.

Here's how this works: after placing the frozen jiaozi into the boiling water, wait until the water begins to boil again.  Next, add one cup of cold water to the pot, and wait until the water comes to boil again.  Do this two more times.  When the water boils after the third cup of water is added, it’s time to take the jiaozi out.  You can dump the pot into a strainer (like pasta).  I use a slotted spoon to take the jiaozi out, because the noodle “skin” can be fragile.

Pan-frying Jiaozi

Turn burner to medium heat.  Cover the bottom of the pan with oil, and arrange the frozen jiaozi in the pan.  Add approximately 1/2 cup of water to the pan, and cover with a lid.  Cook until the water in the pan cooks off. Add around 1/3 cup water and cook for one minute.  This will keep the jiaozi from sticking to the pan when you remove them.

Next, dipping sauce!  Here is my all-time favorite recipe--a slightly spicy and sweet vinegar-based sauce.  Please alter and swap out ingredients according to taste.

Sweet, Spicy, and Sour Dipping Sauce

1 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar

¼ tsp Kadoya sesame oil

¼-1/2 tsp Guilin chili sauce

pinch of sugar

Serve with salted edamame (which can be bought in freezer section of stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joes) and enjoy!