Jiaozi (饺子) — Northern Dumpling Tradition and New Year Ritual

Ingredients

• For the dough
• 300 g plain flour
• 150 ml cold water
• For the pork and cabbage filling
• 200 g minced pork
• 150 g napa cabbage, salted, squeezed, and wrung completely dry of excess moisture
• 15 g fresh ginger, finely grated or minced
• 30 g scallions, finely chopped
• 15 ml soy sauce, light
• 10 ml sesame oil
• 15 ml Shaoxing wine
• For the pork and chive filling (alternative)
• 200 g minced pork
• 100 g Chinese yellow chives (jiu cai), trimmed and finely chopped; no salting or drying required
• 15 g fresh ginger, finely grated or minced
• 30 g scallions, finely chopped
• 15 ml soy sauce, light
• 10 ml sesame oil
• 15 ml Shaoxing wine
• To serve
• 60 ml Chinkiang black rice vinegar
• 30 ml light soy sauce
• 30 ml chilli oil

Method

1. 1
   Combine 300 g plain flour and 150 ml cold water. Mix until a shaggy dough forms, then knead for 10 minutes until the surface is smooth and the dough pulls back with resilience when pressed. Cover and rest for 30 minutes. The dough is ready when it no longer springs back immediately on pressing and the surface is uniformly smooth.
2. 2
   For the cabbage filling, salt the napa cabbage, allow it to stand until moisture is drawn out, then squeeze and wring it with both hands until it yields no further liquid. This is where the dish lives or dies: insufficient moisture removal will saturate the wrapper during assembly, causing the jiaozi to become waterlogged and fragile in the boiling water. Combine the dried cabbage with the minced pork, ginger, scallion, soy sauce, sesame oil, and Shaoxing wine. For the chive filling, Chinese yellow chives require no salting or drying; combine directly with the pork and seasonings. The finished filling should hold together and feel cohesive, not wet.
3. 3
   Roll the rested dough into a long rope and cut into pieces of 15–20 g each. Roll each piece into a round of approximately 8 cm diameter. The round should be thin at the edges and very slightly thicker at the centre to accommodate the pleat structure without tearing.
4. 4
   Place 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of filling at the centre of each round. Fold the wrapper in half over the filling. Pleat the top edge towards the bottom edge, forming 5–7 pleats on each side, to produce a crescent shape with a thick, sealed pleated border. The sealed edge should show no gaps or thin patches when held to the light.
5. 5
   Bring a large pot of water to a full, rolling boil. Add jiaozi in batches, without crowding. When the water returns to the boil, add 120 ml cold water. Repeat this addition of cold water three times in total. The jiaozi are done when they float and the skins are translucent, slightly swollen, and exhibit a firm, chewy resistance when pressed gently with a spoon — not doughy or gummy at the pinched border.
6. 6
   Remove jiaozi with a slotted spoon and serve immediately alongside Chinkiang vinegar, light soy sauce, and chilli oil for dipping. The skin should retain its bite and not collapse or tear under the weight of the dumpling.