Chinese Garlic Chive Dumplings (Jiu Cai Jiao / 韭菜饺)

Northern China — particularly popular in Beijing and Shandong

Garlic chives (Chinese chives, jiu cai) have a stronger, more pungent flavour than Western chives — garlicky, slightly sweet when cooked, losing the raw sharpness. Jiu cai jiao are a beloved dumpling filling in northern China, typically with egg and sometimes glass noodles or dried shrimp. The chives must be freshly cut and mixed quickly — they release water rapidly and can make the filling too wet.

• Korean buchujeon (garlic chive pancake)
• Japanese nira gyoza (garlic chive dumplings, direct cousin)
• Greek spanakopita (herb-egg filling in pastry)

Fresh, garlicky, slightly sulfurous from the chives; eggy richness from the scrambled egg; sesame oil perfume — a purely vegetable-and-egg dumpling with powerful flavour personality