Pork and Napa Cabbage Water Dumplings

Name: Pork and Napa Cabbage Water Dumplings
Yield: makes 32 dumplings, serving 4 as a main course, 6 to 8 as a snack or starter
Ingredients: 2 cups lightly packed finely chopped napa cabbage, cut from whole leaves (about 7 ounces); 1/2 teaspoon plus scant 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger; 1/4 cup chopped Chinese chives or scallions (white and green parts); 2/3 pound ground pork, fattier kind preferred, coarsely chopped to loosen; 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper; 1/4 cup Chicken Stock (page 222) or water; 1 1/2 tablespoons light (regular) soy sauce; 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry; 1 tablespoon canola oil; 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil; 1 pound Basic Dumpling Dough (page 22); 2/3 cup Tangy Soy Dipping Sauce (page 215)

December 9, 2011

Bursting with flavor, these northern Chinese dumplings are a specialty of Beijing. Dating as far back as the late Han Dynasty (25 to 220 c.e.), plump boiled morsels such as these are members of the jiaozi family of dumplings, which include pan fried guōtiē (page 33) and steamed zhēngjiao (page 35). Jiaozi are not just for a modest snack or meal, they are a must-have for northern Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations. Their shape resembles gold ingots, harbingers of good fortune. Easy to make for a crowd, shuıjiao (which means “water dumpling”) are especially good hot from the pot and tumbled in a soy-vinegar dipping sauce piked with chile oil. Pork and napa cabbage comprise the classic jiaozi filling, but you can use one of the lamb, beef, vegetable, or fish fillings on the following pages. Or substitute chopped shrimp or reconstituted dried shiitake mushrooms for half of the pork.

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