How Do You?

 

Some have questions of how do you cook Chinese dishes. I am left wondering, exactly what that may be. Is not everything I cook Chinese food since I am the person who cooks it, eats it and am Chinese? Lol Really, I understand their question though. They think they have no skills to prepare their favorite dishes so ask what prepared food from the grocery store is best.

First, Chinese dishes are not difficult to prepare. They are simple fare that only require certain ingredients that are readily available. Even the commissary stocks the necessities, so no special Asian market is necessary.

Second,  most dishes only require a few extra steps depending on how “homemade” you wish your dish to be.  Will you buy premade dumpling wraps, or will you make your own?

It is intimidation by the unknown I think much like when I began to cook American meals. I had no idea how to prepare a roast dinner in the common American fashion so I felt intimidated and had to sincerely resist changing to a Chinese dinner. One will not learn if one does not try.

For those unable to overcome their fear of Chinese cuisine, I recommend these store made jiaozi/gyoza/potstickers in order of preference.

1.     Ling Ling. These stand out to me because they taste good and are larger than most (teenage boy makes it necessary) There is nothing special about them other than size. Available in most grocery stores in America.

2.     Good and Gather. These are more a Korean style made with pork, cabbage, chili paste and salted sake. The flavor is strong and can have some heat to them but they are also like sweet and sour. They make a perfect appetizer. Available in Target.

3.     Wegmans. These seem closest to homemade. It is evident in the flavor of the filling as well as the flavor of the dough. They taste more like what I make. Even mother approves of these.  Check your local Wegmans store.

For the braver souls, here is a good recipe to make your own.

Dough

 Only two basic ingredients are required to make Chinese dumpling dough: Flour and water. Surprisingly simply, right? Making dumpling wrappers from scratch is considered the norm in China. If you’ve never tried homemade wrappers, follow my guide and give it a go. Highly likely you’ll stop buying ready-made ones in the future.

Flour type

All-purpose (plain flour) works very well for dumpling wrappers. It’s possible to use high gluten bread flour, but you might find the cooked wrappers a little too chewy.

Special dumpling flour available in Chinese/Asian shops produces a smoother texture and whiter appearance as it’s heavily processed and bleached but are not required.

Flour-water ratio

Chinese dumping dough needs to be soft enough to be easily rolled out into thin discs but not so soft that it sticks. The flour-water ratio is about 2:1 by weight (not by volume), e.g. for 250g all-purpose flour, you’ll need 125g-130g water.

pouring water into flour

 I recommend you weigh the ingredient with a scale if possible as it’s the most accurate. If using a cup to measure, 2 cups of all-purpose flour requires ½ cup+2 teaspoon of water. It’s important that you sift the flour before adding it to the cup, then level it properly.

 Please also be aware that the water absorption capacity of flour of different brands may vary. The humidity in the room also affects the ratio slightly. So minor adjustment might be necessary.

Knead & rest

You can make dumpling dough either by hand or in a stand mixer with a dough hook.

     By hand: Combine flour and water to form a rough-looking dough. Rest for 10 min then knead it into a smooth, medium-firm dough. Then leave to rest for a further 30-60 minutes until it becomes soft.

    With a stand mixer: Mix and knead the dough on low speed for about 8 minutes until a smooth dough forms. Leave to rest for 30-60 minutes until soft. To confirm the readiness of the dough, Chinese cooks would say, “it should be as soft as an earlobe.”

 For novice dumpling makers, I think it’s better to make the dough by hand for the first time. This allows you to check the readiness of the dough and to adjust the flour or water if necessary.

Roll wrappers

    Once the dough is well rested, make it into a loop or a few ropes then cut into equal, small pieces.

    Flatten each piece into a round disc with the palm of your hand then roll them into thin wrappers with a rolling pin.

I use a “roll & turn” technique which works efficiently and produces wrappers that are thinner on the edge but slightly thicker in the middles. Perfect for dumpling folding.

Filling

Four bowls of different dumpling fillings and some dumplings in different shape.

Once you understand a few basic principles, it’s very easy to come up with a delicious dumpling filling by mixing and matching your favorite ingredients. Here is a summary of what a good filling should be like:

A nice balance of the ingredients

This means a good mix of protein and vegetables. Together with the carbohydrate from the wrappers, dumplings create a nutritiously balanced all-in-one meal.

The protein can be any type of meat (pork, beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, fish, seafood), eggs and soy-based ingredients like tofu.

Ingredients for making dumpling fillings

A great combination of flavors

Apart from the natural flavors of the main ingredients, condiments and aromatics are added to the filling.

The common seasonings include soy sauce, oyster sauce, ground Sichuan pepper, Chinese five-spice powder, white pepper, sesame oil, salt, sugar, etc. Finely chopped scallions and minced ginger also add great flavor.

The filling must have a moist texture but not overly wet.

For meat-based fillings, you can achieve the goal by using meat with high-fat content, adding a little oil or incorporating water/stock into the meat.

For vegetarian dumplings or vegan dumplings, the problem often goes the other way. You can apply this method to fix a “wet” filling:

    Squeeze out excess water after chopping the vegetables;

    Add an ingredient that’s good at absorbing moisture, such as mung bean vermicelli, scrambled eggs, etc.

Pleating

The traditional Chinese dumplings are half-moon shaped. It is quite simple to accomplish.

    Place a spoonful of filling in the middle of a wrapper.

    Fold the wrapper and pinch the top of the rim to seal.

    Make 2-4 pleats from each end. Then press all around the edge to completely seal.

 No matter which cooking method you prefer, I suggest you follow a few rules for the best outcome:

·        If you are going to boil the dumplings, make sure they’re well sealed to avoid broken skin and leaking filling.

·        Don’t overly flour homemade wrappers. While rolling out the wrappers, you might need to dust the dough with flour to avoid sticking. However, if you sprinkle excess flour, you would find it difficult to seal.

·        Choose the pattern that suits a particular cooking method. If pan-frying or steaming, the shape of the dumplings will remain more or less the same after cooking so you may wish to try out some fancy patterns. Whereas if boiling, choose a simple look as it’s less likely that the dumplings will retain a perfect look after cooking.

 Boiling

Although not very popular in restaurants in the West, boiled dumplings are in fact the most popular form in Chinese households. It’s my favorite since childhood as I love the soft yet slightly chewy texture and its non-greasy taste.

     Use a large pot with plenty of water. To decide how many to cook at once, here is my trick: if the dumplings are placed in a single layer, they shouldn’t be much bigger than the surface of the water.

    Don’t slide in dumplings until the water is fully boiling. Remain high heat.

    How to know they’re cooked? Use the traditional Dian Shui (点水) method: Once the water comes back to a full boil, add a little cold water to calm it down. Repeat the procedure another two times (Remember to cover the pot with a lid each time after you add water). Then your dumplings will be fully cooked!

    Drain and rinse the dumplings under cold water briefly. This is to remove excess starch and minimize the possibility of sticking (skip this procedure if you are going to serve the dumplings in a soup dish.

Pan-frying

Pan-fried dumplings stand out for their golden, crispy base. It’s very simple to cook following the “fry-steam-fry” procedure.

    Firstly, heat a little oil over high heat then add the dumplings. Gently move the pan back and forth to ensure each dumpling is in touch with the oil.

    Once the base of the dumplings becomes golden, pour in cold water (enough to cover ⅓ of the dumplings). Quickly cover with a lid. Leave to steam over high heat.

    When the water evaporates completely, cook for another 30-60 seconds to crisp up (be careful not to burn though).

Steaming

Steaming is the easiest of all three methods as it requires minimum attention and effort. In Cantonese style dim sum restaurants, steamed dumplings are one the most popular dishes. Here are a few tips for this method.

     To prevent the dumplings from sticking to steamer baskets, I like laying a piece of thinly sliced carrot under each dumpling. You may also use parchment paper or brush a thin layer of oil if using metal/plastic steamers.

    Bring water to a full boil in a pot/wok, then place in the steamer baskets. Please feel free to stack up 2-3 baskets and cook all at once.

    Count for 10 minutes from this moment on then they’ll be ready to be tucked in.

 Serving

While waiting for the dumplings to cook, you may prepare a sauce you wish to serve them with. Alternatively, simply mix Chinese black rice vinegar and a dash of chili oil.

It’s not at all compulsory to have a sauce at the side. I sometimes like eating dumplings plain to fully enjoy the flavor of the filling. You might like this way too.

Jiao zi is a simple food. It only requires some extra steps. The only time I do not think of making them is when mother is here. It is then I let her do the cooking.