Pork and Leek Jiaozi (Chinese Dumplings)
Jiaozi are a staple for Lunar New Year. They’re traditionally filled with pork, napa cabbage, and other greens like shepherd’s purse or bok choy. Leeks give our version a little PNW spin. This is a great recipe to scale up and freeze for easy dinners down the road. We usually boil ours, but steaming and pan-frying are great, too.
Makes 60-65 dumplings
INGREDIENTS
For the filling
1 pound ground pork
1 medium-sized napa cabbage (about 2 pounds)
2 medium-sized leeks (about 1 pound)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons shaoxing wine
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon ginger, finely grated
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
For the wrappers
2 packages dumpling wrappers (3 ¼ inches in diameter), or homemade
To serve
Soy sauce
Black vinegar
Chili crisp, store-bought or homemade
Scallions
Toasted sesame seeds
METHOD
Thaw the wrappers (if they’re frozen). If you’re feeling ambitious, try our recipe for homemade wrappers. Making the wrappers is my favorite part! But there’s no shame in buying them (most restaurants do, too).
Blanch the cabbage. Fill a large pot with enough water to submerge the vegetables comfortably (4-6 quarts). Salt the water generously (1 tablespoon per quart). Bring to the boil. Meanwhile, remove the outer leaves from the cabbage. Halve and core it, then separate the leaves. Prepare an ice bath. Blanch for 1 minute, then transfer to the ice bath. Once cool, drain in a colander. Keep the blanching water rolling for the leeks.
Blanch the leeks. Trim any nasty bits, then split the leeks lengthwise, leaving the root end intact (so they don’t fall apart). Rinse the leeks thoroughly, getting in between the layers. Blanch for 3 minutes, then transfer to the ice bath. Once cool, drain in a colander.
Ring out the vegetables. Squeeze as much water out of the leeks and cabbage as you can. Use those Popeye forearms (see note). Then chop them as finely as you can (nobody wants stringy dumplings).
Finish the filling. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pork and veggies. Whisk together the eggs, shaoxing wine, sesame oil, ginger, salt, and white pepper. Mix everything together thoroughly and vigorously (about 5 minutes) to create a tacky, paste-like texture (see note).
Form the dumplings. Set up an assembly line. You’ll need a parchment-lined sheet pan and a little bowl of water. Use your finger to dampen the edge of the wrapper and place 1 scant tablespoon of filling in the middle. Don’t overfill! Pinch both sides of the wrapper together at the middle point, then pleat (folding one flap over on itself) 2 or 3 times on each side of the middle point.
To serve. Bring a pot of water to the boil. Add the dumplings and boil until they float (about 6 minutes for fresh, 8 minutes for frozen). Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together equal parts black vinegar, soy sauce, and chili crisp. Arrange the dumplings in a shallow bowl, sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds, and serve with the dipping sauce on the side.
To freeze. Line a sheet pan with parchment (or a silicon baking mat). Arrange the dumplings so they’re not touching and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag. They keep for a few months in the freezer. Boil directly from frozen.
Note: Alternatively, you can use gravity to remove excess water. Sandwich the greens between clean kitchen towels and place them on a roasting rack over a sheet pan. You can even place weights on top to press the greens further. Leave in the fridge overnight.
Note: Usually, we try not to overmix ground meats - they get sticky and lose their chew. In this case, however, we want a smooth mixture that’s tightly bound. So mix, mix, mix.
FURTHER READING
