Jiao zi from China

Chinese dumplings are also known as jiao zi (pronounced jowdzer). They consist of a ground meat or vegetable filling wrapped in a thin layer of pastry that is folded in pleats on the one side. Jiao zi can be steamed, boiled or fried and is best served with a dipping sauce of soy, vinegar, garlic and ginger. It is believed that jiao zi were first invented by a famous Chinese Medicine Man called Zhang Zhongjing. Although the preparation takes some time, jiao zi are very easy to make and can be frozen.

Dough for making Chinese dumplings

You'll need a rolling pin and board

Use a drinking glass to cut out your circle shapes

Pork mince filling

Half-moon shaped jiao zi

A tray of jiao zi or Chinese dumplings ready for cooking or to be packed for freezing

Delicious homemade Chinese dumplings

Boiled jiao zi

Steamed dumplings and dipping sauce

4 cups flour
1 1/4 cups warm water
500g pork mince
2 onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 large cabbage leaves, finely diced
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
pinch salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, finely chopped

Put the flour into a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.

Pour the water in a little at a time, and knead the dough until smooth and it no longer sticks to your hands.

Let the dough rest while you prepare the filling.

Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a separate bowl to make the filling.

Knead the dough on a floured surface. Break off pieces the size of a handful and roll out thinly on the floured surface.

Use the open edge of a drinking glass to cut circle shapes out of your thinly rolled dough. Place these on a plate ready to be filled.

Repeat this step until you have used up all the dough. You should get roughly 60 dough circles.

Place a small spoonful of the filling in the centre of the dough circle.

Fold the two sides of the circle over the centre to creat a half-moon shape. Press down the edge and then pleat the edge to seal the filling in.

For steaming, line a steamer with cabbage leaves to prevent sticking, and place jiao zi on the cabbage leaves. Steam for about 6 minutes until cooked.

For boiling, add jiao zi to a pot of boiling water and let them boil for about 5 minutes or until they float to the surface. I like to add two stock cubes to the boiling water for extra flavour.

For frying fry the jiao zi in medium hot oil for 2-3 minutes until golden brown on the bottom. The add half a cup of water and cover the frying pan, letting the jiao zi steam for another 3 minutes. This creates a delicious blend of textures, with the bottom half crispy and the top half soft.

The pork mince can be replaced by any kind of minced meat, shrimp or finely diced vegetables like spinach.

To make a dipping sauce, mix together some soy sauce, vinegar and add in a half a teaspoon of finely chopped ginger and a half a teaspoon of finely chopped garlic. Add in a small pinch of chili powder if you like it to have a bite.

Cindy Vine is a South African currently living in Kyiv Ukraine.  She lived in China for 3 years and learnt how to make jiao zi while living there.  Cindy is the author of Hush Baby, Not Telling, Defective, The Case of Billy B and C U @ 8.  All her books are available on Amazon in both print and Kindle format.  Http://cindyvine.com