Jiao zi

Summary

Yield	12 Servings
Source	Chinese recipes
Prep time	1 1⁄2 hours
Recipes	Snack Lunch Side dish Light meal Moderate Deep fry China Boil Asia

Description

Jiao Zi (or Gow Gee, in the Mandarin dialect) is a concoction made of dough stuffed with meat and/or vegetables. It is often served as part of dim sum. Proper preparation takes a bit of time and effort. But the results, when done correctly, are well worth it. Discover how to make jiao zi.

Ingredients

4	Cup	flour (white or all purpose)
1	Cup	water (you may need to add up to 1/2 cup more, depending on the flour used)
2	Teaspoon	salt (1 tsp for the dough, 1 tsp for the filling)
1	Pound	meat (lean and ground)
1	Tablespoon	soy sauce
1	Teaspoon	rice wine
1	Teaspoon	sesame oil
1	Teaspoon	black pepper
1	Teaspoon	white pepper

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients, then stir. Don't overdo it in order to avoid making the meat mushy.
Bring out the chilled dough and separate a piece into two parts. Flatten each section until they're about 1/8 inch thick. Layer the meat mixture onto one then cover with the other. Crimp the edges until the result looks something like a white fortune cookie crumpled around the rim. Repeat until you've used up all the dough and meat.

The raw dumpling can be boiled or fried, as desired.

To boil, use a pot large enough to cover the dumplings with a couple of inches of water. Bring the water to a boil, then layer the Jiao Zi along the bottom of the pot. Stir gently to prevent them sticking together. Continue heating until the mixture boils again. Add a cup of cold water and allow to come to a boil again, then remove from heat.
To fry, simply line a wok with a layer of sesame oil and bring to a high heat. Then toss in the dumplings. Remember that woks cook very quickly. You'll need to keep the dumplings moving in order to get them evenly cooked on both sides. It's particularly important to ensure that the meat inside is well done.
Serve.

Notes

The results are often dipped into a sauce of equal amounts of black vinegar and soy.

You'll want to acquire the correct type of Chinese flour, whether you use rice flour or wheat flour. Ordinary Western-style wheat flour has a very different consistency when prepared.
Chill the water to just above freezing and dissolve the salt into 2 cups of it. Blend thoroughly and add the extra 1/2 cup only if the dough isn't completely wetted. Knead well and ensure that the result is firm. If needed, sprinkle in a bit more flour. Then chill the dough.

If you don't have it, substitute rice wine with dry sherry or brandy.

Ingredients, metric
*Wrap*
500 g		white flour
250 to 375 ml		water
5 g		salt
*Filling*
500 g		lean minced meat
15 ml		soy sauce
5 ml		rice wine
5 ml		sesame oil
5 g		salt
5 g		black pepper
5 g		white pepper