Chinese Pork Dumplings (Jiao Zi)
Slightly time intensive but definitely worth the effort. Our sons gobble these up!
Slightly time intensive but definitely worth the effort. Our sons gobble these up!
- 1 egg white
- 1 tbs sesame oil
- 1 tbs cornstarch
- 1/2 cup napa cabbage finely chopped
- 1 tbs salt
- 1 pound lean ground pork
- 3 tbs light soy sauce
- 2 tbs dry sherry (may substitute water)
- 1 tsp freshly ground ginger or ginger (i use gourmet)
- 1/2 tsp white pepper â½ t. optional
- 1 pinch sugar pinch
- 1 tbs green onion
- 1 package round dumpling wrappers (found in asian grocery store)
- note: round dumpling wrappers are available in the
- Carbohydrate 9.41729499927244 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 3.4754375 g
- Fiber 0.349100001275539 g
- Protein 2.28807499998753 g
- Saturated Fat 0.491563 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (165g)
- Sodium 603.198499999439 mg
- Sugar 9.0681949979969 g
- Trans Fat 0.192604500000001 g
- Calories 84 calories
Step-by-step
- Place cabbage in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together salt, pork, soy sauce, sherry, ginger, pepper, sesame oil, sugar, green onion, cornstarch and egg white. (Some Chinese cooks advise stirring the filling only in one direction.) Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while cabbage finishes draining.
- Squeeze excess water from cabbage by hand. Add to pork and mix well.
- To assemble dumplings, pour a little water in a bowl. Hold a dumpling skin in the palm of your hand and spoon over 1 tablespoon of filling in the center. Moisten the edges of the dumpling skin, and fold into a crescent shape. Make sure the dumplings are well sealed or they will lose their filling while they cook!
- Fill a large stockpot about halfway with water, and bring to a rolling boil
- Add the dumplings (you may need to cook in batches.)
- When water boils again, add a little cold water to lower the temperature. Repeat. When dumplings boil, for the third time, they are done. (They will float to the surface and the skins will look translucent.)
- You can also fry the dumplings up with canola oil. We usually boil some dumplings and fry a bunch of other dumplings.
- Serve with Sesame-Soy Dipping Sauce.
- Note: Round dumpling wrappers are available in the refrigerated section of the Chinese market. Use these instead of square wonton wrappers, which have a different thickness and texture.
Skipping the 30-minute salt cure on the napa cabbage remains the single biggest error in dumpling making, resulting in watery filling that bursts the seams during boiling. Salting draws out cellular water through osmosis; failing to squeeze that moisture by hand leaves enough liquid to dissolve the binding action of the cornstarch and egg white. Lean ground pork requires this dry environment because excess water prevents the proteins from forming a cohesive matrix during mixing.
Stirring the meat mixture exclusively in one direction aligns the myosin proteins, creating a sticky, cohesive paste that holds its shape without chemical binders. Cornstarch acts as a secondary texturizer, absorbing released juices during cooking so the interior remains juicy rather than greasy. Dry sherry supplies ethanol and acidity, which tenderize the dense pork protein fibers while introducing volatile compounds that balance the rich sesame oil.
Round wrappers purchased from an Asian market differ fundamentally from square wonton skins by containing a higher gluten-to-water ratio designed to withstand boiling without dissolving. Wonton skins feature added egg and thinner sheeting intended for quick frying or steaming, meaning they will tear prematurely in a rolling boil. Moisten only half the wrapper circumference with water to hydrate the flour proteins, creating a permanent hydrogen bond when pressed.
Temperature control during boiling prevents structural collapse of the outer starch layer. Adding cold water twice during the cooking cycle drops the thermal shock, allowing the thick pork center to reach safe internal temperatures before the delicate skin overcooks. Floating dumplings accompanied by translucent wrappers signal completion, at which point residual starches are fully gelatinized.
