Jiaozi Recipe: Eat This Easy Chinese Dumplings Recipe While Watching the Beijing Olympic Games Appetizers

If you're watching the Olympics in Beijing and want to experience some of the culture, here's an easy Chinese dumpling recipe to try called jiaozi. Jiaozi are meat and vegetable-filled dumplings that can be eaten boiled, steamed or pan fried. These dumplings are eaten throughout China and other parts of East Asia. Serve this jiaozi recipe with your favorite Asian dipping sauce.

Cuisine: Chinese
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 20 to 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 1/2 hours
Servings: Makes about 60

Ingredients

Dough

• 3 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/4 cups cold water

Filling

• 1 pound ground pork or ground beef
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons minced green onion 
• 1 1/2 cups finely shredded Napa cabbage
• 1/4 cup shredded bamboo shoots
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 - 3 tablespoons oil, for frying (optional)

Here's how to make it: 

1. To make the dough, put the flour and salt into a bowl. Gradually add the cold water just until a smooth dough forms. Put the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Shape into a ball, cover and let it rest for about 30 minutes. 
2. To make the filling, combine the ground meat, soy sauce, wine, sesame oil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix well. Add the green onion, cabbage, bamboo shoots, ginger and garlic. Mix until well combined. 
3. Knead the dough a minute then divide into about 60 small pieces. Roll each piece into a circle (about 3 inches). 
4. Put about 2 teaspoons of the filling into the middle of each piece of dough. Wet the edges and press together to seal. (You can use a fork to make them look more decorative.)
5. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add some of the dumplings (don't crowd the pot), cover and cook until the dumplings are cooked through, about 8 minutes. (Remove one of the dumplings and test it for doneness.) Repeat with remaining dumplings. The dumplings can be served now or pan fried.
6. To pan fry the dumplings, heat about 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet. Fry the dumplings until golden brown. 

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