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The traditional meal for New Year's
in China almost always includes stuffed dumplings or jiaozi, which
can include minced pork, shrimp or chopped vegetables.
Making the dumplings is part of the fun of
the occasion, and starts with preparing the dough, which is then rolled
out into small parcels.
The parcels are stuffed with a mixture of minced pork or other meat,
finely chopped vegetables, oil, salt, water and soya sauce.
The dumplings are sealed then boiled for a few minutes and eaten with
vinegar, hot chilli oil or Soya sauce.
If you are very fond of them, you can make a meal of several dozen
of the little parcels, or combine them with a few other Chinese dishes.
The Chinese consider them to be good luck and often eat them at other
times of the year as well.
Making the dough may sound easy, but preparing a good one is very
tricky.
You need just the right consistency so it rolls easily, isn't too
sticky or too dry and doesn't break up either while stuffing the dumplings
or boiling them. Practice makes perfect.
Traditional
dumplings by Eric Simpson
Eric Simpson used to live in Beitaipingzhuang, China.
Below he provides us with
a traditional Chinese New Year recipe.
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Dough ingredients:
6oz/350g plain flour (not self-raising)
8oz/300ml lukewarm water
Stuffing ingredients:
8 oz minced pork or chicken
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 cups finely chopped celery, spinach, green bean or other vegetable
some salt to taste
1 tbsp cooking oil
some chopped spring onion (optional)
some water (a few spoonfuls) to make mixture moist
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| Dough mixture |
Method:
Put flour in a bowl, add the water gradually and mix. Try to
make the consistency soft and supple, but not too gooey or wet.
Cover with a wet tea towel and leave for 30 minutes.
Turn the dough onto a flat, dry surface that is sprinkled with
flour. Knead well. Form the dough into the shape of a long snake,
and cut into 2.5 cm/ 1 inch pieces. Roll each piece into a small
circle with a small rolling pin.
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, and leave
for a few minutes. Stuff the dumpling wrappers or parcels with
a bit of the mixture, not too much!
Put the stuffing in the middle and press
the sides together, joining along the top. Try to make neat,
triangular parcels, but the shape isn't too important as long
as they stick together during boiling.
Cook in boiling water for about six minutes.
You can put them in boiling water and add a cup of cold water,
then let them come back to the boil and repeat two more times,
and they will be ready to eat.
Serve in a bowl with various toppings, such
as chili oil, sesame oil, soya sauce or hot bean sauce.
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Laughing
dumplings by Mary Mak
Mrs Mak helps out at the East of England Chinese School.
These recipes have been passed down, from one generation to
the next.
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Ingredients:
6oz Plain flour
2 tsp Baking powder
3oz Caster Sugar
1 tbsp Lard
6 tbsp Cold water
1 cup white sesame
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| Laughing dumplings |
Method:
1. Sieve plain flour and baking powder together, add sugar
and lard, mix in sufficient cold water to form a soft dough,
set aside for half an hour before use.
2. Roll and divide the dough into 24 small pieces, roll each
piece of dough to a ball shape, damp with water, coat evenly
with white sesame, shape well.
3. Heat oil until hot, turn off the heat, slide in doughnuts,
return to heat when doughnuts start to float, deep-fry over
medium heat until the doughnuts burst and turn to golden brown
in colour, drain, cool and store. |
New
Year puddings by Mary Mak
Mrs Mak helps out at the East of England Chinese School.
These recipes have been passed down, from one generation to
the next.
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Ingredients:
28oz Glutinous rice flour
16oz Wheat starch
3lb Brown sugar
6 cups water
3tbsp Lard
1tsp Borax
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| New Year pudding |
Method:
1. Sift glutinous rice flour and wheat starch
into a mixing bowl.
2. Boil six cups og water with brown sugar. When sugar has dissolved,
add lard and borax.
3. Using a sieve, pour a liquid into flour. Stir while adding
in liquid.
4. Pour fluid mixture into a greased tin through a sieve again.
5. Steam the pudding over high heat for two hours. Leave to
cool and serve. |
Crispy
dumplings by Mary Mak
Mrs Mak helps out at the East of England Chinese School.
These recipes have been passed down, from one generation to
the next.
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Dough
ingredients:
8oz Plain flour
1oz Diced lard
1oz Oil
2oz Caster Sugar
3oz Beaten Egg |
Filling
ingredients:
2oz Fried white sesame
2oz Crushed roasted peanuts
3oz Caster Sugar |
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| Crispy dumplings |
Method:
1. Sieve 6oz of the plain flour,
rub in the lard, add sugar, bind with oil and beaten egg,
mix well. Gradually add in the remaining flour, slightly knead
to form a soft dough.
2. Mix ingredients for the filling.
Set aside.
3. Sprinkle some flour on the table.
Roll the pastry to about ¼ cm thick. Cut into small
rounds with a glass or plain cutter.
4. Wrap in sufficient filling on each
piece of pastry, half-fold, press rim to seal dumplings, pinch
to form patterns on curve side. Deep-fry the dumplings till
crispy and golden brown in colour. Drain, cool and store.
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