Homemade Jiaozi and The Works

        

The sesame seeds are present only because I used my own homemade sesame oil! I actually really love this sauce!

Be sure to dust cornstarch in between!

  

 I made scallion pancakes the other night and of course by the time I wanted to take any pictures of them they magically disappeared in front of my very eyes. So the next day I decided to make them again, I even doubled the recipe and then I realized that I had run out of sesame oil…great. Then I scoured through the spice rack for sesame seeds and alas I found them! I pursued on making my own sesame oil by toasting the seeds, grinding them and mixing it in vegetable oil…and so I had homemade toasted sesame oil! And then I remembered that I had picked up ground pork for dumplings…and so I made some dumps instead.

This dough recipe is easy and makes a damn good scallion pancake…and theeee most perfect dumpling skin too! It is a bit tedious to make the dumpling skins…I think I spent about 3 hours from start to finish, perfect recipe for a no schedule kind of day. I bet your popo would be proud!

You cant use a regular rolling pin for this as it is far too hard to maneuver. I found a vintage ice pick from our collection of knives drawer and it worked like a charm! I know that specialty kitchen stores sell plain wooden rolling pins without handles and such. Oh and in total I made 74 dumplings which go FAST!!

Jiaozi- Dumplings and Homemade Skins with Dipping Sauce

Jiaozi skins

4 C flour

2 C boiling water

2 t salt

*cornstarch for keeping them separated

Jiaozi filling

2 lbs ground pork

¼ C soy sauce

¼ fish sauce

1 T sugar

1 t pepper

2 T sesame oil

1 thumb ginger (grated fine)

3 cloves garlic (grated fine)

½ C scallions

¼  C water

Jiaozi Dipping Sauce

1 T sesame oil

¼ C ponzu

¼ soy sauce

¼ C water

1 t sugar

handful of chopped scallion

1 thumb minced ginger

Place flour and salt in a bowl and create a well in the middle. Bring 2 cups of water to a rolling boil and pour it into the well (about 1 ¾ cups worth first) bring it together carefully with a fork and work it into a dough. If its too dry add the rest of the water. Once you have formed it into a loose dough roll it out onto a floured workspace and knead it till it forms into a smooth ball. Add more flour if necessary. Place it back into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

Make the filling by mixing all ingredients together. I always have a small saucepan with boiling water to cook my filling to taste. If its not salty enough add more soy sauce. I love the taste of ginger in my dumpling filling so add more if you desire! Once you have tasted for seasoning cover with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge while you make the skins.

Once your dough has rested, divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Take one portion and roll it out into a floured work surface. One quarter yields about 15-17 balls. Flatten one of your balls with the heel of your palm then roll it once with your pin then turn it 180 degrees and roll it again. I found it was easiest to roll them out on the edge of a straight edged table. Hold the dough with your left hands fingertips and while turning them around, roll them with the pin evenly. Slowly you’ll see a flatter larger circle form. Practice makes perfect folks… dust cornstarch between each layer to ensure that the skins don’t stick

Prepare a sheet pan covered with parchment for your dumplings. Once the skins are made start filling them! Fill your skins with about a tablespoon of filling each and pleat them till they are sealed. Repeat with the rest of the skins. If you have any filling left save it for soup or a snack! Dust your dumplings with cornstarch so they don’t stick and freeze them for at least 4-8 hours. Once they’re frozen place them in Ziploc bags.

To cook them up place a large saute pan on high, add a splash of oil and place your dumplings flat side down. Cram them up as you like. Once they are sizzling and a cap full of white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar ( or any kind of light colored vinegar you have in hand ) around the perimeter of the pan and pour in about 1/3 cup of water and cover and cook over medium low heat till the water evaporates (3-5 minutes) Add more water if they aren't cooked all the way yet. To achieve a crisp and browned bottom just make sure that all the water has evaporated.

To make the dipping sauce

Combine all the ingredients together and taste for seasoning. I love the citrusy ponzu punch. So add accordingly. If its too salty add more water.