Northern Chinese pork-and-cabbage jiaozi

Method

1. 01

   Make and rest the dough

   Mix 400 g all-purpose flour, 2 g dough salt, and 210 ml warm water into a shaggy dough. Knead for 8 minutes until smooth, cover, and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

   

2. 02

   Dry the cabbage and mix the filling

   Salt 300 g finely chopped napa cabbage with the 5 g filling salt for 10 minutes, then squeeze out all visible water. Mix it with 400 g ground pork, 40 g scallion, 15 g ginger, 30 ml soy sauce, 15 ml Shaoxing wine, 10 ml sesame oil, and 1 g white pepper until sticky.

   

3. 03

   Cut and roll 48 wrappers

   Roll the dough into a 3 cm rope and cut 48 equal pieces. Roll each piece into an 8 cm round with a slightly thicker centre, and keep every piece covered so it does not dry.

   

4. 04

   Fill and seal

   Place exactly 15 g filling in each wrapper, pleat and seal firmly with no trapped air. Arrange all 48 dumplings on a lightly floured tray without touching.

   

5. 05

   Boil in three 16-piece batches

   For boiled jiaozi, bring 3 L water to a rolling boil over high heat. Cook all 48 in exactly three batches of 16 for 6–8 minutes each. They should float, the wrappers turn slightly translucent, and the centres reach 74°C.

   

6. 06

   Lift and serve boiled jiaozi

   Lift the boiled jiaozi with a slotted spoon as soon as they meet the float, translucency, and 74°C checks. Serve with 45 ml black rice vinegar and 15 ml chili oil on the side.

   

7. 07

   Optional pan-fry batch

   For an optional 12-dumpling pan-fry batch, heat 15 ml neutral oil over medium-high heat and brown for 2 minutes. Use a separate 60 ml water measure for that same 12-dumpling batch.

   

8. 08

   Steam-fry and crisp

   For each optional pan-fry batch, add its 60 ml water, cover for 5 minutes, then uncover for 1 minute. Stop only when the water has evaporated, the bottoms are crisp, and the pork filling reaches 74°C; the boiled method remains the default.