How To Wrap a Jiao Zi (餃子) Traditional Chinese

[stevenyuan]

Edited May 21, 2014 by Mjx
Watermarked video replaces original. (log)

[liuzhou]

Those aren't wontons.

 

The video title and the Vietnamese introduction are both wrong.

 

They are 餃子 (jiǎo zi).

Edited May 16, 2014 by liuzhou (log)

[huiray]

To me, none of those dumplings shown in the video are wontons.  They are more properly "dumplings" of the jiaozi type a.k.a. pot-stickers (if fried) a.k.a. "shui kow/gow" (水餃); Yale: seui2 gaau2) in Cantonese.  For starters there is more filling used than is traditional for wontons, the wrapper used is the thick round type normally used for, yes, "shui gow" and "jiaozi", and the filling looks like the sort of mixture more associated with "shui gow'jiaozi".  Here's one useful discussion.  Here's the Google translation of the Chinese wiki article on "餛飩".

 

I note the "author" of the Youtube video is Vietnamese and it seems to me that his/her video is not quite properly titled.

 

"Wontons" in my understanding tend to be more associated with the southern parts of China.  Even the name "wonton" is transliterated from Cantonese.  Cantonese-style wontons would usually be designated as "雲吞", which means "cloud swallow" and which is pronounced exactly the same (Yale: wan4 tan1) as "餛飩".  The wiki article on wonton isn't a bad one.  In Hong Kong and other Cantonese-dominant areas the most valued wontons would be ones with prawns only, or at least with prawns as the dominant part of the filling.

[huiray]

...andddd I see that the title of the video on Youtube has been sneakily changed from "How to wrap a wonton" to "How to wrap a Jiao Zi" after the fact and without any notes on the change.

 

:-)

[liuzhou]

 

...andddd I see that the title of the video on Youtube has been sneakily changed from "How to wrap a wonton" to "How to wrap a Jiao Zi" after the fact and without any notes on the change.

 

I don't see anything sneaky. The OP has probably taken note of the comments given here, realised his error and sensibly changed the title. Isn't this what we are here for, after all? To learn.

Edited May 18, 2014 by liuzhou (log)

[dcarch]

I don't see anything sneaky. The OP has probably taken note of the comments given here, realised his error and sensibly changed the title. Isn't this what we are here for, after all? To learn.

 

Well said Liuzhou.

 

Welcome to the forum Steven, and thanks for posting the video.

 

Just curious, are you the author of the video? If so, you have amazing skills.

 

If not, perhaps it's a good idea to say so in your post. I have not read the rules here in this Forum regarding re-posting someone else's material.

 

There is another essentially identical youtube video uploaded by Han meimei,  Published on Dec 20, 2012.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2IegQSfe70

 

dcarch

[huiray]

I don't see anything sneaky. The OP has probably taken note of the comments given here, realised his error and sensibly changed the title. Isn't this what we are here for, after all? To learn.

 

Fair enough.  I will correct my comments to "quietly changed".  :-) 

[huiray]

Well said Liuzhou.

 

Welcome to the forum Steven, and thanks for posting the video.

 

Just curious, are you the author of the video? If so, you have amazing skills.

 

If not, perhaps it's a good idea to say so in your post. I have not read the rules here in this Forum regarding re-posting someone else's material.

 

There is another essentially identical youtube video uploaded by Han meimei,  Published on Dec 20, 2012.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2IegQSfe70

 

dcarch

 

They appear identical in both content and  music track, except that the video appears to have been reprocessed to cut off the bottom part of each frame (seen by comparing them at suitable moments and looking at the extent shown of the fingers of the person folding the dumplings) to eliminate the copyright/watermark in the video you linked to.  The watermark contains the url for a foodblog.

[RuanYouJie]

What is the difference between the 饺子, 水饺, 云吞  and How many main types of them?

Thank you so much!

[liuzhou]

Quote

What is the difference between the 饺子, 水饺, 云吞 and How many main types of them? Thank you so much!

 

 

Briefly:

 

饺子 jiaozi is a generic term covering all dumplings made with this relatively thick skin. They are most often made in the classic crescent moon shape.

 

The stuffing can vary enormously. Most common is probably minced (ground) pork with cabbage or other green vegetable. Shrimp, chicken, beef, lamb etc can all be used as can mushrooms and other vegetables.

 

I have seen them with all kinds of fillings both sweet and savoury, although the latter are much more common. About twenty years ago, I ate in a Beijing jiaozi place which had over 200 varieties on offer. My favourite local jiaozi place has about twenty. 

 

水饺 shuijiao are simple boiled jiaozi (as opposed to fried). They may be served on their own with various dips, or in soups.

 

水饺- Boiled Jiaozi

 

 

馄炖, 云吞, 抄手 are alternative names for 'wontons' which are generally smaller than jiaozi, use thinner skin and are usually wrapped more like traditional money bags.or like a hobo's knapsack. The stuffing is usually simpler and much less in volume. There are, however exceptions and there are many regional variations.

 

In mainland China, they are nearly always served in soup, sometimes with noodles.

 

Commercially made frozen wontons - 馄炖

Edited February 5, 2017 by liuzhou (log)

[dcarch]

What LiuZhou said.

 

Also, 水饺 can be boiled in plain water or sometimes steamed, but wontons must be served in very good soup (stock). 

 

dcarch

[Ader1]

If you look at the following link, this lady who started the Chop-chop.co.uk restaurant in Scotland says she bought a 'dumpling machine' from China.  I've seen some on the web which are monsters designed for factory production.  Any idea what she's talking about?

 

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/57a081ac#/57a081ac/66

 

I did send her a message but I didn't get a reply...... :-(

[liuzhou]

It sounds to me like she has acquired some sort of industrial machine for mass production of jiaozi for freezing.

 

Although frozen jiaozi are available in every supermarket in China, most people prefer to make them by hand. At festivals it is a real community activity with the whole extended family taking part, making and rolling the skins, preparing the stuffing then assembling the things by the dozen and preparing dips. 

 

This lot, and many more, were prepared for a birthday party. About 20 people mucked in.

 

 

 

 

 

My local jiaozi restaurant, as mentioned above, has a small army of people who literally make thousands every day, by hand. The place is packed out every lunch and dinner time; but I'm sure people wouldn't go if they started using machines.

Edited May 21, 2014 by liuzhou (log)

[Ader1]

But you know liuzhou, Europe is not China.  There isn't a plentiful supply of cheap labour or the lady I posted abour above would have made use of it.  She had to buy some kind of machine.  I have seen one machine but is manually powered but I'm not sure how good it is.  When I get a chance I'll post a link.

[liuzhou]

 

If you look at the following link, this lady who started the Chop-chop.co.uk restaurant in Scotland says she bought a 'dumpling machine' from China.

 

I'll be fascinated to see what this 'jiaozi machine' does. I have been unable to open the link supplied.

 

There are many such machines illustrated by Mr. Google here, They range from the industrial sized which seem to be aimed at factories selling frozen jiaozi to supermarkets, through to the plastic, hand-cranked thing which would seem to be more trouble than it is worth to produce a few jiaozi at home.

 

But you know liuzhou, Europe is not China. There isn't a plentiful supply of cheap labour or the lady I posted abour above would have made use of it.

 

Your point about cheap labour is perfectly valid (although labour costs are rising rapidly in China), but at the same time, the restaurateurs here aren't stupid. If they thought they could produce what they are producing more quickly and at a lower cost they would do so. Their loyalty to jiazo making staff is no hold.

They know the customers would desert the place in droves. There is nothing more suspicious and less appealing than a plate of identical, perfect jiaozi. They are supermarket fodder. People go to the restaurants for high quality, hand-made jiaozi. The restaurateurs know that. 

 

EDIT: Finally managed to open the supplied link. She explicitly states that she bought the machine to make jiaozi to sell frozen to supermarkets, as I suspected. She might get away with selling supermarket jiaozi in a Scottish restaurant - but I doubt for long. She certainly wouldn't many other places.

Edited May 24, 2014 by liuzhou (log)

[dcarch]

Here in NY, not only the jiaozi are machine made by some restaurants, there are companies who only made the various kind of fillings to supply to restaurants.

 

dcarch

[liuzhou]

Quote

 

 

Here in NY, not only the jiaozi are machine made by some restaurants, there are companies who only made the various kind of fillings to supply to restaurants.

 

And NY is a well known centre of jiaozi excellence, isn't it?

 

Well, possibly not.

 

McD's hamburgers are made and cooked  in huge factories miles away from where you eat them. The local restaurant just heats them up. It proves nothing. 

 

But all of this this is utterly irrelevant to the the OP's question. He or she wanted to know how to wrap a jiaozi, or maybe not. Now that the video has been yet changed again, I'm no longer sure what the point of the thread is.

Edited June 3, 2020 by liuzhou (log)

[Ader1]

liuzhou,

 

In that pic you posted of all those hand-made jiaozi there is a dipping sauce.  Do you know what's in it or how to make it?

[liuzhou]

liuzhou,

 

In that pic you posted of all those hand-made jiaozi there is a dipping sauce.  Do you know what's in it or how to make it?

 

It's a mixture of light soy sauce and black vinegar with chopped Chinese chives. Coriander leaf  / cilantro is also sometimes added. In most places, the customer mixes it themselves to taste.

[Ader1]

It's a mixture of light soy sauce and black vinegar with chopped Chinese chives. Coriander leaf  / cilantro is also sometimes added. In most places, the customer mixes it themselves to taste.

 No chilli oil?

 

I had this once when eating jiaozi and it was divine.  I've tried to re-create it at home but not quite there yet.

[liuzhou]

No chilli oil?

 

 

 

 

Not on this occasion, but chilli flakes are often added rather than chilli oil. At least round here.

Edited December 11, 2014 by liuzhou (log)