Dumplings: Tips, Techniques, Recipes

[jo-mel]

I guess I'm the only one who likes jiaozi absolutely plain. I can taste the juices inside the dumpling better.

If I do use a dip, it is Zhen Jiang vinegar, or that bottled dumpling sauce in the squat bottles. The brands are Weichuan and Master.

For potstickers, however, I like Hugh Carpenter's way of putting a sauce in the pan, instead of water, for the steaming portion of the cooking. No diping sauce needed.

[Gary Soup]

I guess I'm the only one who likes jiaozi absolutely plain.  I can taste the juices inside the dumpling better.

If I do use a dip, it is Zhen Jiang vinegar, or that bottled dumpling sauce in the squat bottles.  The brands are Weichuan and Master.

My wife likes to use lean pork loin for mincing and "rou si" (she loves the 3-packs from Costco) so her jiaozi aren't very juicy. (Her "hong shao" pork dishes, on the other hand, are sometimes a cardiologist's nightmare.) We also use the Weichuan Dumpling Sauce on occasion.

Doesn't putting the sauce in the pan for pot stickers gunk up your pan and set off the smoke detector?

[Shiewie]

What do you do for jiaozi sauce?

I like finely shredded young ginger with black vinegar.

[bleudauvergne]

I use coarsely chopped garlic and add enough red vinegar to cover the garlic for the sauce. Maybe trying black vinegar next time would be a good idea. My version of jiaozi sauce probably aren't even close to the traditional kind.

After eating the jiaozi, I like to drink the vinegar and garlic mixture. 

I'm so sorry to hear that you're always drinking vinegar.

Hmm it does taste really good.

My wife likes to use lean pork loin for mincing and "rou si" (she loves the 3-packs from Costco) so her jiaozi aren't very juicy.

I ADD fat if the pork I've got is too lean! Call me crazy but let me tell you, they keep coming back for them. I've added duck fat (it was the only thing I had on hand) and that takes them to a whole new level of juicy deliciousness.

[Gary Soup]

I ADD fat if the pork I've got is too lean!  Call me crazy but let me tell you, they keep coming back for them.  I've added duck fat (it was the only thing I had on hand) and that takes them to a whole new level of juicy deliciousness. 

Maybe not crazy, but then you probably don't have 60 year old arteries, either. I prefer to jealously hoard my fat allowance for full enjoyment of shengjian bao.

I do believe that potstickers should be fatty, but not jiaozi.

[jo-mel]

Doesn't putting the sauce in the pan for pot stickers gunk up your pan and set off the smoke detector?

The sauce uses chicken broth and several flavors. You do have to watch the pan when the liquid cooks down as the sugar in the hoisin can over brown the dumplings. The end result is really good!

Carpenter's original recipe uses a little sugar and a tsp. of hoisin, but I've cut the sugar out and use a heaping tsp. of hoisin. Also, I cut corners and use the dehydrated orange zest you get in the spice bottles.

Here is the sauce I use:

: (Add instead of the cooking water) ½ cup chicken broth, 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce, 1 full tsp. hoisin sauce, ½ tsp. chili paste, 2 Tbsp. sherry, 2 tsp. minced orange peel. (watch carefully at end of cooking. Don’t brown too much.

[bleudauvergne]

Question for those who freeze their jiaozi - can you do guotie with them frozen - or only fresh?

[Yuki]

Question for those who freeze their jiaozi - can you do guotie with them frozen - or only fresh?

I freeze everything since making dumplings is so labour intensive so I make a big batch each time. Is guotie the same as pot stickers?

Of course it won't taste as good as the fresh one, but they are still pretty good. Just make sure to put the dumplings on a cookie tray to freeze then put them into ziplock bags or they will all stick together.

[bleudauvergne]

Is guotie the same as pot stickers?

Yep. I made potstickers from my homemade frozen jiaozi today and they turned out great - don't hesitiate!

[jo-mel]

Is guotie the same as pot stickers?

.

Yes.

Guo = pot / Tie = iron / potsticker.

I wish my characters would transpose!

[Gary Soup]

Question for those who freeze their jiaozi - can you do guotie with them frozen - or only fresh?

Definitely. I think it's easier that way. You get a bigger margin of error --- there's less risk of the tops getting too soggy while the bottoms are browning.

[percyn]

Hi,

I have been visiting this small, hole-in-the-wall, yet delicious Chinese place in New Brunswick, NJ, called Schezwan Ace for the past 10 yrs or so.

Everytime I go there, I order these dumplings, which I have never seen at any other restaurant. Since the wait staff and owner now recognize me, I call it "dumplings in hot oil" and they know what I mean (actually they know what I am going to order without even asking). I think the Chinese name is Ja-Ja (or Cha-Cha).

They taste like normal dumplings you find in wongton soup (though the skin is a bit thinner), served in a delicious red, spicy liquid made of chili oil, sesame oil, spring onions, lots or garlic and other spices that get you in the back of the throat.

I recently brought this home and took a picture of it, hoping that someone here can help identify it.

Any information you can provide on this would be appreciated.

Thanks

Percy

[Yuki]

It came from the Sichuan Province of China, where it is call 紅油抄手.

紅油 - red oil

抄手 - the name given to dumplings in Sichuan.

What do you want to know about it? Would you like a recipe?

[Pan]

A rendition of these by Grand Sichuan St. Marks was part of my lunch today. They looked a lot like your photo, except that there were I think 5 smaller dumplings and not as much sauce. The English-language side of the menu says "Sichuan Wonton w. Red Oil," and the Chinese side is exactly as Yuki posted above.

[jhlurie]

"Sichuan Wonton w. Red Oil" isn't the most common dumpling, but I've seen them on and off for many years. The Grand Sichuan International on the west side of Manhattan (9th Ave. & 51st St.) that a lot of eGullet people frequent always has them, for example.

[ecr]

These are very common in Sichuan. When I lived in Chengdu they were known as hongyou shuijiao (red oil water dumplings). There was a shop behind the big Mao statue/exhibition hall that specialized in them .... my record was 10 bowls (they were small bowls).

Lucky you, to have them so close at hand!!

[Jason Perlow]

Don't throw out that oil, if you haven't already. Makes a great dressing for cold sliced/shredded chicken with julliened carrot and some chopped up scallion. Or toss up with some noodles and sauteed ground pork.

[percyn]

Don't throw out that oil, if you haven't already. Makes a great dressing for cold sliced/shredded chicken with julliened carrot and some chopped up scallion. Or toss up with some noodles and sauteed ground pork.

←

Jason, that oil is the most precious part. I usually use it on some noodles (Ja Ja Mein) or rice that accompanies other dishes I usually order with this.

[percyn]

It came from the Sichuan Province of China, where it is call 紅油抄手.

紅油 - red oil

抄手 - the name given to dumplings in Sichuan.

What do you want to know about it? Would you like a recipe?

←

Yuki,

What would the English spelling of the Chinese pronunciation be?

A recipe would be appreciated very much, as would a recommendation on where I can find this in the Philadephia area.

Thanks

[Gary Soup]

Yuki,

      What would the English spelling of the Chinese pronunciation be?

      A recipe would be appreciated very much, as would a recommendation on where I can find this in the Philadephia area.

Thanks

←

It's "hong you chaoshuo" in PinYin, but you aren't likely to encounter that name in the US. As other posters have mentioned, it's usually called "dumplings in chili oil", "wontons in chili oil." or something like that on menus.

You are most likely to find it at restaurants that serve Sichuan food, which I am sure Philadelphia must have.

[Dejah]

It's "hong you chaoshuo" in PinYin, but you aren't likely to encounter that name in the US. As other posters have mentioned, it's usually called "dumplings in chili oil", "wontons in chili oil." or something like that on menus.

So the dumpling is a wonton? with pork filling? Instead of submersed in broth, it is in chili oil? It must pack quite a wallop!

[Pan]

It's delicious!

[hzrt8w]

So the dumpling is a wonton? with pork filling? Instead of submersed in broth, it is in chili oil?

←

1. Yes. 2. Yes. 3. I don't think it's entirely chili oil. It's soup/broth with a heavy doze of chili oil. Haven't had one for a while.

[Pan]

You're right; it's no way pure chili oil. But it still packs a nice wallop!

[Yuki]

The sauce can include chili oil, chopped green onion, minced garlic, soya sauce, Sichuan Pepper powder, vinegar, sesame oil, some kind of preserved vegetable, and many more secret ingredients. I think MSG would be among the secret ingredients.