Dumplings: Tips, Techniques, Recipes

[Transparent]

Wow, my family's version is pretty much identical to both Dejah and Ben Hong's. Since ingredients are so widely avalible near our home, we usually add a lot more ingredients to "soup it up." Dried shrimp is replaced with fresh, added in are chicken gizzards, cow liver, and some mushrooms. I actually like the simplier version though. The flavors come out better.

I like tong yuan in ginger-sugar syrup too. It's just that my family has no idea how to make the fillings. I think I found a recipe on euphocafe, but I lost it. I have to look for it again.

Edited December 21, 2004 by Transparent (log)

[Yuki]

Wow, my family's version is pretty much identical to both Dejah and Ben Hong's. Since ingredients are so widely avalible near our home, we usually add a lot more ingredients to "soup it up." Dried shrimp is replaced with fresh, added in are chicken gizzards, cow liver, and some mushrooms. I actually like the simplier version though. The flavors come out better.

I like tong yuan in ginger-sugar syrup too. It's just that my family has no idea how to make the fillings. I think I found a recipe on euphocafe, but I lost it. I have to look for it again.

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I am wondering if this is a regional differences. My family is Cantonese and we always serve sweet rice dumplings.

[Transparent]

I doubt it's regional. My family is cantonese as well. We just don't know how to make it. I hada couple of tong yuan in ginger syrup. It's great cold.

[Dejah]

I doubt it's regional. My family is cantonese as well. We just don't know how to make it. I hada couple of tong yuan in ginger syrup. It's great cold.

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My Mom makes the sweet tang yuen at Lunar New Year. I will eat a couple but really prefer the savory one.

[Ben Hong]

Dejah, I do know how to make it, but my wife and family can't get past the "yuan" so I don't add any. Ergo: lobok soup.

[Gastro888]

I'm Toisanese and I've never had the sweet yuan before. The first time I heard of it was from my second cousins when they were discussing what to do the night before my oldest second cousin's wedding (whew! Say that 3 times fast.) Does anyone know of that tradition? According to them, you're supposed to comb the bride's hair and say a certain phrase X number of times and all the girls are supposed to make sweet yuan together. If anyone can fill me in on this, I'd appreciate it. (Not that I'm getting married anytime soon...just want to know....*grin*)

[Ben Hong]

I believe that it is a symbolic dish. The roundness of the dumplings, or any thing, symbolizes unity, oneness, completeness, etc. Sweet is sweet. Therefore "sweet unity".

[Yuki]

I'm Toisanese and I've never had the sweet yuan before.  The first time I heard of it was from my second cousins when they were discussing what to do the night before my oldest second cousin's wedding (whew!  Say that 3 times fast.)  Does anyone know of that tradition?  According to them, you're supposed to comb the bride's hair and say a certain phrase X number of times and all the girls are supposed to make sweet yuan together.  If anyone can fill me in on this, I'd appreciate it.  (Not that I'm getting married anytime soon...just want to know....*grin*)

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Tong yuan symbolizes togetherness so it is common to eat at wedding. Since they are also very sticky, it means the couple will stay(stick) together.

[chengdude]

Tomorrow night, many Chinese are going to prepare tong yuan in celebration of the winter solstice(I think). For those who celebrate, how do you usually prepare them?

More typically around the Lantern Festival, a couple of weeks after Spring Festival. Cavity-inducing fillings of black sesame paste or peanut-walnut paste and floating/suspended in a soup made from the tang yuan cooking water and lao zao.

[jo-mel]

  Cavity-inducing fillings of black sesame paste or peanut-walnut paste

LOL! I hear you! That stuff does indeed stick to your teeth! I like them, but many Chinese that I've talked to about them --- don't.

[Gastro888]

I believe that it is a symbolic dish. The roundness of the dumplings, or any thing, symbolizes unity, oneness, completeness, etc. Sweet is sweet. Therefore "sweet unity".  

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Cool beans! I figured out the symbolism of the sweet yuan but I don't know what exactly the ritual is for the bride the night prior to the wedding. It's sad that for us American-born Chinese these traditions are slipping away because no one's keeping a record of them. (Hmm...Being Cantonese for Dummies...nice title for a book! ). I never knew until I stumbled upon egullet that yuan were made according to what phase the moon was in. I just thought my mom made yuan randomly (Shameful! I bring dishonor to the family name!)

As for our Toisanese family, my mom's only made the savory yuan. Lobok, lap cheung, cilantro, dried shrimp, tung goo, and slices of pork. Oh yeah, and scallions, too. We use a dip of soy and black pepper. Ever notice that yuan are never as good the next day?

Edited December 28, 2004 by Gastro888 (log)

[Transparent]

Ever notice that yuan are never as good the next day?

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Savory yuan are never good the next day. They're all mushy and flat. But for sweet yuan, I just seperate the yuan from the syrup, nuke it for 30 seconds and pour the syrup back on. Only minimal structural damage.

[jamesglu]

Actually, "chaoshou" means "crossed arms", since to fold the dumplings properly you end up crossing your arms.

[bleudauvergne]

Is there an auspicious or prefered number of pleats?

Not 4

I understand the "4" taboo (and how you can neutralize it), but what is the reasoning for '4-Happiness Shou Mai', '4-Color Rice Pudding' the Four Virtues/Arts/ etc. You can't get away from 4-Season Beans, because there are 4 of them and that can't be changed.

I've found myself making excuses for 4 pleats, by thinking they are really 2 & 2 divided by a pinch in the middle. I don't step on cracks on the sidewalk, either!!! LOL!

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I agree with Jo Mel on the number of pleats. This is not a stuffy fancy dish, it's home cooking. In no way should be be striving for 88 pleats!! As for the number 4 all I can say is I agree with Jo Mel on this one, this idea that 4 must be completely avoided in all things at all costs is an exaggeration. Any more or any less is too complicated or too simple.

[Laksa]

As for the number 4 all I can say is I agree with Jo Mel on this one, this idea that 4 must be completely avoided in all things at all costs is an exaggeration.

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Same here! Avoiding that number can be very taxing -- trust me, I know -- especially when it comes to government issued documents . Social security and the DMV weren't interested to hear my explanation, although, once, I was lucky enough to have my pick of car license plates.

I was in two minds about what to do with a batch of 87-pleated dumplings (just couldn't get that last one in there!!), but now I feel much better about eating them.

[Shalmanese]

Here are some jiao zie we made for chinese new year. I agree with most of the instructions in this thread, mix meat for a long time in one direction to get the right mouthfeel. Make your own dough and knead it well.

Instead of rolling it out like a western pastry, roll from the outside in till you reach about 1/3rd of the way in, roll back out and rotate the dough by 45 degrees. That way, you get a lump in the middle which helps with the bite.

Our family likes to use pork and celery which I don't think has been mentioned here. IMHO, the texture of celery is superior to cabbage and gives it a nice fresh tang. Chive & port jiao zie are considered to be fancier because chives are more expensive in China.

But the most important part of jiao zie making is that it has to be a communal effort. Making jiao zie alone just defeats the purpose of it. It's a perfect dish for assembly line cooking, normally, we have 2 or 3 people stuffing for every person rolling skins and 1 person cooking for every 2 people rolling.

[Shalmanese]

A little secret that we use for bao zie but I'm sure could be used for jiao zie as well.

The day before, make a very gelatinous stock using pigs feet/chicken feet/pig skin and various flavouring agents. Season correctly and then put in the fridge and let set.

By the next day, you should hopefully have something the consistency of well set jelly. Cut this up into tiny cubes and, for each jiao zie, put a tiny cube of jelly into the centre of the meatball.

When these are cooked, the jelly will melt again into soup so each jiao zie is literally bursting with flavour.

[Tepee]

Sounds like hsiao loong bao.

Love your jiao zies.

[Shalmanese]

The northern style bao zie are much bigger than hsiao loong bao. About the size of a dinner roll.

[Dejah]

But the most important part of jiao zie making is that it has to be a communal effort. Making jiao zie alone just defeats the purpose of it. It's a perfect dish for assembly line cooking, normally, we have 2 or 3 people stuffing for every person rolling skins and 1 person cooking for every 2 people rolling.

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I certainly agree with Shalmanese on the communal idea. 2 years ago, I was taking a Mandarin course (where I was the worst student! ). Our visiting professor and his wife, 10 classmates and their spouses all came to our house for Chinese New Year. Prof and Mrs. Bao taught us how to make jiao zie. We prepared the filling and the dough, then used 2 tortilla presses and 2 shifts to make the jiaozi. It made short work of the job and a lot of fun with some odd shapes while trying to converse in Mandarin! The kitchen was pretty steamed up with 2 big pots boiling. Can't remember how many we made, but there was none left over. My students often get together to make jiaozi. They haven't had any leftovers to bring for me either!

That's a great idea to insert cubes of jelly with the filling! I will write that down on my recipe. That would probably work with potstickers too.

[jo-mel]

I. too. have great memories of making Jiao zi with a group. A summer intensive Mandarin course at Dartmouth and visits to the Chinese house of Chinese students. We had a lot of fun and, of course, great eating. This was just after Tian'An Men and the Chinese students were very upset, wondering if they would be able to come and go to their home again. It was heavy on their minds, as they had had several visits from countrymen, checking them.

After we ate, the kids performed for us in several ways, and one girl sang the very beautiful and plaintif song --"On the Songhua River" about Harbin. I still tear up when I think of it.

But I salivate when I think of those dumplings!

[bleudauvergne]

Yes, jiaozi is always a whole lot of fun with a group. I usually invite lots of people whenever we make them, but sometimes we just have to have them for the two of us!

Speaking of the dough, I have also used a bottle to roll out the dough. I find that using the curved shape helps to get the right mound in the middle.

[percyn]

Here is another version of Chaoshou

[jo-mel]

Recently, there was a thread where someone mentioned that a hostess asked her guests if they would like some dumplings. She went into the kitchen and later came out with freshly made dumplings. Later, she mentioned that she used a dough that she bought and simply filled them with her own mix. At least that is what I remember.

I'm giving some classes next month, and one of the dishes is a baked bun. I will be using a basic dough with yeast, but will also show them a non-yeast quick dough. AND------ how they can use store refrigerated biscuit dough in a pinch. I thought I would tell them about the bun dough that you can get in Chinese stores.

Anyone remember that discussion?

[Dejah]

jo-mel,

I DO remember that discussion, but can't remember in what thread!

Wasn't it just store bought frozen bread dough that was used?

I don't remember it being frozen bun dough from Chinese store though.