Jiaozi

Ingredients

For the dough

• 354 g plain flour
• 240 ml boiling water

For the filling

• 450 g napa cabbage, cut into 2.5 cm pieces
• 1 tsp salt, divided
• 340 g pork mince
• 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, plus extra for dipping
• 1 1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 4 spring onions, finely chopped

To cook and serve

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil, for pan-frying
• Black or rice vinegar
• Chilli oil

Method

1. Make the dough Process the flour with the boiling water until a ball forms, 30 to 45 seconds. Knead until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes, wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
2. Salt the cabbage Chop the cabbage, toss with half the salt, leave, then drain and squeeze out the excess liquid.
3. Make the filling Process the pork with the soy sauce, sesame oil, vegetable oil, wine, hoisin, ginger, pepper and the rest of the salt until sticky. Mix with the drained cabbage and spring onions.
4. Fill and fold Roll the dough into 40 wrappers of about 9 cm. Put about 15 ml of filling in each and fold into a crescent with two pleats.
5. Pan-fry To pan-fry, heat the oil in a frying pan and arrange 16 dumplings flat-side down. Brown for 3 to 4 minutes, add 120 ml of water, cover and simmer on medium-low for 6 minutes. Uncover, raise the heat and cook for 1 to 3 minutes until the water has gone and the bottoms are crisp.
6. Or boil To boil, simmer 20 dumplings in about 4 litres of boiling water for 7 minutes and drain. The filling must be cooked through, with no pink, and piping hot. Serve with vinegar, soy and chilli oil.

Food safety

Pork must be cooked through, with no pink and juices running clear. Boiling water and hot oil burn: keep children back. Wash hands and boards after raw pork. Cool leftovers quickly and reheat until piping hot.