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1
Make and Rest the Dough
15 Mins + 30 Mins Rest
Rest at room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Pour the hot water into the flour a little at a time, stirring with chopsticks until shaggy clumps form, then knead on a floured board for 5 minutes until smooth and firm. Cover with a damp cloth and rest for 30 minutes.
The dough should feel like an earlobe — firm but soft. Too wet and it sticks; too dry and it cracks when rolled.
Done when: The dough is smooth, springs back slowly when pressed, and does not stick to your hands.
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2
Salt and Squeeze the Cabbage
10 Mins
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Toss the chopped cabbage with a pinch of salt and leave for 10 minutes, then gather it in a clean cloth and squeeze hard until no more water comes out. You should be left with a compact, dry handful.
Squeeze over the sink in two batches — one big squeeze never gets all the water out.
Done when: The cabbage is dry and compact, with no drips when pressed.
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3
Mix the Pork Filling
10 Mins
Keep chilled, below 4°C (40°F)
Put the ground pork in a chilled bowl with the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, white pepper and salt. Stir in one direction for 2 minutes until the mixture turns sticky and pale, then fold in the squeezed cabbage, spring onions, garlic and ginger. Drizzle in the sesame oil last and mix once more.
Stirring in one direction develops the protein and makes the filling juicy instead of crumbly.
Done when: The filling is sticky, evenly mixed, and holds together when pressed.
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4
Roll the Wrappers and Fill the Dumplings
25 Mins
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Roll the dough into a long rope and cut it into 32 even pieces. Roll each piece into a circle about 9 cm across, thinner at the edges and slightly thicker in the middle. Put a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre, fold the wrapper in half, and pinch the edges shut with 3–4 small pleats on one side. Set each dumpling on a cornstarch-dusted tray.
Keep the finished dumplings under a damp cloth while you work — dry wrappers will not seal.
Done when: Each dumpling is a neat crescent, sealed tight with no filling showing at the seam.
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5
Steam the Dumplings
12 Mins
Steaming, 100°C (212°F)
Line a bamboo steamer with cabbage leaves or baking paper and set the dumplings in a single layer, leaving a gap between them. Steam over rapidly boiling water for 10–12 minutes, in two batches if needed. The wrappers should turn tender and slightly translucent, and the pork inside must reach 71°C (160°F).
Do not lift the lid in the first 8 minutes — the rush of cool air can make the wrappers collapse.
Done when: The wrappers are tender and slightly translucent; the pork inside reads 71°C (160°F).
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6
Mix the Dip and Serve
3 Mins
Serve steaming, about 75°C (167°F)
Stir the black vinegar with the soy sauce and add chilli oil to taste. Lift the dumplings out of the steamer with tongs and serve at once, with the dip on the side and the steamer open so the steam escapes.
Eat them hot — a steamed jiaozi left standing goes cold and the wrapper turns leathery within minutes.
Done when: The dumplings are steaming, the wrappers are glossy, and the dip is ready beside them.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Lift the dumplings out of the steamer with tongs, set them on a warm plate, and serve at once with the black-vinegar dip on the side — eat them hot, while the wrappers are still tender and the pork is juicy.
China
35m
