Recipe: How to make Chinese dumplings

What are Chinese dumplings?

Chinese dumplings (饺子jiǎo zi) are a traditional dish in China. A thin layer of dough ( 面miàn) is filled with vegetables and/or meat.

In northern China on Chinese New Year’s Eve (除夕Chú Xī), people often make dumplings together.

How do you make Chinese dumplings?

Ingredients:

For the dough

• 140g plain flour (面粉miàn fěn)
• 125ml water (水shuǐ)

For the filling

• finely chopped vegetables (蔬菜shū cài) You could include:
  • Spinach (菠菜bō cài)
  • Spring onions (洋葱yáng cōng)
  • Mushrooms (蘑菇mó gu)
  • Cabbage (白菜bái cài)
  • Carrots (胡萝卜hú luó bo)
• ½ tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp cold water
• salt (盐yán) and pepper ( 胡椒hú jiāo)

Instructions:

1. Stir (搅拌jiǎo bàn) the water into the flour until mixed - add more water if the mixture seems dry. Knead this with your hands ( 手shǒu), dusting with a little flour if sticky.

2. Put the dough in a bowl (碗wǎn), covered with a clean, damp towel, and let it rest.

3. After about twenty (二十èr shí) minutes, tear the dough into sixteen ( 十六shí liù) equal-sized pieces and flatten each into a round flat pancake.

4. Mix all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl.

5. Place (放fang) some filling in the centre of each pancake and moisten the edges with water.

6. Fold the dough in half.

7. Pinch it together with your fingers (手指shǒu zhǐ).

8. Get an adult to bring a pan of water to the boil (煮zhǔ), add the dumplings and put on the lid, boiling them for three ( 三sān) to four ( 四sì) minutes.

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Key Mandarin words