Sadly I have never been to Beijing but I have been to Chinatown, and this is where I discovered jiaozi, or Beijing dumplings. Easy to reproduce at home, they are perfect comfort food. I highly recommend making the wrappers at home with dumpling flour from Asian shops - it really makes a difference. However, for a quick weekday meal, ready-made dumpling or wonton wrappers are fine.
Try this on Monday to celebrate Chinese New Year.
Serves 4
For the filling
*450g minced pork
*3 spring onions, finely chopped
*1 garlic clove, finely chopped handful of Chinese chives (or normal chives), finely chopped
*1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
*½ tsp sesame oil
*sea salt
*freshly ground white pepper
For the wrappers
*1 small pack of gyoza or wonton wrappers, or 250g dumpling flour, or 225g plain flour mixed with 25g cornflour, or rice flour (plus more to dust)
*pinch of salt
For the dip
*100ml soy sauce
*1 tsp chilli oil or 1 red chilli,finely chopped
Mix the ingredients for the filling, cover and leave in the fridge while you make the dumpling wrappers.
For the wrappers, combine the flour or flours, salt and 75ml water and mix. Knead for 10 minutes until shiny and elastic, or chuck in your mixer and let it do the work for five minutes. You may want to add more water or flour - the mixture should be firm without being too wet.
Cover in cling film or put in a plastic bag for 30 minutes in the fridge. Pull off little balls, smaller than a 10p piece, and roll on a floured work surface until they are as thin as you can get without tearing, each 7.5cm in diameter. Mix the ingredients for the dip.
Brush the edges of the wrappers lightly with water (not too much or they'll get soggy). Place a teaspoon of filling in the centre, fold in a half moon shape and press or pleat closed.
Steam in a steamer or bamboo basket. Otherwise, add to boiling water - they will be cooked two minutes after they float to the top. Serve hot with the dipping sauce.
Recipe from Comfort and Spice by Niamh Shields (£14.99, Quadrille)
