Recipe: How to make 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.

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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