Ryan’s Jiaozi

by Ryan and Amity Heyborne

This is an authentic Chinese dish that Ryan learned to make as a missionary working with Chinese people.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. Ground pork
• 6 drops of sesame seed oil
• ¼ Cup Soy Sauce
• ½ Tbsp. Salt
• 1 Tbsp. Corn Starch
• 8 large leaves of Napa Cabbage
• 6 green onions
• ½ tsp. chopped fresh ginger
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• You can buy these at most grocery stores. They are often called wonton wrappers and the best kind usually say something about “Chinese Dumplings” or “Gyoza.” You can buy them in square or round. You can also buy the larger “Egg-roll Wrappers” and cut them into fourths. You will need 2 packages.

Method

1. In a large bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. Mix these with a large spoon or with your hands. I usually use a food processor to chop up the remaining 4 ingredients but you could also do this with a knife. Add these chopped vegetables to the meat mixture and combine well.
2. Place a little less than a tablespoon of filling (depending on wrapper size) in the center of one of the wrappers. Dip your finger in water and rub water around the edge of the wrapper. Pinch opposite sides together. Fold the remaining sides in toward the center and make sure that the wrapper is sealed as you squeeze as much of the air out as possible. If the meat is not tightly wrapped, the jiaozi will come apart when you try to cook them. Flour a cookie sheet and place the folded jiaozi on this.
3. Drop the jiaozi into a pot of boiling water. You do not want to add too many at one time or they will stick together. Be sure to gently stir so that the jiaozi don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. The water will stop boiling for a minute when the jiaozi are added and then begin boiling again. Let the water boil for about a minute, then add about ½ Cup of cool water. Wait for the boiling to begin again and add cool water a second time. Do this one or two more times and when the water starts to boil again, the jiaozi are cooked (cut one open to make sure). Pull them out with a slotted spoon and lay them on a plate so that they are not stacked on top of each other. You may have to repeat this process several times for a large batch of the jiaozi. You can pull excess water out of the pot with a ladle.
4. Pour canola oil into a large pan until it is uniformly a few millimeters deep. Heat to a medium/high temperature so that the jiaozi sizzle quietly when laid in the pan. Cover and cook until the bottoms turn golden brown (about 5 min). Pour in about ¼ cup of water and turn to low. Re-cover and let steam for another 5 or so min.
5. You can dip the cooked jiaozi into a sauce this is made from equal parts of dark vinegar (you can use Balsamic), and soy sauce. You may also chop some fresh green onions and ginger into this.