In China they are served at any time of the day: Dumplings are small dumplings that can be filled to your heart’s content – for example with minced meat and shrimp.
They are often listed on a Chinese restaurant menu as dim sum: a generic term for small dishes that are steamed or fried. The word dumpling, on the other hand, simply means dumpling – and this can not only be filled in different ways, but also shaped. In the following recipe we explain step by step how to make steamed jiaozi dumplings with a minced meat and shrimp filling yourself with just a few ingredients.
You need these ingredients for the Dumplings recipe
Tip: If you can’t find some of the ingredients mentioned in the supermarket or online, you’re sure to find them in the nearest Asian store.
This is how the dumplings are prepared correctly
Step 1: First, put the fresh ginger and garlic in a mortar and pound both to a fine pulp – the amount may vary according to personal taste. If you don’t have a mortar at home, you can use a kitchen knife to finely dice the ingredients.
Step 2: Now mix the minced meat with the ginger and garlic, then the mixture is seasoned with the fish sauce, chili paste, chili jam, soy sauce and salt and pepper. Again, you can adjust the amounts of the ingredients to suit your taste. The more they use, the spicier the filling will end up being.
Step 3: Remove the head, tail, shell and intestines from the shrimp – the latter can be removed simply by pricking the top of the peeled shrimp with a toothpick and slowly pulling out the fine intestine. Then the prawns are chopped very finely and mixed with a little salt and the lime leaf cut into thin strips.
Step 4: Whisk the egg in a small bowl with a fork and brush one side of each wonton sheet with it. Then put a bit of the minced meat mixture in the middle of the dough and layer the same amount of shrimp mixture next to it. Alternatively, you can spread the fish and meat separately on the leaves.
Step 5: When the entire mass has been distributed over the dumplings, take a sheet in each hand and press the dough together so that the dumpling is either completely closed at the top or you leave an opening so that the layers are visible . Finally, the pockets are enclosed with thin strips of spring onions.
Steam cooking: This is how the dumplings are ready to serve in a few minutes
When steaming, it is important that the dumplings never come into contact with the water, but are cooked exclusively in steam. For this reason, a normal saucepan is not so suitable for preparation – unless you have a special insert for steaming.
If you want to use a classic steamer like in China, we recommend this traditional bamboo steamer. The small steamer baskets can be used for both steaming and serving. Due to the gentle preparation at 100 degrees for about ten to 15 minutes, the dumplings are particularly tasty.
Tip: The finished dumplings should be eaten immediately after cooking, as they dry out quickly in the air.
We wish a good appetite!
DIY: This is how you can make the dumpling dough yourself
If your ambition has grabbed you and you not only want to make the filling but also the dumplings yourself, we will give you another guide to help you. To prepare the dough for the pockets, you only need the following three ingredients in the first step:
With this amount you should get about 40 dumplings – depending on the size of the dumplings, the number can of course vary a little.
Now do the following:
Step 1: Place the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and gradually mix in the hot water.
Step 2: Knead the mixture with your hands until you have a smooth dough – preferably on a floured work surface for at least ten minutes.
Step 3: Divide the dough into four parts and form small balls of dough, which you (cover with a damp kitchen towel) let rest for 30 minutes.
Step 4: Then roll out the dough so that it is only one and a half millimeters thick. Now cut out the dumplings with a round cookie cutter.
Step 5: Stack the dumplings on top of each other so that there is a little flour between each layer – otherwise the dumplings will quickly stick together.
Step 6: When you have processed all of the dough into pockets, you can either fill them straight away or you have to freeze the dumplings because the dough does not keep for long.
And one more tip at the end: If you want to be a real dumpling pro, you have to divide the pre-made dough so that a small ball is formed for each pocket – and these are then rolled out so that the middle of each sheet of dough is a little bit is thicker than the rim. This should make it easier to fill the dumplings. However, this method is much more complex and therefore not for everyone.
Practical accessory for dumpling recipes
In addition to the bamboo steamer or steamer mentioned above, which you absolutely need to prepare dumplings (since they have to be steamed), there are a variety of other tools that make preparation easier. Especially if you prepare the dough yourself – a rolling pin made of stainless steel or wood can be very helpful here. In contrast to the classic rolling pin, this one is better suited for rolling out particularly thin dough.
If you want to give your dumplings a particularly even and shapely design, you can also use a classic ravioli mold set. Although the plastic cutters were originally intended for filling Italian dumplings, they are just as suitable for making dumplings in three different sizes. And this is how it works: You cut out the dumplings and place them in the mould, fill them and close or form the dumplings by folding the cutters together.
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