Beijing Dumplings for Chinese New Year

[richard-in-cincy]

I am taking beginning Mandarin at the Greater Cincinnati Chinese School in preparatiion for a trip to China this fall and yesterday we celebrated Chinese New Year with a dumpling making party. We had the master dumpling maker from Beijing showing us the different ways to fold, pleat, and seal our dumplings. The dean brought in her homemade pork and chicken filling as well as her special chili oil which she made into our dipping sauce using her chili oil, garlic, cilantro, and soy sauce.

We learned the technique for boiling a perfect dumpling. Bring to a boil until dumplings float, then add cold water, return to boil, add cold water, return to boil. Why? The dumpling wrapper doesn't disentegrate and has a better texture while allowing enough time in the hot water for the filling to completely cook through.

We also made pot stickers which of course were my favorite.

The tastes were amazing. The dumplings with the ingredients prepared by the Chinese faculty of the school were absolutely the best I've ever had. An amazing experience.

 

[pat-nocal]

Crazy, I was just reading about that dumpling boiling technique in Susanna Foo's

Chinese Cuisine cookbook last week (also at the link). while looking for a potsticker recipe. What a fun class that must've been! Wish I could've been there -- love attending Asian cuisine classes. Lucky you!

https://www.reluctantgourmet.com/how-to-cook-chinese-dumplings/

 

[wigs]

What a fantastic class--thank you for sharing this dumpling boiling technique, Richard....

 

[michael-in-phoenix]

I use a recipe from Ming Tsai that I really like for the filling. My niece and I...

...have done batches of these together. Potstickers are one of her favorite foods, and her bio parents are from China, so she enjoys learning the folding techniques and such as a way to get in touch with her roots.

My eldest made 400 of these with help from several of his friends while on a road trip to Zion National Park. They had a large home to stay in near the park (courtesy of AirBNB) and they enjoyed making and eating the end result.

I like them fried as potstickers and in wonton soup.

Michael

 

[michael-in-phoenix]

Picture of "group fold". ; )

https://finerkitchens.com/1/wp-content/uploads/swap-photos/making-pot-stickers.jpg

 

[marilynfl]

Love seeing so many guys cooking. Looks like a perogie-fest.

 

[michael-in-phoenix]

Me too!

 

[richard-in-cincy]

The wrapping of the dumplings...

we learned is part of the Chinese New Year celebration. We learned the words and phrases for the tradition of wrapping, cooking, and eating dumplings for the new year. Everyone is gathered around stuffing, folding, sealing, and pleating their dumplings to cook. The tradition of dumplings for Chinese New Year is they represent gold ingots, and are hence, a symbol of fortune in the year to come.

A great tradition with a very tasty payoff.

https://munchies.vice.com/en_us/article/78mvwb/why-eating-tonnes-of-dumplings-makes-for-a-lucky-chinese-new-year

 

[michael-in-phoenix]

Excellent! Thanks.