Jiaozi (Chinese Dumplings)

Jiaozi are Chinese dumplings filled with meat and vegetables. They are often eaten during the New Year in Northern China to symbolize wealth, with some occasionally hiding a coin inside one of the dumplings (this is no longer recommended due to the possibility of the lucky recipient damaging a tooth or swallowing it- with the way Chad inhales food, he wouldn’t even notice the coin was there in the first place). Jiaozi are made from circular dumpling wrappers (homemade or found in the frozen section of the Asian Food Market) and can be steamed, boiled, pan-fried, or fried. When pan-fried, they are often called potstickers (Guo Tie). The fillings vary based on the region and what is available. I filled mine with pork, green onion, carrot, cabbage, and seasoning.

I steamed the dumplings in the photos using the steamer rack in my rice cooker. Check out my Chicken Potstickers with Bell Pepper, Red Cabbage, and Carrot post for directions on how to pan-fry the dumplings. The traditional way to boil Jiaozi is to bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the Jiaozi and stir to keep from sticking to the bottom, then cover. Once the water returns to a boil, add a cup of cold water and cover again. Repeat this two more times until the filling is cooked through. Boiling this way prevents to Jiaozi from bursting. Now, many will add the Jiaozi to a large pot of boiling water and stir to keep them from sticking to the bottom. Reduce heat to medium and gently boil until the meat is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove the dumplings from the water with a slotted spoon and drain.

You can simply fold the dumplings in half or form pleats. The pleats help them stand a bit better. Here is a video to show how to make the folds starting at 2:11.

After you have filled the dumplings, they can be placed standing in a single layer on a baking sheet and put in the freezer. Once frozen, they can be transferred to a freezer bag. No need to defrost them before steaming, just add about 5 minutes to the cooking time. I like to double the recipe to make about 100 dumplings to add to the freezer.