Taiwanese Pork and Chive Dumplings (Jiaozi)

About This Recipe

Taiwanese Pork and Chive Dumplings is a real, traditional Taiwanese dish, known as Jiaozi. Pan-fried or boiled dumplings filled with seasoned ground pork and garlic chives, served with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce.\n\nDumplings arrived in Taiwan with mainland Chinese immigrants throughout the 20th century, and the pork-and-chive filling in particular became one of the island's most common home-cooked and street-vendor variations.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Taiwanese home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 300 gground pork
• 150 ggarlic chives(finely chopped)
• 1 tbspsoy sauce
• 1 tbspShaoxing wine
• 1 tsptoasted sesame oil
• 1 piecefresh ginger(grated)
• 0.5 tspfine sea salt
• 1 tbspwater
• 40round dumpling wrappers
• 2 tbspneutral oil(for pan-frying)
• 3 tbspsoy sauce(for dipping)
• 2 tbspblack vinegar(for dipping)
• 1 tspchili oil(for dipping, optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the filling

   Combine ground pork, garlic chives, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, ginger, salt and water in a bowl, stirring in one direction until the mixture becomes slightly sticky.

2. 2

   Fill the wrappers

   Place a spoonful of filling in the center of each wrapper, wet the edges, fold in half and pleat to seal tightly.

3. 3

   Boil option

   To boil, drop dumplings into boiling water and cook until they float and the filling is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

4. 4

   Pan-fry option

   To pan-fry, heat oil in a skillet, arrange dumplings flat-side down, and fry until golden on the bottom, about 2 minutes.

5. 5

   Steam-fry finish

   Add a splash of water to the pan, cover immediately, and steam for 4 minutes until the filling is cooked and the water evaporates.

6. 6

   Serve

   Uncover, let the bottoms re-crisp for 1 minute, then serve hot with a dipping sauce of soy sauce, black vinegar and chili oil.

Variations

• •

  A shrimp and pork combination adds sweetness and a different texture.

• •

  A vegetarian version uses scrambled egg, chives and glass noodles instead of pork.

• •

  Freeze uncooked dumplings on a tray, then bag them for a quick freezer meal anytime.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions