Pan-fried or boiled dumplings filled with seasoned ground pork and garlic chives, served with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce.
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.
Serves 6
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.
Place a spoonful of filling in the center of each wrapper, wet the edges, fold in half and pleat to seal tightly.
To boil, drop dumplings into boiling water and cook until they float and the filling is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
To pan-fry, heat oil in a skillet, arrange dumplings flat-side down, and fry until golden on the bottom, about 2 minutes.
Add a splash of water to the pan, cover immediately, and steam for 4 minutes until the filling is cooked and the water evaporates.
Uncover, let the bottoms re-crisp for 1 minute, then serve hot with a dipping sauce of soy sauce, black vinegar and chili oil.
Stir the filling in one direction only — this develops a slight bind that keeps the filling juicy rather than crumbly.
Don't overfill the wrappers; too much filling makes sealing difficult and dumplings burst while cooking.
For pan-fried dumplings, add the water immediately after the bottoms brown so they don't overcook before steaming through.
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.
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.
Dumplings 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.
Yes, freeze them uncooked on a tray until solid, then transfer to a bag; cook from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes.
The seal wasn't tight enough, or the water was boiling too vigorously — try a gentler rolling boil and pinch the seams firmly.
Regular chives mixed with a little extra minced garlic can substitute, though the flavor will be milder.
Per serving (250g / 8.8 oz) · 6 servings total
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