On the menu of a Chinese restaurant they are often listed under the name Dim Sum: This is 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 will explain step by step how you can make steamed jiaozi dumplings with a minced meat and shrimp filling using just a few ingredients.
Tip: If you can’t find some of the ingredients mentioned in the supermarket or online, you’ll definitely find them in the nearest Asian store.
Step 1: First, put the fresh ginger and garlic in a mortar and crush both into a fine paste – the amount can vary according to your personal taste. If you don’t have a mortar at home, you can also cut the ingredients into fine cubes with a kitchen knife.
Step 2: Now mix the minced meat with the ginger and garlic, then season the mixture with the fish sauce, the chili paste, the chili jam, the soy sauce and salt and pepper. Here too, you can adjust the quantities of ingredients to suit your taste. The more you 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 easily removed by piercing the top of the peeled shrimp with a toothpick and slowly pulling out the fine intestines. The shrimp are then chopped very finely and mixed with a little salt and the lime leaf cut into thin strips.
Step 4: Now beat the egg in a small bowl with a fork and brush one side of each wonton sheet. Then put a little 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 also spread fish and meat separately on the leaves.
Step 5: When the entire mixture 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 surrounded with thin strips of spring onions.
When steaming, it is important that the dumplings do not come into contact with the water at any time, but are cooked exclusively in steam. For this reason, a normal cooking pot is not particularly 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. Thanks to the gentle preparation at 100 degrees for around ten to 15 minutes, the dumplings are particularly tasty.
Tip: The finished dumplings should be eaten immediately after cooking as they dry quickly in the air.
We wish a good appetite!
If you are ambitious and want to make not only the filling but also the dumplings yourself, we will give you further instructions. To prepare the dough for the pockets, you only need the following three ingredients in the first step:
With this quantity you should get around 40 dumplings – depending on the size of the dumplings, the number can of course vary a little.
Now proceed as follows:
Step 1: Put the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and gradually mix both with the hot water.
Step 2: Knead the mixture with your hands until a smooth dough forms – ideally on a floured work surface for at least ten minutes.
Step 3: Divide the dough into four parts and form small balls of dough and let them rest (covered with a damp kitchen towel) 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 to each other.
Step 6: Once you have processed all the dough into bags, you can either start filling them straight away or you have to freeze the dumplings because the dough doesn’t last long.
And one last tip: 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 is thicker than the edge. This should make it easier to fill the dumplings. However, this method is far more complex and therefore not for everyone.
In addition to the bamboo steamer or steamer mentioned above, which you absolutely need to prepare dumplings (as they have to be steamed), there are a variety of other tools that make preparation easier. Especially if you prepare the dough yourself – a stainless steel or wooden rolling pin can be 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 elegant design, you can also use a classic ravioli former set. Although the plastic cutters were originally intended for filling Italian dumplings, they are just as suitable for making dumplings in three different sizes. Here’s how it works: You cut out the dumplings and place them in the mold, fill them and close or form the dumplings by folding the cutters together.
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