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Chinese New Year is on Friday, February 12 this year, and one of things we do for the New Year… is celebrate it by eating! And one of the things eat for the New Year is – you guessed it – dumplings! In honor of Chinese New Year I’m sharing my family’s Chinese Pork Dumplings Recipe!

What are dumplings?

Dumplings are basically cooked dough that’s wrapped around some sort of filling – and there’s a huge variety of them found in many different world cuisines!

Some popular types of dumplings include:

• Jiaozi: Chinese dumplings, typically filled with ground meat and/or vegetables (this is the one this dumpling wrapper recipe is for)
• Gyoza: Japanese dumplings, typically filled with ground pork and vegetables.
• Pierogi: Polish dumplings, typically filled with cheese, potatoes, or meat.
• Kreplach: Jewish dumplings, typically filled with ground meat, cheese, or vegetables.

About Chinese Dumplings (Jiaozi)

First things first – a little intro to the famous Chinese dish of dumplings!

What are Chinese dumplings called?

Chinese dumplings are called Jiaozi in Mandarin Chinese.

Why do Chinese eat dumplings on new year?

This is kind of fun! Traditionally, dumplings symbolize longevity and wealth. This is because their shape looks similiar to these gold ingots that existed as an old Chinese currency known as Yuanbao! Here’s an example of one:

How long can Chinese dumplings stay in the fridge?

Depends on if they are uncooked or cooked.

If they are cooked, they’ll last for about 3-5 days in the fridge.

If they are uncooked dumplings, and don’t plan to eat them soon, I recommend storing them in the freezer. This is because uncooked dumplings will only stay fresh for up to about 3 days in the fridge.

However, if you freeze uncooked dumplings, they lasts 3-6 months. If it’s a vegetarian one it can last up to 6 months, but if it’s got meat in it, it lasts about 3 months.

Dumpling Wrappers

You can find these in your local Asian supermarket or on Amazon. You can also make it from scratch! Here’s how to make Homemade dumpling wrappers.

If you’re buying it – make sure to buy the round ones in the shape of circles. The square ones are for wontons!

Chinese wonton vs dumpling

I get this question a lot – what’s the difference between chinese wontons vs dumplings? There are some differences.

The wrapping is the main difference! Wontons are wrapped in a rectangular shape wrapper and dumplings are wrapped in a round wrapper.

Not only the shape is different but also thickness. The wonton’s wrapper is thinner than dumplings.

Also, wontons are often served in a soup, and dumplings are not.

Ok, on to how to make wontons!

If you’re looking for a delicious wonton recipe, check out my Chinese Wontons Recipe here! I show you how to make it two ways – wontons in hot chili oil and wonton soup!

How to make Chinese pork dumplings?

OKAY – here’s the good stuff. There’s really plenty of different types of dumplings you can make – but this Chinese Pork Dumplings Recipe is how we usually make it at my house. Pretty customizable – so if you decide you want to use ground beef or ground chicken instead, go ahead. If you want to sub the veggie you can too!

Ingredients

1 package of dumpling wrappers

Dumplings

• 1 lb napa cabbage, chopped finely, pat dry
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 lb ground pork
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

Dipping Sauce

• 2 small cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp hot chili oil (optional)

Instructions

Filling

First thing first, we’re going to put the chopped napa cabbage in a large plate or bowl and sprinkle with salt. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes. There should be lots of moisture/water released from the cabbage. Squeeze the cabbage and drain.

In a large bowl, mix cabbage, ground pork, scallions, egg, and cornstarch until thoroughly combined.

Wrapping

Prepare your dumpling wrapping station but sprinkling flour on either a large plate or baking sheet. Have your dumping wrappers near by, a bowl of water, a spoon, bowl of filling, and the plate/baking sheet with flour near by.

Now place a dumpling wrapper on your hand, and spoon about 1 tbsp of filling in to the center of the dumpling wrapper.

Dip your finger in to the water and wet the entire circle/edge of the the dumpling wrapper. The easy way now is to fold the circle in half and pinch together the sides touching to close up the dumpling.

If you want to make it real fancy you can do what my mom has taught me in this video:

Place the wrapped dumpling on the baking sheet / plate with flour sprinkled on it. Be sure to not crowd with other dumplings you are going to place on there.

Repeat with remaining dumpling wrappers and filling until you run out!

The next step depends on whether you are cooking it now, how you want to cook it, or if you’re freezing it. Normally we cook a few now, and then freeze the rest for the future! As mentioned they could last up to 3 months in the freezer uncooked so it’s awesome.

Boiled Dumplings

Boil a pot of water. Once boiling, carefully place dumplings in to the boiling water and stir a little. It will stop boiling. Bring it to a boil again, and add 1/2 cup of cold water. Stir again to prevent the dumplings sticking. Bring to a boil one more time and then add another 1/2 cup of water. The dumplings should now be floating on top of the water. Remove from heat and serve with dumpling sauce!

Potstickers

Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place dumplings in the pan, try not to overlap and crowd. Cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Add enough water for it to reach halfway height of the dumplings and cover. Let it cook covered for about 5 minutes or until the dumplings are tender and cooked thoroughly. Remove from heat and serve with dumpling sauce!

Freezing for later

To freeze, wrap the baking pan/large dish with saran wrap and pop in freezer. Once the dumplings are frozen, you can also remove from the baking pan and place them in a giant zip lock bag (this is what we do).

Dipping sauce

This one is easy – just mix all the dipping sauce ingredients and you’re done!

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That’s it! Dumplings are the bomb dot com!

Here’s me about to eat it.

Pin for later!

If you liked these Chinese Pork Dumplings Recipe, you might want to check out my Chinese Wontons recipe here!

If you’re looking for more delicious Chinese pork recipes – check out my 10+ Delicious Chinese Pork Recipes!

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