Cooking in the Children's House--Jiao Zi

Here's what's cooking this week--

Ingredients                     50 dumplings                               

• 1 lb fresh ground pork
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon rice wine
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon sesame oil
• 3 ¹⁄₂ ounces cabbage, very finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh gingerroot
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped scallions
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon white pepper
• 50 round wonton skins, about, 2 3/4 inches in diameter
• all-purpose flour, for dusting
• chili, vinegar or soy dipping sauce, to serve

Directions See How It's Made                   

1. To make the filling mix the pork with the soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Stir carefully, always in the same direction, to create a thick paste. Add the rice wine and oil. Mix in the same direction. Cover. Let rest 20 minutes.
2. To prepare the cabbage, sprinkle with the remaining salt to help draw out the water. Add the ginger, scallion, and pepper and knead for at least 5 minutes into a thick paste. Combine with the filling.
3. To make the dumplings, put about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of each skin, holding the skin in the palm of one hand. Moisten the edges with water, then seal the edges with 2-3 pleats on each side and transfer to a lightly floured board.
4. To cook the dumplings, bring 4 cups water to a boil in a large pan. Drop in about 20 dumplings at a time, stirring gently with a chopstick to prevent them sticking together. Cover, the return to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Uncover and add a generous cup cold water. Return to a boil, then cover and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep hot while you cook the remaining jiaozi. Serve with dipping sauce.