Chinese dumplings mini fail
I renewed my vows last week. Yes, my love for the dumpling waned during the hot summer months. But Eton and dumplings in Flushing reignited my undying love for the Chinese dumpling. The only thing left to do was to try this at home and completely botch the job. I was probably not born to be a home cook, but that has never stopped me. Actually, I was born to be a food blogger (ha!) because you know, non-cooks like me cannot stand the heat. My intentions were honest. My skills are barely passable. This is my journey into homemade dumplings.
Before we get into the dumplings we have to distinguish between other dumplings and Chinese dumplings. Chinese versions are called jiao zi. Globally there are many varieties of dumplings. I think the two most popular kind of jiao zi are pork with chives and pork with cabbage.
You can use regular cabbage or napa cabbage. I suggest napa cabbage for sure because regular cabbage takes longer to cook and will be crunchy unless you cook the dumpling for a long time. In addition to pork and napa cabbage, I also added some ginger, green onions, rice wine, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
Due to good photoshopping, some of you might be confused and think that my dumplings look good and therefore taste good. I think it only tasted ok because the meat to veggie ratio was slightly in favor of meat. This made the filling more dense. More green onions and cabbage next time. Maybe next time I can cook the napa cabbage first because that will wilt the leaves. With softer leaves, you can incorporate more cabbage into the filling.
The good news is that weather is already starting to turn and soon I will want dumplings all the time. The cooler weather will entice me to revisit my love of the dumpling. My heart and my head is just screaming, "Do it again, do it again!"
If it helps, my mother once told me to salt the chopped cabbage for a while to draw out the water and wilt the leaves before incorporating it into the mixture.
Su-Lin
August 27, 2008 1:30 pm
Ohhh! That's good advice, I'm gonna try that too. Thank you!
Danny
August 27, 2008 2:26 pm
i, too, have trouble making my fillings taste good. did you use a dumpling crimper/press to pleat?
jae em
August 27, 2008 3:02 pm
I was also going to suggest salting the cabbage. Make sure to rinse and spin afterwards. Can you include a recipe once the dumplings are perfected? I love dumplings.....
bionicgrrrl
August 27, 2008 3:44 pm
I read a lot of sites that tell you to cook down the cabbage first, squeeze it and then add it (chopped) to the meat. I skipped that step altogether. I like ground pork, water chestnuts (for crunch/texture), soy sauce, sesame oil, Shiitake mushrooms... let me see...
http://feistyfoodie.blogspot.com/2006/03/homemade-wontons.html Well, I called them wontons, but I'll be honest - besides the wrapper, I don't really know the difference. In fact, I don't even know if I was using wonton wrappers in that picture. Whatever, filling is filling, and I like that version :P
Good luck!
Yvo
August 27, 2008 3:59 pm
all this talk of dumplings. i want dumplings, lots and lots of dumplings.
Blondie
August 27, 2008 8:26 pm
Nice pictures ;)
Ilovehotsauce
August 27, 2008 11:26 pm
Jae em,
No, I just pleated it myself by pinching the wrapper. Are crimpers easy to use?
Bionicgrrrl,
Hmmm.. ok. I wonder how long you have to salt them for?
Yvo,
Ooh, mushrooms! That's a good idea. I might try that too to switch it up next time!
Blondie,
I knoooooow, that's all I want to eat these days too!
Hot sauce,
Thanks!
Danny
August 29, 2008 9:34 am
How long do you cook is also very critical for a good dumplings taste.
dad
August 30, 2008 12:01 am
Crimpers are easy to use, but I find them to be an unnecessary gadget that you probably won't end up using. Since you didn't use a crimper, I'm impressed by your pleating SkillZ! =P
jae em
August 30, 2008 12:48 am