How To Make Chinese Dumplings with Pork and Napa Cabbage Recipe, CiCi Li

Did you know that Chinese eat dumplings on Chinese New Year because they look like gold ingots and therefore it symbolizes wealth and a good fortune? Today we are going to make pork and Chinese cabbage dumplings. And here are the ingredients.
24 dumpling wrappers
2 leaves of Chinese cabbage, minced
8 ounces of minced pork
2 tablespoons of water
1/4 of a thumb of ginger, minced
1 stalk of scallion, minced
1/4 cup of small dried shrimp
4 tablespoons of light soy sauce
1 tablespoon of shaoxing wine
A pinch of salt
A pinch of Chinese pepper powder
A pinch of sugar
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
3 tablespoons of oil
First add 1 tablespoon of oil and mix in the minced cabbage (the oil will seal the juice of cabbage inside, so it will make the dumpling wrapping process a lot easier later).
In a big bowl, mix 8 ounces of minced pork with 2 tablespoons of water together (this is my mom’s secret in making the most delicious and juicy dumplings ever), then add 1/4 of a thumb of minced ginger, 1 stalk of minced scallions, 1/4 cup of small dried shrimp (this is going to add extra dimension of umami flavor), 4 tablespoons of light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of shaoxing wine, a pinch of salt, a pinch of Chinese pepper powder, pinch of sugar. Mix well. Then 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and add 2 tablespoons of oil and mix again. Lastly add the minced cabbage that we mixed in oil and combine.
Dampen the edges of the wrapper with water, scoop 1/2 of a tablespoon of filling on it. First fold in half. Pinch the middle of both sides. Then pleat it like this. 1, 2, 3. 1, 2, 3.
Boil water in a big pot, then add a pinch of salt and a dazzle of oil in the hot water (the salt is going to make the dumpling soup nice and clear later, and the oil will prevent the dumpling from sticking together). Then add the dumplings in and stir slowly with the back of a ladle. Cover with a lid. (There’s a saying in Chinese -- 蓋蓋子煮皮，開蓋子煮餡. It means that when you cover the lid, you cook the dumpling wrapper, and later when you take off the lid, you cook the filling inside.) Now once the water is boiled, add 1/4 of a cup of cold water. Repeat this step for 3 more times. Scoop out the dumplings and enjoy!
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