China Main – Dumplings

For the main we decided to make Chinese dumplings, as according to China Highlights, these are lucky to eat at New Year. We were a little ad-hoc with our filling for these, but we used a combination of recipes from Omnivore’s Cookbook and Red House Spice.

For the filling we used pak choi, carrot, red pepper and beansprouts, seasoned with garlic, ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil.

The dumpling dough was a simple mixture of flour and hot water, kneaded until smooth and rested before rolling out into thin circles.

Filling the dumplings was a practise in patience! A small amount of filling was placed in the centre of each circle, then the edges were pinched and pleated together to seal.

We pan fried ours in a little oil until golden on the bottom, then added a splash of water and covered the pan to steam them through — the classic Chinese technique for crispy-bottomed dumplings!

These were a real labour of love but absolutely worth it! The crispy bottoms and soft tops with a flavourful filling were exactly what we hoped for. We served them with a simple soy and vinegar dipping sauce.

Let us know if you give these a go — Happy Chinese New Year!