How to Make the Perfect Dumpling

The ingredients you will need

The dough
250g flour
12g water
Pinch of table salt

Pork mince filling
1 thumb sized portion grated ginger
3 pieces green shallots
100ml water300g Chinese cabbage
300g pork mince
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp corn flour

How to make the dough

Mix water, flour and salt together to form dough then knead for 3 minutes or until firm and elastic. Spray or drizzle with vegetable oil and cover with plastic. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Ideally, the dough should be thinker in the centre and thinner around the edges. When you fold the edges together it shouldn't be too think. The Chinese usually roll the dough individually by dividing it into smaller portions. It is generally easier, however, to roll the dough out with a pasta machine or rolling pin to 2mm thick before cutting it with a round pastry cutter on a floured workbench.

How to make the filling

Grate the ginger and finely chop the shallots. Mix these ingredients into 100ml water and rub the shallots between your fingers to extract the juice. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes. Blanch the cabbage leaves for 1 minute in boiling water then strain. Dice the cabbage. Mix cabbage, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, corn flour and the ginger shallot mixture into pork mince.

To finish

Put 1 full teaspoon of filling in the middle of the portioned dough and wet edges with water to prevent sticking. Fold the dough working outwards in. Dust dumpling with flour to prevent sticking. To cook, simply boil for 5 minutes. Serve hot with combination of vinegar and soy sauce.

This recipe is based on the traditional Jiao-zi dumpling originating in northern China, interpreted by Zachary Ng. Image: Andrea Nguyen.