Chinese recipe

Northern Chinese pork-and-cabbage jiaozi

Name: Northern Chinese pork-and-cabbage jiaozi
Prep time: 1 h 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Chinese cuisine
Ingredients: 400 g all-purpose flour; 210 ml warm water for dough; 2 g fine salt for dough; 400 g ground pork; 300 g napa cabbage, finely chopped; 40 g scallion, finely chopped; 15 g ginger, finely minced; 30 ml light soy sauce; 15 ml Shaoxing wine; 10 ml sesame oil; 5 g fine salt for filling; 1 g white pepper; 15 ml per 12 dumplings neutral cooking oil for the optional pan-fry method; 45 ml black rice vinegar for dipping; 15 ml chili oil for dipping; 60 ml per 12 dumplings water for the optional pan-fry method

Hand-pleated wheat dumplings with juicy pork, napa cabbage, ginger, and scallion, boiled and served with vinegar and chili oil.

Northern China

Prep: 1 hr 30 min
Cook: 30 min
Total: 2 hr
Servings: 4

Plump boiled jiaozi with smooth, lightly translucent wrappers on a white plate — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by lazy fri13thSource page · Original file · CC BY 2.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

400 g
all-purpose flour
210 ml
warm water for dough
2 g
fine salt for dough
400 g
ground pork
300 g
napa cabbage, finely chopped
40 g
scallion, finely chopped
15 g
ginger, finely minced
30 ml
light soy sauce
15 ml
Shaoxing wine
10 ml
sesame oil
5 g
fine salt for filling
1 g
white pepper
15 ml per 12 dumplings
neutral cooking oil for the optional pan-fry method
45 ml
black rice vinegar for dipping
15 ml
chili oil for dipping
60 ml per 12 dumplings
water for the optional pan-fry method

Method

01
Mix flour, dough salt, and warm water into a shaggy dough. Knead 8 minutes until smooth, cover, and rest at room temperature 30 minutes.
02
Salt chopped cabbage with the 5 g filling salt for 10 minutes, squeeze out all visible water, and combine with pork, scallion, ginger, soy, wine, sesame oil, and pepper until sticky.
03
Roll the dough into a 3 cm rope, cut 48 equal pieces, and roll each into an 8 cm round with a slightly thicker centre. Keep every piece covered so it does not dry.
04
Place exactly 15 g filling in each wrapper, pleat and seal firmly with no trapped air. Arrange all 48 dumplings on a lightly floured tray without touching.
05
For boiled jiaozi, bring 3 L water to a rolling boil over high heat. Cook 12–16 dumplings per batch for 6–8 minutes; they should float, the wrappers turn slightly translucent, and the centres reach 74°C.
06
Lift boiled jiaozi out with a slotted spoon and serve with black rice vinegar and chile oil on the side. For each optional 12-dumpling pan-fry batch, brown in 15 ml oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, add 60 ml water, cover 5 minutes, then uncover for 1 minute to crisp.

Practical notes

Tips

Squeeze cabbage very dry; its released water is the main cause of broken wrappers.
Keep unused dough and wrappers covered with a barely damp towel.

Common mistakes

A thick, uneven wrapper cooks gummy at the seam and tears at the thin side.
Boiling too many at once drops the water temperature and makes them stick.

Substitutions

napa cabbage (300 g) → garlic chives (300 g): Skip salting; mince and squeeze only if visibly wet.
pork (400 g) → ground turkey thigh (400 g): Add 10 ml extra oil and cook the center to 74°C.

Storage

Freeze uncooked dumplings on a floured tray until solid, then bag airtight for up to 2 months. Boil from frozen 8–10 minutes; refrigerate cooked dumplings up to 2 days and reheat in a covered pan.

Cultural context

Jiaozi are especially associated with northern Chinese family gatherings and Lunar New Year; their folded ingot-like shape is often read as a wish for prosperity. Boiled, steamed, and pan-fried forms all belong to the dumpling tradition.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.