Step 1 of 8
Make the dough first. Mix flour and salt. Add boiling water to half, stirring; then cold water to the other half. Combine and knead 8 minutes until smooth. Rest, covered, 30 minutes.
Step 2 of 8
Salt the chopped napa, leave 10 minutes, then squeeze out all the liquid in a clean cloth. This step is non-negotiable.
Step 3 of 8
Combine pork, drained napa, garlic chives, ginger, garlic, soy, Shaoxing, sesame oil, and white pepper. Stir vigorously in one direction for 90 seconds — develops the filling's bind.
Step 4 of 8
Roll the dough into a 3 cm-thick rope. Cut into 40 equal pieces. Roll each piece between palms into a ball.
Step 5 of 8
Press each ball flat with the heel of your hand. Roll into 8 cm circles, thinner at the edges than the centre — the centre supports the heavier filling, the edges pleat thinner.
Step 6 of 8
Place a heaped teaspoon of filling in each wrapper. Fold in half, pinch the centre closed, then pleat 3–4 times along one side toward each end.
Step 7 of 8
Cook either boiled (drop into a pot of vigorously boiling water, stir gently. When dumplings float, add 100 ml cold water. Repeat twice. Total 5 minutes) or pan-fried (heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide pan over medium-high. Arrange dumplings flat-side down. Fry 2 minutes until golden underneath. Add 100 ml water and cover. Steam 6 minutes. Uncover, let any remaining water evaporate). The pan-fried version is *guotie*, the boiled version is *shui jiao*.
Step 8 of 8
Whisk equal parts black vinegar and water with a splash of soy and a spoonful of chili oil. Serve dumplings hot with dipping sauce.
Ingredients 15
the wrappers
- 300 g plain flour
- 160 ml boiling water (for half the dough)
- 40 ml cold water
- 1/2 tsp salt (for the dough)
the filling
- 400 g ground pork (20% fat — don't go leaner)
- 200 g napa cabbage, very finely chopped, salted and squeezed dry
- 100 g garlic chives, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp finely minced ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1.5 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
the dip
- Chinkiang black vinegar for dipping
- Chili oil for dipping