Have you ever had a Chinese dumpling? If you still haven't, you are definitely missing out on this super delicious captain of food! Dumplings are also a fun food to share with family and friends. For decades, families in China have prepared dumplings to share a meal together for a special occasion. It is a custom which has been traditional for generations. And now you too can make these delicious morsels yourself with a little help from Zhengzhou Meijin!
Dumpling making may seem intimidating when you first see it, but the right tools, ingredients and steps can make anyone a dumpling master! The first step is to gather your ingredients. PREPARING DUMPLING: flour, water and your filling. We have many filling options at Zhengzhou Meijin. You can stick to traditional fillings like pork and cabbage, or you can go for something else: they have vegetarian fillings too, which are really delicious.
Once you have everything prepped, it is time to make the dough for your dumplings. Start by combining the flour and water in a bowl until you form a smooth and pliable dough. This part is crucial, because the dough has to be just perfect for folding later on. Allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes or more after mixing. After mixing the dough, let it rest for a while so it’s easier to work with. In the meantime, you can start to make your filling.
Ingredients of your choice into erm, small pieces… and create the perfect filling for your dumplings. This helps to mix everything together more easily.” After chopping your desired ingredients, mix with spices and seasonings of choice. Be sure to mix up the filling well so your dumpling is flavourful in every bite. Once your filling is prepped, the fun part — shaping your dumplings — begins. Roll out the dough to a thin sheet and batch cut the circles. Put a spoonful of your filling in the center of each circle of dough.
Now it’s the fun part: folding the dumplings! They can be folded in many different ways, but a classic and quite simple style is the crescent fold. For this, you take one circle of dough with filling in the middle and fold it over on itself half over the filling. Pinch the edges firmly together so that makes a nice curve. Be sure to not leave any gaps so the filling stays contained when cooked.
To make dumplings isn’t simply to cook (though, of course, it is); it’s a precious family tradition that’s been passed down through the generations for quite a long time. In China, it is believed that eating dumplings brings good luck and happiness, especially during the Chinese New Year, one of the most important annual festivities. But when families gather to share a plate of dumplings, it’s a way to be close to one another, and to celebrate good food, and good times, together.
To make good dumplings, you need the right tools. At Zhengzhou Meijin, we sell the items needed to make a perfect dumpling: rolling pins, steamer baskets and all the messengers. Do you know what I think is one of the most important tools, a dumpling wrapper press. This handy tool will allow you to make the dough into nice, even circles for filling and folding your dumplings more easily. Oh, with the right tools and techniques, you can make dumplings that not only taste good, but look good and professional too.