These pork and chive dumplings are juicy on the inside and are a wonderful addition to any meal whether they are steamed, boiled or pan-fried.
They can be eaten alone as an appetizer or served with noodle soup for a filling comforting meal.
We generally buy our dumplings from the store because it is much easier to buy them than make them ourselves but being that lunar new year is coming up next week, we decided to make a batch of our own.
And the great thing about dumplings is that you can make them in bulk and freeze them so you can use them throughout the year!
History of dumplings
Dumplings (gao zi) are made during Chinese new year because they represent togetherness.
I’m not too familiar with the history behind how the meaning was derived but dumplings represent togetherness to me because we always sit down at the dinner table and make them as a family.
Most of the time we are all so busy with our own tasks that we neglect family bonding time and making dumplings is one of the rare occasions where we can all sit down distraction free for a couple of hours to catch-up with each other.
Different types of dumplings
We decided to make pork and chive dumplings because chives represent everlasting life and pork represents wealth and strength. For this reason, a roast pig is often consumed at celebrations or grand openings of restaurants.
If you are not a fan of pork or chives, feel free to use chicken or other mixed vegetables instead! Sometimes we make a pork and cabbage or chicken and corn variation. That’s one of the great thing about dumplings, you get to customize the filling to your liking.
Pork and chive dumplings recipe
- 2 lb ground pork or chicken
- 1.5 cup chives chopped*
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons cooking wine
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon ginger juice (optional)
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- seasonings to taste
- 1/2 cup water
- 100 dumpling wrappers
- In a large bowl, combine the ground pork/chicken, chives, soy sauce, cooking wine, minced ginger, ginger juice, cornstarch and seasonings in a large bowl. Mix until all the ingredients are thoroughly distributed.
- Put the water in a small bowl. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of the dumpling wrapper. Dip your finger in the water and place it along the edges of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half to close. Crimp and pleat seams if desired.
- Cook dumplings by boiling, steaming or pan-frying them. Serve with soy sauce and dash of Chinese black vinegar.
- Freeze extra dumplings for up to 6 months.
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Wow, you are like the dumpling making machine. I’m embarrassed to say, I’ve never made dumplings before, though I’ve eaten many made by my mom and sister-in-law. Your recipe looks delicious. Thanks for sharing and happy FF!
You should try! It’s so therapeutic!