Happy Chinese New Year, five dumplings to share (jiaozi 饺子)

It’s a northern custom to make and eat dumplings on the first day of the New Year (chuyi 初一), and we were determined to do it right, with several kinds of fillings.  We went out to Sanyuanli Market (三元里市场) to source goods for dumpling-making in celebration of Chinese New Year.  It was packed to the brim with fresh goods, and hopping with people picking up their hot pot meat and auspicious fishes, but all the vendors were calm and patient.

I get a bit tired of the standard pork, cabbage, mushroom, and shrimp filling that is often offered as the “classic” jiaozi filling.  Since we forgot in the excitement of the evening to take photos and we drank beer and I played Willy Wonka with the fillings and besides, you know how to test a filling, right?  just heat up a pan and fry up a small patty…. I am offering without verifiable measurements short notes on jiaozi recipes that are no less remarkably delicious than the old standby.

We picked up 8 jin (4 kg) worth of fresh dumpling wrappers.  That’s a hell of a lot of wrappers.

1. Lamb and Cilantro (yangrou xiangcai 羊肉香菜饺子): 500 grams of ground slightly fatty lamb (not sure which cut: I informed the halal butcher I would make jiaozi, she picked out a piece of meat, I shouted the ever safe and popular “One jin!”, and before I knew it it was ground up and handed back to me); a large bunch of cilantro, roots torn away and chopped finely; a sprinkle of cumin; three or four healthy pinches of salt; half a beaten egg; mixmixmix
2. Pork and Eggplant (zhurou qiezi 猪肉茄子饺子): 500 grams of ground slightly fatty pork; two eggplants in a fine dice; two drizzles of sesame oil; a large knob of ginger grated in; a splash of light soy sauce; three healthy pinches of salt; half a beaten egg; mixmixmix
3. Mushroom (xianggu 香菇饺子): Eight or nine fresh shiitake mushrooms; three handfuls each of dried shitakke, porcini, and chicken claw mushrooms reconstituted in water; one handful of dried scallops reconstituted in water; chopchopchop; big splash of dark soy sauce; pinch of salt; two beaten eggs; mixmixmix
4. Kimchee and tofu (paocai doufu 泡菜豆腐饺子): What feels like nearly half a head of kimchee, finely chopped; soft tofu all mashed up; drizzle of sesame oil; drizzle of light soy sauce; mixmixmix
5. Chicken and lamb livers, shallots, and a droplet of Shanghainese yellow wine (huangjiu 黄酒): this is a new dumpling invented by an intrepid roommate and the Western-style contribution.  Caramelize about five finely chopped shallots; add butter; fry up a few livers in butter and huangjiu; blitz in a blender

And at the end of night, what better way than to finish than with loads and loads of fireworks near Lama Temple?

Happy Year of the Tiger!