Search locations or food
OR
Sign up

Authentic Shuǐjiǎo Recipe China, Asia

JUMP TO RECIPE

We strongly advise you to read the cooking tips before jumping to the recipe though

Introduction & history

A member of the large family of Chinese dumplings jiaozi, shuǐjiǎo — meaning simply boiled dumplings — is a dish which is both everyday and festive. Served as a street food, in traditional restaurants, and on special occasions such as the Chinese New Year or family gatherings, shuǐjiǎo is a blank canvas whose fillings reflects the seasons, the region it is coming from, and personal taste. The preparation of shuǐjiǎo requires quite a lot of skill and time; therefore it is common to make it a group project. Usually, the filling is made with ground pork, Chinese sauerkraut, onions, scallions, garlic chives, prawns, cabbage, and mushrooms, but an entire array of other ingredients may be included. The wrappers can be store-bought or made from scratch by mixing wheat or rice flour with water and salt and kneading it into an elastic dough. This is where the skill kicks in — after resting for a while, the dough is divided into small pieces which ... Read more

Cooking tips

  • dough

    The dough for shuǐjiǎo is made with wheat or rice flour, water, and a little salt. If it feels sticky, add some flour. After kneading, the dough should rest to develop gluten which will make it more elastic. Then, the dough is rolled into strips and cut into pieces which will each make an individual dumpling. Each piece should then be rolled out into a thin circle so the centre is slightly thicker ... Read more
  • testing

    To check if the shuǐjiǎo filling is seasoned well, simply assemble one dumpling, boil and taste it. If necessary, adjust the seasoning to your preferences.
  • filling

    Minced pork is the most common meat choice in the shuǐjiǎo preparation. However, some recipes suggest minced beef, lamb, chicken or prawns — or they are completely vegetarian. Meat is often combined with ginger, mushrooms, garlic chives, scallions, Asian shallots, cucumber, bean sprouts and other ingredients. Ingredients with a high water content, such as Chinese sauerkraut suan cai or cucumbers, ... Read more
  • boiling

    Shuǐjiǎo dumplings are cooked in a large pot of boiling water which is sometimes slightly salted or oiled. The dumplings should be boiled in small batches, so the pot is not overcrowded; otherwise, they will stick. An old Chinese method suggests putting the dumplings into boiling water, waiting for the water to return to a full boil, and then adding enough cold water to stop the boiling completely.... Read more

Recipe variations

Suancai Shuǐjiǎo

PREP 1h

COOK 15min

READY IN 1h 15min

4.8

Rate It

Pork and suan cai — pickled Chinese cabbage also known as Chinese sauerkraut — are the main ingredients of this recipe. This kind of shuǐjiǎo is popular in Northern China.

Ingredients

8 Servings

Suancai Shuǐjiǎo

FOR THE DOUGH

300 g flour

water

2 tsp salt

FOR THE FILLING

400 g minced pork

400 g suan cai – Chinese sauerkraut

3 tbsp sunflower seed oil

2 tsp white sugar

10 g green onions

1 small piece ginger

3 tsp soy sauce

salt, to taste

Preparation

1

Suancai Shuǐjiǎo

Step 1/7

First, prepare the dough. Mix flour and salt and add just enough water to get a smooth, elastic dough which does not stick to your hands. Cover the dough and leave it to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Step 2/7

In the meantime, prepare the filling. First, wash the suan cai and green onions and peel the ginger. Chop the onions into small pieces and grate the ginger.

Step 3/7

In a large bowl, combine pork, green onions, ginger, sunflower oil, salt, sugar and some cold water.

Step 4/7

Squeeze the suan cai using your hands to drain it, cut it into smaller pieces, then stir it into the filling mixture.

Step 5/7

Dust the working surface with flour and divide the dough into two pieces. Roll out each half into a thin, long rope and cut it into smaller pieces similar to gnocchi. Press each piece with the palm of your hand to get a flat circle. Then, using a rolling pin, roll it out, so the middle is slightly thicker than the edges.

Step 6/7

Now, fill each dumpling wrapper with 1- 1,5 tbsp of filling. Place the dough circle on the palm of your left hand, drop the filling into the middle, and fold in half, sealing the edges, so they get a pleated appearance. Repeat until all the wrappers are filled.

Step 7/7

Boil a pot of water. Add dumplings, and when the water starts boiling again pour in 1 cup of cold water. Repeat three times. When the dumplings start floating on the surface, take them out and serve.

Rating And Comments

Rate It

Wanna try?

Add To List

Other authentic recipes