What are Chinese Dumplings or Jiaozi?
Mar 2nd, 2008 by admin
I could write an entire book on Chinese dumplings, but I’m going to restrict myself to just one post, for now. The two recipes for dumplings, How to Make Chinese Dumplings or Jiaozi + How to Make Chinese Steamed and Pan-fried Dumplings, are among the most popular posts on World Foodie Guide, along with the recipe for hot pot, so I thought readers might like a summary of the varieties of Chinese dumplings. For jiaozi aficionados, please excuse some of the generalisations below, as this is meant to be a brief and simple guide.
Firstly, a quick language lesson. Jiaozi is the generic term in Mandarin for all Chinese dumplings. In Cantonese, they are called gau gee or gow gee (the two most common spellings). The Japanese language uses many Chinese characters (kanji), so the pronunciation of the Chinese characters for jiaozi is gyoza. So – jiaozi, gau gee / gow gee and gyoza all refer to the same thing – Chinese dumplings.
What are jiaozi?
Jiaozi typically consist of minced meat and vegetable fillings wrapped in thin round flour dough skins or wrappers, which are then sealed and pleated by hand. The types of filling are numerous, including pork, beef, mutton, seafood, fish, chicken, cabbage and Chinese chives, with more combinations of these ingredients. Vegetarian fillings are becoming increasingly more common too.
Jiaozi are eaten all year round and can be eaten at any time of the day – breakfast, lunch or dinner. They can constitute one course, starter or side dish, or the main meal. Every family has its own preferred method of making them, with favourite fillings, and of course, jiaozi types and preparation vary widely according to region.
Jiaozi Types:
- Shuijiao (Mandarin) or tsui gau (Cantonese), literally ‘water dumplings’, are boiled. They are eaten with a vinegar-based dipping sauce, or served in soup, with or without noodles. This type of jiaozi – boiled and served with a dipping sauce – is traditionally prepared and eaten on the eve of Chinese New Year, the most important festival in the Chinese calendar. The crescent shape of jiaozi is similar to the gold and silver ingots used in old China, and therefore symbolise wealth for the year ahead. Entire families will get together to help to prepare them in vast quantities (hundreds) for the celebration. But they are also eaten all year round
- Jianjiao (Mandarin) literally means ‘pan-fried dumplings’, prepared by frying boiled or steamed dumplings. They are common in Shandong province. If fried uncooked, eg without boiling or steaming them first, they are called guotie (Mandarin) or wor tip (Cantonese). Served with various kinds of dipping sauces, they are truly delicious. They usually come in a crescent shape, which is created by flattening the dumpling on one side. I love fried dumplings, whether they are jianjiao or guotie. To be honest, I can’t tell the difference between the two once they are placed in front of me…
- Zhengjiao (Mandarin) or jing gau (Cantonese), literally ’steam dumpling’, are steamed in bamboo baskets. They are not as commonly prepared at home as the boiled and pan-fried versions, because they take longer to prepare. Dim sum originates from Guangdong province, and includes many types of steamed dumplings, including the classic prawn dumpling har gau (Cantonese) or xia jiao (Mandarin). Steamed dumplings tend to be wrapped in thinner translucent rice flour or wheat starch skins
- Wontons (Cantonese) or huntuns (Mandarin) are typically filled with minced pork and shrimp and wrapped in thinner, silkier square skins made from wheat flour. They are boiled and served in clear broth, with or without noodles, or fried and served with a dipping sauce. There are several common shapes, including triangular and globular. Different regions have their own versions. For example, Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, is famous for Chengdu huntuns, boiled then tossed in a hot and spicy sauce with mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorns
- Shanghai soup dumplings, also known as xiao long bao (Mandarin) or siu long bao (Cantonese) – I’ve included them here, as in my opinion they are dumplings. They look and taste like dumplings, even though they are referred to as bao or bun in Chinese. There’s much heated debate in the culinary world about whether they are actually dumpling or bao! I’ve written two posts extolling their virtues, What are Xiao Long Bao and How To Eat Xiao Long Bao
- Tangyuan (Mandarin) or tong yuen (Cantonese), also known as yuanxiao (Mandarin), are boiled round dumplings made with glutinous rice flour and filled with sweet sesame paste, red bean paste or chopped peanuts and sugar. They can also be unfilled. Either way, they dissolve in the mouth and are delightful. Tangyuan are particularly popular during the Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month. It marks the end of Chinese New Year and is the first night to see a full moon
What are your favourite jiaozi? Or are you just confused now?!
Check out the Useful Info page for more informational posts on Chinese food.
oh my gosh, this made me so hungry (it’s 8.45 am and am seriously wanting some soup dumplings to start my day!). my favourite has got to be pan-fried gyoza, hands-down. another great dumpling is the shanghai 生煎包 … pan-fried ‘buns’? it’s so hard to get good ones though, ones that are still nice and juicy inside. it’s difficult since the bun can easily absorb whatever liquid there is inside – i wonder how the masters do it!
Those Shanghai pan-fried ‘buns’ sound delicious! I got a bit confused writing this post to be honest, so let me know if I got anything wrong. Maybe I was trying too hard to list the various types, when I should have just taken the attitude that all dumplings are great, whatever the prep method!
They all look so delicious. I used to make fried wontons and your post reminded me it’s been long time…
Last summer, my daughter introduced me to something that might be called “shrimp noodle?” Her Taiwanese friend’s mother served them. Maybe it’s not a real dumpling, but they are really delicious: sort of a rice noodle pancake rolled up with tiny dried (?) shrimp, then fried and served with a vinegar-soy dipping sauce. I have no idea how to make them, but I find them often in the refrigerated section of one Asian grocery.
Hi Tess
Your little cat looks like a lion cub, so sweet! I think I know what you’re referring to, with dried shrimp. I’ve had it before, having found it in the fridge of a Chinese supermarket, but haven’t tried it fresh. I can’t remember the name of it. Tasty though!
Tess,
Are these the ones we were talking about?
http://vegeyum.wordpress.com/2007/10/11/the-rolls-rice/
That’s my cat “Gracie” who we acquired as a stray who used to come to the kitchen door looking for food—there is an apartment complex across the street and when some folk move out they abandon their cats—and we already had 2 cats so we’d tell the cat at night, “Say good night, Gracie!” Do you know George Burns and Gracie Allen? Anyway, that is the friendliest cat I’ve ever seen!
And YES those are what I’m talking about. I’ll have to try them as they are cooked on the site you referenced. What is XO sauce? Thanks for the info!
Hi Tess
What is XO sauce?! Funny that, I’ve written a post called What is XO Sauce?
http://worldfoodieguide.wordpress.com/2007/12/13/what-is-xo-sauce-the-larder-by-helen-yuet-ling-pang/
It’s lovely, addictive stuff!
Gracie is cute. My cat’s called Molly, also a cutie and a rescue cat…
I was thinking of your love of jiaozi when writing my review of Shun Yi Fu. You should definitely try the dumplings there if you visit Beijing as part of your 5-year plan.