flipManchu Dumplings (饺子, jiǎozi)
Manchu Dumplings (饺子, jiǎozi)
Why this dish? Cixi, Manchu by birth, had loved jiaozi since childhood—a Northern dish, hand-pleated, that appeared at her table beyond all the splendor of opera and the hundred and eight dishes.
Small pasta pockets filled with minced pork, cabbage, and scallion, pinched by hand and poached in boiling water. The quintessential Northern dish, simple and comforting.
Before the palace gold, there was a little Manchu girl folding dough between her fingers—and the taste, it never left Me. They may serve Me a hundred dishes if they wish: it is still the fold of a jiaozi that takes Me back to the North of My childhood. The pork is minced with scallion, the edge of the disc is moistened, it is closed with a clean fold—neither too full nor stingy. You will throw them into boiling water, and when they rise and dance, they are ready. Do you see? Even an empress keeps a poor person's dish in her heart.
- •Wheat flour — for the dough (wrapper)
- •Minced pork — a portion (filling)
- •Chinese cabbage — a few leaves (filling, freshness)
- •Scallions and ginger — a little (aromatics)
- •Soy sauce — a drizzle (umami)
- •Sesame oil — a few drops (fragrance)
Manchu Dumplings (饺子, jiǎozi)
Small pasta pockets filled with minced pork, cabbage, and scallion, pinched by hand and poached in boiling water. The quintessential Northern dish, simple and comforting.
Why this dish? Cixi, Manchu by birth, had loved jiaozi since childhood—a Northern dish, hand-pleated, that appeared at her table beyond all the splendor of opera and the hundred and eight dishes.
Before the palace gold, there was a little Manchu girl folding dough between her fingers—and the taste, it never left Me. They may serve Me a hundred dishes if they wish: it is still the fold of a jiaozi that takes Me back to the North of My childhood. The pork is minced with scallion, the edge of the disc is moistened, it is closed with a clean fold—neither too full nor stingy. You will throw them into boiling water, and when they rise and dance, they are ready. Do you see? Even an empress keeps a poor person's dish in her heart.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wheat flour — for the dough (wrapper)
- Minced pork — a portion (filling)
- Chinese cabbage — a few leaves (filling, freshness)
- Scallions and ginger — a little (aromatics)
- Soy sauce — a drizzle (umami)
- Sesame oil — a few drops (fragrance)
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour — 300 g (dough)
- Water — 150 ml (dough)
- Minced pork — 250 g (filling)
- Chinese cabbage — 200 g, finely chopped and squeezed dry (filling)
- Scallions + grated ginger — 3 stalks + 1 tsp (aromatics)
- Soy sauce + sesame oil — 2 tbsp + 1 tsp (seasoning)
Method
- Knead flour and water into a smooth dough; let rest 30 minutes under a cloth.
- Mix pork, squeezed cabbage, aromatics, and seasonings into a homogeneous filling.
- Roll out dough, cut into discs, fill with a spoonful of filling.
- Moisten edges, pinch into tight pleats to seal well.
- Poach in boiling water for 4 to 5 minutes: they are cooked when they float. Serve with black vinegar.
How it was made : Jiaozi are a marker of Northern and Manchu culture: wheat dough rather than rice, water cooking, ritual hand-folding especially at New Year. At court, they were made with extreme care but remained this popular, identity-defining dish.
The contemporary twist : A dipping sauce of Zhenjiang vinegar with a little julienned ginger, as in Beijing teahouses.
Cixi · Charactorium
