Ezhou Vegetable Dumplings

Ezhou Vegetable Dumplings

　　1. Making the dough: Use warm water — the amount should be just right. You can add a pinch of salt to the water. After kneading the dough, let it rest for 20–30 minutes.

2. The filling: The classic combination is chives and eggs. Finely chop the chives, scramble the eggs, soak the cellophane noodles in warm water and cut them into small pieces. You can also add some dried shrimp. Mix everything together with salt, soy sauce, sesame oil, chicken bouillon, and pepper. Note: When scrambling the eggs, use plenty of oil. If there isn’t enough oil, you can heat up a bit more and pour it in.

3. Assembling: Knead the rested dough until elastic, then roll it out into thin wrappers for the dumplings. The wrappers should be thin, otherwise they won’t taste good. Place the wrapper flat on the cutting board, add the filling, and pinch the edges of the dumpling closed by hand. There’s no special technique — just make sure the filling isn’t too much or too little. Too little and it won’t taste good, as it will mostly be dough; too much and it may break apart when cooking. Also, try not to trap any juice from the filling inside, as it can make the seal weak and cause the dumpling to open while cooking.

4. Cooking: Add a small amount of oil and coat the bottom of the pan. Place the dumplings in the pan once it is warmed up. Cook over medium heat until both sides are golden brown. Be careful not to use too high a heat, or they will burn, but don’t use too low a heat either, or they won’t cook through properly.