Enter the Dragon

Photo © Rob Jones

新年快乐 - Xīn Nián Kuài Lè

Out goes the Rabbit and in comes the Dragon. Power, Nobility, Luck, Prosperity and Happiness….

…. and Dumplings.

Invited to a lovely Chinese New Year party in St. Agnes on the north coast of Cornwall. And a quick chance to enjoy Trevaunance Cove before hand. Surely a rainbow is a good sign for the year ahead? Most auspicious.

Photo © Rob Jones

Chinese music, all the right decorations, and lovely food - Jiaozi Dumplings and Kung Pao Chicken - only in deepest darkest Poldark Country.

As if you needed it after the entrance of the Dragon - eating Jiaozi dumplings are symbolic of comfort, hope and prosperity. Said to have been created when a Chinese physician in the Han Dynasty who travelled back to his home village in a brutal winter found the people cold, starving and sick. So he wrapped medicinal herbs in some dough and steamed them, and then handed them out to the whole village and they all recovered.

In china, it’s still a very sociable thing to do, sit at the kitchen table and make batch after batch of dumplings for the gathered friends and family. If you are looking for a mindful activity, then this is it.

Once you get a taste for Jiaozi, it doesn’t leave you easily. It sets upon you like a fever. But fear not …

They are incredibly easy to make - especially if you cheat.

I bought some ready-made dumpling wraps in the Asian supermarket in Penzance, though they are just made with fine flour and water. Plus, I pre-cooked the filling. In theory you should be able to use a raw filling which cooks when you steam the Jiaozi later.

For the filling, I reverse engineered some herby pork sausages I had in the fridge. Fried up some Spring Onions, Garlic and Sushi Ginger. Mixed in the sausage meat, and added a little Soy, Rice Wine, Tamarind Sauce and some finely chopped steamed white Cabbage. You want the mixture to be as fine as possible otherwise the dumplings end up lumpy. Not the end of the world. But it’s nice if the end product looks pretty :-)

Assemble the Jiaozi by moistening the edge of your wraps and tea-spooning some mixture into the centre. Fold the wrap in half and pinch at the top. Then it’s a question of pleating the edges either side so the wrap is sealed. There’s a knack to it, but not a tricky one. There are handy videos online which show you how.

Shallow fry the base of the dumplings in a pan. When they are a nice colour, pour in some water to steam cook the rest of the dumpling. Takes about 5 mins in all.

Serve with Soy sauce or the special Dumpling Vinegar which is more authentic though you have to search for it in the shops. Readily available in Asian supermarkets.

May the luck of the Dragon go with you.

R