Winter Solstice Jiaozi Feast (Boiled Pork and Cabbage Dumplings)

Dumpling wrappers

• 360 g Plain flour
• 1 tsp Fine sea salt
• 200 ml Water, just-boiled

Pork and cabbage filling

• 350 g Napa cabbage
• 1 tsp Fine sea salt
• 4 Spring onion
• 20 g Ginger root
• 400 g Minced pork
• 2 tbsp Light soy sauce
• 2 tsp Sesame oil

Dipping sauce

• 4 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
• 2 tbsp Light soy sauce
• 2 tsp Chili oil

1. Make the wrapper dough: put the plain flour and 1 tsp fine sea salt in a mixing bowl. Pour in the just-boiled water and stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. When cool enough to handle, knead for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth.
2. Cover the dough and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to relax the gluten. While it rests, start the filling.
3. Finely chop the napa cabbage and put it in a bowl with 1 tsp fine sea salt. Toss well and leave for 10 minutes, then squeeze out as much liquid as you can. This keeps the filling juicy without turning watery.
4. Thinly slice the spring onion and finely grate the ginger root. In a bowl, mix the minced pork with the cabbage, spring onion, ginger, light soy sauce and sesame oil until the mixture looks slightly sticky and well combined.
5. Divide the dough into 2 pieces, keeping one covered while you work. Roll each piece into a long rope and cut into small, even nuggets. Roll each nugget into a thin round wrapper with a rolling pin, keeping the centre slightly thicker than the edges.
6. Fill and pleat: place a small spoonful of filling in the centre of each wrapper. Pinch to seal, pleating the edge as you go, and make sure there are no gaps. Keep finished dumplings covered while you shape the rest.
7. Bring a large pot of water to a lively boil. Add dumplings in batches, stirring gently once so they do not stick, and return to the boil. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until the wrappers look slightly translucent and the dumplings float and feel plump.
8. Lift the dumplings out with a colander and drain well. Mix the Chinese black vinegar, light soy sauce and chilli oil for dipping. Serve the dumplings hot, family-style, with the dipping sauce on the side.

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