As I sit staring out from the cramped 8' x 8' space that is the seating area of Prosperity Dumpling, I bite into one of my delicious "five for a dollar" pork and chive parcels, and contemplate my weak will. About a half hour ago I left the safe, warm, and decidedly dry-floored confines of my apartment to move gingerly across icy Brooklyn sidewalks to the subway. Headed to Manhattan's Chinatown, I was ready to pick up some dumpling-making supplies. As the year of the Rabbit approaches (today being it's eve) I did this with the awareness that Chinese families throughout the city will spend the evening making jiaozi, Chinese dumplings, in preparation for a midnight feast that signifies the start of the Lunar New Year. It's a way for generations of family to be together at the start of the new year. A way of bonding and sharing. Admittedly, I do find myself —despite being Polish— to be an honorary Chinese, as my formative years were spent in Taiwan, so of course I was not to miss out on this important tradition.
Now, for those non-Chinese readers who would like to kick off the new year in this fine Chinese way, you generally have three options:
Option A: Do a quick Chinatown grocery run, call some friends and spend the evening wrapping and eating dumplings in celebration. I highly encourage this option and have supplied you with a wonderful jiaozi recipe at the end of this post.
Option B: Run to your nearest dumpling dealer, like Prosperity, and have someone do the work for you.
Option C: Score an invitation to a celebration at a Chinese household. Having done this in Taiwan, I can tell you that the slight awkwardness of generally not understanding what the hell is going on is completely offset by the high authenticity of the experience.
Today, I'm sticking to Option A... and B. Truth be told, my pit stop today is actually just that — a pit stop on the way to picking up ingredients to make MORE dumplings at home. Yeah, I know— weak will. While crossing the Williamsburg Bridge on the M train — destination Canal St — the words "juicy, fatty, porky, fried" just took control of my mind, and later my body, leaving me with no option but to leap through the subway doors just as they were closing, 2 stops shy of my target. "I simply need some inspiration for later" I rationalized. Meandering through the human traffic of the Eldrige station, I additionally told myself that at just $1 for the experience, I was sacrificing nothing (and with all the brisk walking I was doing, it will be like the whole calorie thing never happened). I made it to this well-known hole-in-the-wall and waited less than a minute for the object of my affection to be handed over on a paper plate, and after a quick squirt of soy/vinegar mixture and dollop of hot sauce, I found myself looking out the window, chewing in dazed delight. (As a side note, I've heard some mixed reviews about Prosperity Dumpling in the past, and just for the record I would like to say that they are amazing, though sometimes they have bad days. So, in the event that you weren't super impressed the first time, think about giving them another try).
Feeling sufficiently satisfied to continue on my intended trajectory, I headed over to Mott Street to my favorite butcher /fresh grocery/ prepared food store. Those who have been to Deluxe Food Market might know how the next 15 minutes played out. Old ladies pushing past at surprising speed (I am of the firm believe that they actually cannot see me at all), an array of legs, chops, heads and other undefinable animal parts displayed behind glass, crates of food being hauled from one end of the hallway-like space to the other. And of course, everyone having an overall disregard for personal space — "everyone" now having come to include me. I love this place. It's like stepping out of the Chinatown of Manhattan into the Chinatown of myths, with not only the ingredients you'll need to create some authentic creations, but also a large amount of cultural stimulus. Admittedly, for sauces, frozen and dried goods, and even homewares, I prefer the one-stop shopping of Kam Man, or Hong Kong Supermarket (their Manhattan location is sadly now closed). However, nothing beats the authenticity of Deluxe. I've seen it all here, from every imaginable part of a chicken, pig or cow through to alligator legs and even a poor little creature going by the name of Patrick. But I digress — it was pork I was after, and more importantly, pork fat.
1lb of ground pork (already streaked with fat), and 1/4 lb "fatty ground pork" (read: ground pork fat) to be exact. Fat fat fat fat fat! Now, I know it's February and some of you just shed a layer of "holiday weight," are "being good" by hauling ass to the gym, rain, shine or hellish snow storm — but hear this, you can not, CAN NOT, make a good dumpling without the fat. Regular supermarket ground pork will not do. It's too lean, and your dumplings, despite their new "healthy" seal of approval, will taste like seasoned cardboard. Please don't make this mistake. I have tried and failed before, and I don't want you going to all this work for it to all end in tears. (Another side note: They also sell dumpling mix that already has vegetables and seasoning added. I can't vouch for this as I've never tried it. The way I see it, if you are going to buy ready made mix, you may as well just get ready-made frozen dumplings. Save it for Sandra Lee. But, if you disagree and decide to give it a try, let me know how it is.) Aside from the pork, I grab some dumpling skins, scallions, ginger, garlic and Chinese cabbage.
And with that, I headed home to do what generations of Chinese have done for years, and quite interestingly, what generations of Poles do on their Christmas: sit at a table with family and friends wrapping dumplings (in the Poles' case, pierogi and uszka). Ok, so I'm exaggerating for the sake of prose — I will not be sitting at a table with generations of Chinese and Poles tonight. But I will, in a more solitary mode, be celebrating a bit of my own Chinese New Year, and hoping that the making of these dumplings, which symbolize prosperity and good fortune, will also send a little luck my way. (Tip: a coin is often added to one dumpling, the fortunate recipient thought to be lucky in the financial realm for the rest of the year. In these financial times, it might be an idea to try for all the help we can get).
And with this, I wish my Chinese friends a very happy Year of the Rabbit, and urge those who have not celebrated something like this in the past to see what a little new year tradition might bring for you in the coming year.
新年快樂!
Jiaozi - Chinese Dumplings
The following recipe is for pork, scallion and Chinese cabbage dumplings. However, vegetarians need not miss out - a really great green vegetable version can be found here. The vegetarian recipe is for zheng jiao, which are folded differently, but the filling works no matter how you fold.
Ingredients:
• 1lb of ground pork
• 1/4 lb of ground "fatty pork"
• 5 cups Chinese cabbage, chopped finely (you can substitute other Asian greens as if you like)
• 2 cups chopped scallions
• 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine
• 2 - 3 tablespoon sesame oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of chopped ginger
• 1 pack of round dumpling wrappers
For dipping:
• 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons black vinegar or rice wine vinegar
• a few drops of sesame oil
Method
Mix ingredients in a large bowl, being carful not to over-mix. Place a large teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper and rub a little bit of water around one edge. Fold in half and pinch the sides up to seal. For more detailed (and authentic) wrapping instructions, see here.
Jiaozi are traditionally boiled in a large pot of water for 8-10 minutes, however i've recently started steaming them which is also really great (the skins retain more of their integrity). If you choose to steam them, they will also need about 10 minutes.
Serve with dipping sauce and hot sauce if desired.
Serve with dipping sauce and hot sauce if desired.
Enjoy!
