Three Umami Dumplings in Emerald Jade Wrappers (Sanxian Jiaozi)
Servings: 30 dumplings
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 green onion, green part
- 6-7 large shrimp (16/20 size)
- 9 ounces (250 grams) ground pork (30% fat)
- handful dill, minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder, divided
- 1 teaspoon white pepper power, divided
- ½ tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ¼ cup peanut oil, preferably a full-flavored Chinese brand
White dough
- 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose or high-gluten flour
- ¼ cup (60 grams) lukewarm water + extra to adjust if needed
- ½ teaspoon salt
Green dough
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon (130 grams) all-purpose or high-gluten flour
- 3½ ounces (100 grams) fresh spinach to make about ¼ cup (65 grams) lukewarm spinach juice + extra to adjust if needed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- corn starch or flour for dusting
Instructions
Filling
- Add Sichuan peppercorn and green onion to a small bowl and add ¾ cup boiling water. Set aside.
- Using a toothpick, pick out the visible black line inside the shrimp. Finely chop ⅔ of the shrimp, then roughly chop the remaining ⅓. Transfer to a small bowl and marinate with ½ teaspoon ginger powder, ½ teaspoon white pepper powder and Shaoxing wine.
- In a large bowl, add pork, salt, the remaining ½ teaspoon ginger powder and ½ teaspoon white pepper powder, sugar and both soy sauces. Using a pair of chopsticks or your hand, stir counterclockwise until well combined. Add 2 tablespoons water from step 1 and stir counterclockwise until water is completely absorbed. Repeat several times, until you start to notice the pork became slightly increased in size, smooth and wobbly. By now you should have used approximately ¾ of the water. Discard the remaining water.
- Add shrimp and combine well, always stirring in the same direction. Add sesame oil and mix well. In a small pan, heat peanut oil to 212° F. Do not overheat, as the oil is meant to wilt the dill, not cook the pork. Sprinkle dill over the top of the pork mixture and pour the oil over it. Mix well and refrigerate the filling for at least 30 minutes (or as long as one day).
Doughs
- Add spinach leaves and ½ cup water to a food processor or blender and puree. Remove from the processor and add water until you have a thin liquid.
- In a large bowl, add flour and salt for the white dough. Add ¼ cup lukewarm water while stirring the flour with a rubber cake spatula or chopsticks. Knead by hand a couple times, gathering up the dough into a ball. It should be relatively dry and non-sticky. If you find the dough is too dry, wet your palm with water then tap the water on the dough to continue kneading; do not add water directly to the dough as you might end up adding too much water. If you find the dough too wet, add one teaspoon of flour to the dough and continue kneading, adding another teaspoon if needed. Let the dough rest about 10 minutes. Then return and knead the dough gently until it is smooth and elastic. This will take 2 to 5 minutes (depending on the flour and temperature). Cover with a thin damp towel.
- Repeat the process for the green dough, using spinach juice as the liquid.
- Both doughs should then rest for 30 to 60 minutes. The longer you wait, the softer it will get, but if you wait too little time, you will have difficulty rolling out the wrapper. If the dough becomes too soft after a long period of resting, gently knead for about 30 seconds. If the dough resists being rolled out, let it rest for a bit longer. Poke a hole with your finger on the dough, and if the dough doesn't bounce back, it is ready.
- Lightly flour your work surface. Roll both doughs into a long log about 1 inch thick in diameter. Using a rolling pin, roll the green dough out into a long, oval shape. The length should be as long as the white log, and the width should be enough to wrap around the white log. Place the white log on top of the green log, spread a small amount of water with your fingers on the top, then wrap it tightly. Roll the log a few times to ensure the two colors are sticking together.
- Cut the log into 30 portions of similar weight, about ½ ounce (13g - 15g). Work with one piece at a time, keeping the others under a damp cloth. Press flat with your palm to form a round disk. Use a rolling pin to roll into a rounded wrapper 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Dust corn starch on both sides (or flour if it is on the soft side) and set aside, covered with a damp cloth.
Dumplings
- Using one wrapper at a time, place one tablespoon of filling in the middle. Hold the wrapper in your palm and fold upward without sealing the dumpling. Make 2 to 3 pleats on each side of the "front," then press tightly to the "back" to seal the edge.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil, add one pinch of salt, and add a batch of dumplings. Do not overcrowd the pot. Using a wooden spoon, gently push the dumplings so they don't stick to the bottom. Cover the pot with a lid and return to a boil. Remove the lid once the dumplings are boiling and add 1 cup cold water to the pot. Bring to a boil again and then turn off the heat. Take the dumplings out with a strainer. Sprinkle a small amount of sesame oil on the dumplings.
- Serve with soy sauce, black vinegar, chili oil, minced garlic and chopped green onions to make a dip to your liking.