TRIPLE DUTY JAOTZE: common meeting ground for vegans & non-vegans

These little beauties are one of 67's favourite dumplings;  the fillings can be vegan, fishy or meaty -- and the recipe will accommodate all three!

first posted jan 2017; updated jan 2023

Easy home-made crispy-bottomed Jaotze dumplings 

A party to make and eat jaozte can help ease household tensions over conflicting eating plans.  A variety of fillings are offered - vegan, fishy or meaty - and whichever ones are chosen, the jatoze are so much fun to make, they'll be a great bonding exercise.  And whatever the jaotze end up looking like;  they'll still taste unbelievably good.

67 recalibrated a traditional recipe to take account of end-of-January budgets and worries about fat and salt.  Techniques were modified to make prep easier.  

The flavourings come from ordinary supermarket ingredients though a trip to the nearest Chinatown may be required for ready-made wonton pastry. (The frugal can make their own - there are plenty of recipes on the net.) 

Minced pork is traditionally used to stuff the jaotze (fillet is lower in fat than shoulder) but minced turkey has the least fat and is cheaper.  But whatever mince is in your fridge will do.  To meet all eating plans, there's a prawn filling and a vegan filling.  Fillings can be made a day ahead.   

Getting the hang of the stuffing and folding can be boisterous.  It's best to form an assembly line: one person to stuff the pastry, one to fold and enclose, one to pleat, one to cook.  Persevere with the pleating; misshapen dumplings taste just as good as impeccable ones. 

  
Cost: £4.50 (2022)
Makes: 36 dumplings (filling can be frozen)

Ingred: (vegan filling below)

   500gm/16oz minced lean pork, turkey or chicken OR small cooked prawns 
   1 lightly beaten egg
   1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch or rice flour
   1 1/2 tbsp dry sherry or shao sing rice wine or brandy or white grape juice
   1/2 -1 tbsp reduced-salt Soy Sauce (Amoy or Pearl River Bridge)
   1/2 cup finely chopped green onions, green & white
   
   1/2 cup + 2 tbsp rich broth

   2 pkg 3in/7cm circular won ton circular wrappers  

   3/4 cup water

  Jaotze Dipping Sauce (choose 1 or both of 2, below)


Equipment:

• 10-11in/25cm deep frying pan with tight fitting lid 
•  2 unused j-cloths or pieces of muslin
•  one chopstick

Method:

1. Mix chosen filling with all ingred except broth & water; use your hands to squeeze ingredients together 
2. Once everything is blended, stir in a circular motion & gradually add broth
3. Freeze 15 mins or until very cold but not frozen OR refrigerate in coldest part of the fridge overnight
4. Open packet of won ton wrappers; cover completely with a clean damp j-cloth to prevent drying 
5. Fill centre of won ton wrappers with 2 level teaspoons filling; the bottom is flat with a sharpish peak; (note the oval shape of the wrappers)  
   
6. Bring up the long edges of the dough; pinch the middle but leave the ends open, forming a crescent; use a little water to seal if necessary.  The end of a chopstick can be useful to push in the filing on the ends. 
   
7. On the side facing you, at the left-hand edge, place thumb on top and forefinger below; push the dough upwards into a fold/pleat facing the centre.  Form a further 3 folds/pleats toward the centre.
8. Do the same on the right hand side
9. With luck, the dumpling will look like a flat-bottomed purse, only a little more elegant than 67's (but see how nice they look when cooked -- at top of post)
10. Place on a floured board & cover with damp clean cloth
11. When ready to cook, heat pan on med-high till hot; generously spray with oil; add dumplings bottom side down
12. Cook 2 mins or until golden brown underneath; slide a fish slice underneath to check 
13. Pour water into the pan & cover with lid 
14. Turn heat up high, cook until water is almost gone - about 5 mins; towards end of cooking time, shake pan sharply to ensure bottoms are not sticking
15. Reduce heat to low, cook 3-5 mins 
16. Turn heat back up to high to brown the bottom of the dumplings (try not  to burn them!)
17. Serve with Jao-tze Sauce (below)

Jao-tze Dipping Sauce 

   2 tbsp minced garlic
   3-4 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce (Amoy/Pearl River Bridge)
   8 tbsp red wine vinegar or white vinegar
   1 tsp sugar (opt)
   1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
Mix well and serve in a bowl

OR Ginger & Scallion Sauce  

     3 tsp grated ginger  

     6 tbsp finely chopped white spring onions  

     3 tbsp groundnut/peanut oil  

     1 generous tsp grated garlic (opt)

Put ginger & spring onions in heatproof bowl; heat oil until very hot and pour over; the ginger and spring onions will sizzle.  Stir and decant into serving bowl 

Vegan Filling:
   8oz/225gm coarsely processed, crumbled or finely diced firm tofu, marinaded 20 mins in 1 tbsp sherry, 2 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce, 1 tsp finely minced garlic, 1 generous tsp grated raw 1/3 tsp powdered ginger
     1/4 cup spring onions, white & green, finely chopped
   1/4 bell pepper, in fine slivers
    4 tbsp drained tinned water chestnut, without blemishes, in small dice (opt)
    4 tbsp coarsely chopped drained tinned bamboo shoots (opt)
   zest half a lemon 
   1/2-1 red chilli, deseeded & de-membraned; finely diced  or 1/8 tsp chilli flakes(opt)
   1 tsp chopped parsley
   1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch or rice flour

   1 1/2 tbsp dry sherry or shao sing rice wine or brandy or white grape juice

Mix all ingredients; it will be sloppy but will be fine once encased in the wonton pastry

Tips:

• 67's electric elements retain the heat; the pan was taken off the element briefly before cooking resumed
• Those with problems with blood pressure should replace some soy sauce with water or stock
• If making your own dumplings seems too much, it is possible to takeaway uncooked dim sum from some restaurants; vegetarian fillings will be available on request. Steam or deep fry at home.  Phone ahead. 

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This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission