Egg and chive jiaozi
Egg and chive dumplings
Northern Chinese boiled dumplings with scrambled egg, Chinese chives and glass noodles
In northern China, from Shandong to Dongbei, families sit round the table on Chinese New Year's Eve and fold jiaozi together to eat at midnight. Jiu cai ji dan, egg and garlic chive, is the classic meat-free filling: soft scrambled egg, bright green chives and a few glass noodles to soak up the juices. Boil them and serve with black vinegar and chilli oil, or pan-fry the leftovers the next day. Chef's tip: stir a spoonful of oil into the chopped chives before adding the salt; the oil seals in their juice so the filling doesn't go watery.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 5
Ingredients
For the dough
- 10 ½ oz plain flourplus extra for dusting
- ¾ cup cold water
- ¼ tsp salt
For the filling
- 4 eggs
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 9 oz Chinese garlic chiveswashed, dried and finely chopped
- 1 oz mung bean glass noodlessoaked 10 minutes and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
Dipping sauce
- 4 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlicgrated
- 1 tbsp chilli oil (optional)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour and ¼ tsp salt, add ¾ cup cold water a little at a time and knead for 8 minutes into a smooth, firm dough. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
Step 2: Beat 4 eggs. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok over a medium heat and scramble the eggs into small, soft curds, breaking them up with chopsticks; take them off while still just moist. Cool.
3 minStep 3: Toss 9 oz Chinese garlic chives with 1 tbsp vegetable oil first, then mix in the cooled egg, 1 oz mung bean glass noodles, ¾ tsp salt, 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil and ¼ tsp ground white pepper. Common mistake: salting the filling long before wrapping; mix it only when you're ready to fold.
Step 4: Roll the dough into two long ropes and cut each into 20 pieces. Press each flat and roll into an 8 cm circle, thinner at the edge than the centre.
Step 5: Put a heaped teaspoon of filling in the middle, fold into a half-moon, pinch the middle shut, then pleat each side towards the centre. Set on a floured tray, not touching.
35 minStep 6: Bring a large pan of water to a boil and add 15–20 dumplings, stirring once. When it returns to the boil, add a cup of cold water; repeat twice more. They are done when they float and look puffed, about 6–7 minutes.
7 minStep 7: Mix 4 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 cloves garlic and 1 tbsp chilli oil for dipping and serve the jiaozi hot. To freeze, open-freeze the uncooked dumplings on the tray, then bag; boil from frozen for 8–9 minutes.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does egg and chive jiaozi take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 70 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 5 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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