Pork and Chive Jiaozi
Hand-pleated dumplings — boil, pan-fry, or steam them.
Ingredients
- 40 Dumpling wrappers
- 400 g Ground pork
- 100 g Chinese chives
- 20 g Ginger
- 2 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Peanut oil
- 3 Scallions (optional)
- 1 tbsp Toasted sesame oil (optional)
- ½ tsp White pepper (optional)
- 4 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar (optional)
Method
- Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- While the water heats, mince the ginger fine. Slice the scallions thin. Chop the chives small.
- Mix the pork with ginger, scallion, soy, wine, sesame oil, pepper, salt, and a splash of cold water — stir in one direction until tacky.
- Fold in the chives last.
- Set out wrappers, filling, and a small bowl of water on a tray.
- Place a teaspoon of filling on a wrapper. Wet the rim, fold in half, and pleat one side — repeat for all.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high. Arrange the dumplings flat-side down and fry until golden, 3 minutes.
- Pour in a thin layer of the boiled water. Cover and steam 6 minutes until the water evaporates and the bottoms crisp.
- Serve with black vinegar dipping sauce.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Pork and Chive Jiaozi
Jiaozi are the crescent-shaped dumplings at the center of northern Chinese food culture, eaten year-round but especially bound up with New Year celebrations, when families gather to fold them together. This pork and chive version is the quintessential filling, and its texture is the key: stirring the ground pork in one direction with a splash of cold water until it turns tacky is what makes the cooked filling springy and juicy rather than dense. The Chinese chives are folded in last so they stay fresh and green.
One of the pleasures of jiaozi is their versatility — the same dumplings can be boiled tender, steamed, or pan-fried into crisp-bottomed potstickers, and this recipe walks you through the fried method with its golden, water-steamed finish. Hand-pleating each one is a meditative, communal task, and the tray of finished dumplings is part of the reward. They're substantial enough to make a main course rather than just a starter. Serve them with Chinkiang black vinegar for dipping, whose mellow, malty tartness is the traditional and near-mandatory partner.
Pork and Chive Jiaozi: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Pork and Chive Jiaozi?
A serving has about 638 calories — 29.8g protein, 62.7g carbs, 29.7g fat, 3.3g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 29.8g of protein, roughly 19% of its calories.
Is Pork and Chive Jiaozi gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Dumpling wrappers, Light soy sauce. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for those ingredients to make it gluten-free.
How long does Pork and Chive Jiaozi take to make?
About 75 minutes start to finish, but only around 48 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Pork and Chive Jiaozi?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out scallions, toasted sesame oil, white pepper — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Pork and Chive Jiaozi make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.