Jiaozi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jiaozi | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Chinese name | |
| Simplified: | 饺子 |
| Traditional: | 餃子 |
| Hanyu Pinyin: | jiǎozi |
| Wade-Giles: | chiao-tzu |
Jiaozi (Chinese transliteration) or gyōza (Japanese transliteration) is a kind of Chinese dumpling, widely popular in China, Japan, and Korea as well as outside of East Asia. This dumpling consists of a ground meat and/or vegetable filling wrapped into a thinly rolled piece of dough, which is then sealed by pressing the edges together or by crimping. The jiaozi should not be confused with the wonton: the jiaozi dumpling has a thicker skin and is a flatter, more oblate, double-saucer like shape (similar in shape to ravioli), and is usually eaten with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce (and/or hot chili sauce); while a wonton has a thinner skin, is sphere-shaped, and is usually served in broth.
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[edit] Chinese version of the dumpling
Chinese dumplings (jiaozi) may be divided into various types depending on how they are cooked:
- Shallow fried dumplings (guotie) lit. "pan stick", known as "potstickers" in N. America, (鍋貼; pinyin: guōtiē), also referred to as "dry-fried dumplings" (煎餃; pinyin: jiānjiǎo).
Dumplings that use egg rather than dough to wrap the filling are called "egg dumplings" or (蛋餃; pinyin: dànjiǎo).
Common dumpling meat fillings include pork, mutton, beef, chicken, fish, and shrimp which are usually mixed with chopped vegetables. Popular vegetable fillings include cabbage, scallion (spring onions), and Chinese chives. Dumplings are eaten with a soy sauce-based dipping sauce that may include vinegar, garlic, ginger, rice wine, hot sauce, and sesame oil.
Dumplings are one of the major foods eaten during the Chinese New Year, and year round in the northern provinces. The shape of a dumpling resembles a Chinese golden tael; therefore they symbolize good fortune in the coming year. Traditionally, families get together to make jiaozi for the Chinese New Year. In rural areas, the choicest livestock is slaughtered, the meat ground and wrapped into dumplings, and frozen outside with the help of the freezing weather. Then they are boiled and served for the Chinese New Year feast. Dumplings with sweet, rather than savoury fillings are also popular as a Chinese New Year treat.
Cantonese style Chinese dumplings (gaau) are standard fare in dim sum. These are different from jiaozi; they are smaller and wrapped in a thinner translucent skin, and usually steamed. Fillings include shrimp, scallop, chicken, tofu, mixed vegetables, and others. The most common type are shrimp dumplings, sometimes called as Haa Gaau ( 蝦餃; Cantonese Jyutping: haa1 gaau2 ). In contrast to jiaozi, which are easy to make at home, gaau are rarely home-made as they are more difficult to prepare. Many types of fillings exist, and dim sum restaurants often feature their own house specials or innovations. Dim sum chefs and artists often use ingredients in new or creative ways, or draw inspiration from other Chinese culinary traditions, such as Chiuchow, Hakka, or Shanghai. More daring chefs may even incorporate a fusion from other cultures, such as Japanese (teriyaki) or Southeast Asian (satay, curry), while upscale restaurants may use expensive or exotic ingredients such as lobster, shark fin and bird's nest.
Jiaozi were so named because they were horn shaped. The Chinese for "horn" is jiǎo (角), and jiaozi was originally written with the Chinese character for "horn", but later it was replaced by a specific character 饺, which has the food radical on the left and the phonetic component jiāo on the right. [1]
According to folk tales, jiaozi were invented by Zhang Zhongjing, one of the greatest practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine in history. They were originally called "娇耳"(Pinyin: jiao1 er3) because they were used to treat frostbitten ears.
[edit] Japanese version of the dumpling
The Japanese word gyōza (ギョーザ, ギョウザ) was derived from the reading of 餃子 (Jiǎozi in Mandarin Chinese) in the Shandong Chinese dialect (giaozi) and is written using the same Chinese characters.
The most prominent difference of Japanese-style gyōza from Chinese style jiaozi is the rich garlic flavor, which is less noticeable in the Chinese version, and the fact that Japanese-style gyōza are very lightly flavored with salt, soy, etc. Therefore, they are always served with soy-based dipping sauce (tare) seasoned with rice vinegar and/or rāyu (ラー油 (辣油), known as 辣油 in China, red chili pepper-flavored sesame oil). The most common recipe found in Japan is a mixture of minced pork, garlic, cabbage, and nira (Chinese chives), and sesame oil, which is then wrapped into thinly-rolled dough skins.
Gyōza can be found in supermarkets throughout Japan. There are also specialized restaurants and amusement parks sell them in Tokyo,[1] Osaka,[2] and in Utsunomiya,[3]. More commonly, pan-fried gyōza are sold as a side dish in almost all ramen and Chinese restaurants in Japan.
The most popular preparation method is the pan-fried style called yaki-gyōza (焼き餃子) in Japan, in which the dumpling is first fried on one flat side, creating a crispy skin. Then, water is added and the pan sealed with a lid, until the upper part of the gyōza is steamed. Other popular methods include boiled sui-gyōza (水餃子) and deep fried age-gyōza (揚げ餃子). However, it is necessary to be careful when preparing sui-gyōza using Japanese-style gyōza sold in markets, since many of them are designed for the yaki-gyōza cooking method, and hence have thin skins that frequently come apart while boiling (gyōza for sui-gyōza is usually specified in Japan).
They are best enjoyed while still steaming hot. Crisply fried gyōza are popular items in bento (Japanese lunch boxes).
[edit] Korean version of the dumpling
The Korean name of the dish is mandu (만두), literary derived from Chinese steamed bread mantou (饅頭), but it is actually more like jiaozi. Popular fillings for Korean dumplings include pork, beef, cabbage, hobak, cellophane noodles and kimchi. They are often deep fried for a lighter, crispier texture. Steamed mandu is also very popular, and can come is various shapes: a "horn", crimped edges, a horn with the sides pressed together for a prettier, rounder look, etc. Generally mandu are dipped in soy sauce with vinegar and red pepper flakes.
[edit] Guotie
Guotie (Simplified Chinese: 锅贴; Traditional Chinese: 鍋貼; pinyin: guōtiē; literally "pot stick") is pan-fried jiaozi, also known as potstickers in North America. They are a Northern Chinese style dumpling popular as a street food, appetizer, or side order in Chinese, Japanese and Korean cuisines. This dish is sometimes served on a dim sum menu, but may be offered independently. The filling for this dish usually contains pork (sometimes chicken, or beef in Muslim areas), cabbage (or Chinese cabbage and sometimes spinach), scallions (spring or green onions), ginger, Chinese rice wine or cooking wine, and sesame seed oil.
The mixed filling is sealed into a dumpling wrapper, pan fried until golden brown, then steamed for a few minutes. If done correctly, they don't stick as much as their name suggests, if a non-stick frying pan is used, they do not stick at all.
An alternative method is to steam in a wok and then fry to crispness on one side in a shallow frying pan.
The guotie is similar to the Japanese gyoza dumpling.
Other names for guotie:
- Peking Ravioli — In Boston, guotie are known as "Peking ravioli", a name first coined at the Joyce Chen Restaurant in Cambridge, MA, in 1958. [4]
- Wor tip (Cantonese Jyutping: wo1 tip3) is the Cantonese name for guotie.
- Chinese perogies in parts of Western Canada where the influence of Eastern European cuisine is strong.
[edit] History
The guotie is said to date back to the Song Dynasty (960-1280 A.D.) in ancient China.
[edit] Guotie recipes
- How to Freeze Potstickers
- Potstickers With Prawn and Cilantro
- Vegetarian Potstickers
- Wortip Cantonese Potsticker – with minced pork and bok choy
- Potsticker Dipping Sauce
[edit] Endnotes
- ^ Norman, Jerry (1988) Chinese, Cambridge University Press, p76-77.
[edit] External link
- Authentic Jiaozi Dumplings - Complete recipe including dough.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
Japanese gyōza:
