Vegetable Jiaozi (Chinese Dumplings)
Plump, tender dumplings filled with napa cabbage, shiitake, carrot, firm tofu and garlic chives, seasoned with ginger, soy and sesame. Boil or steam them and dip in black vinegar with chilli oil.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Salt the cabbage
Toss the chopped cabbage with the salt and leave it for 15 minutes, then squeeze out as much liquid as you can with your hands. This keeps the filling from going soggy.
- 300g
- 1 tsp salt
✅ Done when: cabbage looks limp and a lot of liquid has drained out
Mix the filling
In a large bowl, combine the squeezed cabbage, shiitake, carrot, tofu, chives and ginger. Add the soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, white pepper and and mix well with a spoon or your hands.
- 300g (squeezed)
- 6 shiitake mushrooms
- 1 carrot
- 200g firm tofu
- 1 bunch
- 2 tsp ginger
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp
✅ Done when: everything is evenly coated and holds together when pressed
Fill the dumplings
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Fold the edges
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Cook
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Serve
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Salt the cabbage
Toss the chopped cabbage with the salt and leave it for 15 minutes, then squeeze out as much liquid as you can with your hands. This keeps the filling from going soggy.
- 300g
- 1 tsp salt
✅ Done when: cabbage looks limp and a lot of liquid has drained out
Mix the filling
In a large bowl, combine the squeezed cabbage, shiitake, carrot, tofu, chives and ginger. Add the soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, white pepper and and mix well with a spoon or your hands.
- 300g (squeezed)
- 6 shiitake mushrooms
- 1 carrot
- 200g firm tofu
- 1 bunch
- 2 tsp ginger
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp
✅ Done when: everything is evenly coated and holds together when pressed
Fill the dumplings
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Fold the edges
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Cook
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Jiaozi have been eaten in China for well over a thousand years; legend credits their invention to the Han dynasty physician Zhang Zhongjing, who is said to have wrapped warming herbs in dough to protect villagers' ears from frostbite.
In northern China, families gather to fold dumplings together on the eve of Lunar New Year, and vegetarian fillings are traditional on the first day of the new year in many Buddhist households.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Folding dumplings is a family ritual, and their crescent shape — like an old gold ingot — is a symbol of wealth for the year ahead.
💡 Fun Fact
Some families hide a single coin inside one dumpling at New Year: whoever finds it is said to enjoy good fortune all year.
Northern China
39.90°N, 116.40°E
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