chinese dumplings, part 1/5: making wrappers
Authentic southern Chinese dumplings… quite possibly the greatest breakfast ever. Apologies for the quality, pic was snapped with a cell phone.
A memory of China… it was really early in the morning. It was still dark out, and it was cold and rainy. We were tired and I had a terrible headache. And to top it all off we were walking in the dark and the cold and the rain from the hotel to… somewhere. It was our last morning in China, as in about an hour we’d be boarding a bus to Hong Kong and then flying back to the States. We were all pretty sad. But then… a light in the dark. We stopped at a hole-in-the-wall dumpling restaurant that just happened to be the only thing open at such an ungodly hour. It was warm inside, and dry, and just as soon as we sat down they were piling up bamboo steamers full of dumplings on our table, and they kept coming. I may have binged a little bit, knowing that once I got back to the States (especially Louisiana) I’d never have access to dumplings this great. And for the most part, that’s proved true. It’s pretty easy to go to a local Japanese place and order a plate of gyoza… but it’s just not the same. I want my jiaozi… with pork and cabbage, peanut sauce and black vinegar… I want to taste China again. So I’ve been learning how to make dumplings, completely from scratch (and with the limited resources that North Louisiana has to offer). The first couple of times I made them were… disasters. Complete and total disasters. But then, I went to a Chinese New Year celebration put on by the Chinese Students and Scholars Association at my school, and they taught me, hands-on, how to make dumplings start to finish. It was great, and it’s a fool-proof method, and now I’m hoping to share my dumpling making experiences with all of you folks.
I’m no dumpling master, but I like to think that I’m getting there. I’ve divided this tutorial into 5 portions just to make it easier and more organized. This post is all about making the wrappers, or dumpling “skins.” The following posts will be on making filling, assembling the dumplings, cooking methods, and dipping sauces, respectively. I hope you enjoy, and learn at least a little bit. 
Chinese Dumpling Wrappers
makes approximately 48 wrappers
3 c & 2 tbsp AP flour, sifted
1 and 1/4 c water
1. Place flour in a large bowl and slowly add water, mixing with your hands or a wooden spoon as you go.
2. Once the flour and water are combined, flour a kneading surface and knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and pliable.
NOTE: throughout the dumpling making process, you’ll want to be very generous with the flour. Keep a small bowl of flour at your workspace for kneading, flouring your hands, and flouring any surfaces your dumpling wrappers touch. You definitely don’t want them to stick to anything.
3. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes to an hour.
4. Flour your kneading surface once more, and place your dough on the surface–knead it once more for just a minute or so.
5. Divide your dough into four sections, and then use your palms to roll each of these sections into “tubes” about 7 inches long and an inch in diameter.
6. Using a big ol’ knife (preferably a meat cleaver if you’ve got one lying around), cut each tube into about 12 pieces.
7. Cover these small pieces in flour, and flatten them each with the palm of your hand into a medallion shape.
8. Roll them out into wrappers approximately 2-3 inches in diameter.
9. Store them on wax paper, covered, in the fridge–unless you plan to use them immediately.
