Jameson’s Yuan Bao Jiaozi

Ingredients

• 2 cups of unbleached wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup of room temperature water
• 1/2 head of green cabbage, core removed and chopped
• 1 cup grated carrot
• 5-7 shiitake mushrooms, stem removed and diced
• 6-8 wood ear mushrooms, chopped
• 1 bundle vermicelli (mung bean thread), boiled and drained
• 1/2 block extra firm tofu, pressed and crumbled
• Jujube date, cut into 4 pieces (on piece per “winning” dumpling)
• 2 tbsp. mushroom bouillon powder
• 1/2 tbsp. white pepper powder
• 1 tbsp. vegetarian mushroom sauce (optional)
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp. neutral oil
• 1 tbsp. sichuan chili crisp
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. black vinegar
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• Handful of chopped green onion
• Pinch of toasted white sesame seeds
• Handful of chopped cilantro leaves
• Finely chopped fresh ginger (optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Slowly stream water: In a large bowl, slowly stream water into flour as you mix with chopsticks in a circular motion. Once shreds of dough form throughout, add salt, and use your hands to knead all the pieces together. Add water if necessary to combine all dry flour. Continue kneading until a slightly stiff dough forms. Knead into a ball. Cover and set aside.

2. 2

   Prepare filling in the meantime. Boil vermicelli according to package instructions. While that boils, remove the core of the cabbage and chop into shreds and then square pieces. Next, grate your carrot on the largest setting. Then, dice your shiitake and wood ear mushroom into small pieces. Remove as much moisture as you can from the tofu and crumble. Drain vermicelli and cut 2-3 times. Combine all in a large bowl.

3. 3

   Add oil: In your Always Pan, add oil and saute filling for about 5-10 minutes to remove excess moisture. Add mushroom bouillon powder, white pepper powder, and salt along with vegetarian mushroom sauce (optional). Once the filling has reduced and all excess moisture has evaporated, let it cool in a bowl.

4. 4

   Prepare your dumpling wrappers. Uncover dough and knead a few more times before pushing your thumb into the center of the ball to make a ring. Pull on all sides of the ring to make sure it becomes longer and thinner evenly. Cut the ring and roll until it is about 1 inch in diameter throughout. Divide into 18-24 pieces depending on how large you want the dumplings to be. Once divided, flip each piece with the flat side facing up. Use your palm to press down on each and then roll them out into a thin, circular wrapper.

5. 5

   Wrap your dumplings. Add a tablespoon of filling to each wrapper and add a date piece in the middle of the filling. (Note: only make as many date-filled dumplings as you want there to be winners!). Close the wrapper from the middle and then work your way to the outer left and right. Then, flip upside down with your middle finger in the center and wrap the arms to meet one another to create the yuan bao.

6. 6

   Boil water in your Perfect Pot. Carefully add dumplings to the boiling water with a pinch of salt. Do not overcrowd. Once the dumplings float to the top, let them sit for another minute and then remove them with a mesh strainer. Place on a plate or in a bowl.

7. 7

   Add sauce ingredients, sichuan chili crisp, and garnish with cilantro, green onion, minced garlic, toasted white sesame seeds, and ginger. Enjoy!