For the non-chinese, "gao tze" is a type of dumpling that you can pan fry, steam or boil. They're very yummy on their own with a bit of red vinegar or peanut sauce or in noodle soups.

I learned this particular recipe from a Chinese neighbour. The recipe has been in the family for generations and thus there are no "modern" exact measurements. I'm guessing at the ones there are. A little experimenting here and there, however, and I'm sure it will turn out well. After all, that's how my neighbour's ancestors came up with the recipe in the first place!

Preparation and Cooking Time:

The first time I made this with my Chinese neighbour, there were three of us, we made the dough from scratch, and it took us about 3-4 hours to make about 300 dumplings. When I did it at school with store-bought dumpling wraps, there were at least 15 of us, and we could make easily twice that number in about an hour or two. So, I highly suggest making it an event with a bunch of friends (think quilting bee but with dumplings instead of quilts), and setting aside a good chunk of time to do it.

Ingredients:

Dough: Store bought (available in Chinatown) OR All purpose flour Cake flour 1 egg white Water

Filling:* extra lean ground meat (beef/chicken/pork/turkey/squirrel) Salt Sugar White Pepper Dark soy sauce Oil 1 egg yolk Sesame oil Suey choi (Chinese lettuce) Minced green onions Zucchini/other vegetable Minced ginger

^*The filling can vary depending on your tastes, adventure and imagination. When using meat, make sure to have as little fat as possible. Not only is it healthier, but it makes for less soggy dumplings later.

 

Cooking Directions - Dough

1. Mix together a 1:1 ratio of cake and all purpose flour in a large plastic bowl. Approximately two cups of each will easily make between 50-60 dumplings.

2. Separate egg white from egg yolk. Beat a small amount of water (less than a quarter cup) with egg white and pour into flour. Knead and mix with hands. Gradually add water as required until dough has a soft, pliable, consistant texture. Place in a bowl covered completely with a cloth for about 1 hour.

3. Divide dough into easier to handle sections. Knead each section until the texture is very soft and smooth, like a baby's skin, as my neighbour says. Let sit in a covered bowl until needed. Start on the filling now. NOTE: Be sure to keep dough covered if you are not using it at the moment.

4. When the filling is ready, take each section of dough and poke a hole in the middle to form a doughnut shape. Squeeze the sides of the doughnut until it becomes a very loose ring.

5. Break the ring in one spot so that it becomes a "rope". Roll until the width is more or less equal along the length of the rope, but not too thin.

6. Break or cut with a sharp knife into about 1" to 1-1/2" sections.

7. Sprinkle flour liberally over the sections and over the counter top. Mix like mah jong tiles until all the sections are liberally coated with flour. (In case you don't play mah jong, that means you just lightly roll the sections over the flour on the counter top with your palms.)

8. Press the sections flat on the cut or broken edge, then roll out with a small dowel once or twice until flat and round. Roll once over the edges while turning the dough until it is very thin.

A note about water: If you want to pan fry your dumplings, make sure the water you added to the dough at the beginning is hot. Otherwise, cold or lukewarm water will do.

 

Cooking Directions - Filling

1. Marinate ground meat (say 500 g - 1kg for about 20-50 dumplings, depending on size and how stuffed they are) with one pinch salt, about 1-2 tsp. sugar, pepper to taste, soy sauce (sprinkle liberally, but not too much. Again with the soggy), about 3 tbsps. oil and egg yolk. Let sit for about 20 minutes, then sprinkle in about 3 tbsp. sesame oil.

2. Wash the vegetables, onions, and ginger, and mince finely. Drain the juice from the vegetables (otherwise the dumplings will be soggy), and add to the meat mixture.

3. Add salt to filling to taste.

4. To wrap, place the dumpling "skin" in the palm of hand, and place a small scoop of filling on top. Fold in half, and press the edges together with the fingers. Then, push the sealed area together with your thumbs and the sides of your pointers. When wrapped properly, the dumplings whould be able to stand up be themselves with the sealed edge pointing up.

5. Boil, steam, pan fry according to your taste.

6. Enjoy!

The number of dumplings made depends the amount of dough made. If you have filling left over, no worries! You can always make more, or use it for a stir fry or a tasty if unconventional burger. Also, don't worry about not being able to finish eating them all. Simply pop them (uncooked) in the freezer, and they'll keep for a while.

Click here for a printable version.

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