Shrine Kitchen

Mindful Home Cooking

Sour Cabbage Dumplings

Sour cabbage dumplings(酸菜餃子) are wheat flour dumplings with sour, fermented cabbage or sauerkraut filling. These dumplings are a specialty of Manchu cuisine or Dongbei cuisine of northeastern China.

This version of sour cabbage dumplings(酸菜娄餃子) does not have meat, although the most common variety used minced pork. It is typical to use about equal parts pork and sour cabbage.

Dumplings are an essential holiday food in northeastern China, and sour cabbage dumplings are typical. Similar dumplings popular throughout China, especially northern China.

Chives may be added in winter when they are in season. Sometimes other ingredients like sichuan peppercorn or other spices and sauces may be added for many varieties.

Sometimes water is added to saturate the filling and create broth(湯汁) when cooked for extra juicy dumplings.

Sour cabbage dumplings are often wrapped by simply folding the wrapper around filling and pressing the edges together with thumbs. More decorative folding techniques may also be used. The dumplings are commonly boiled or perhaps steamed. First bring water to a boil then add dumplings; when the water comes to a boil the second time check if the dumplings are ready, and if so remove and serve. They should only take a few minutes.

The finished dumplings can be removed with a strainer and cooled and then served with garlic soy sauce if desired.

sour cabbage dumplings
sour cabbage dumpling

Dumpling Wrapper(餃子皮) Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 cup all-purpose wheat flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¾ cup water

Directions

  • combine flour, salt
  • gradually add water until combined into dough
  • rest dough 2 to 5 minutes
  • knead dough
  • rest dough 15 to 30 minutes
  • shape and divide into 16 balls
  • coat with flour
  • flatten each ball into a disk
  • use or store

Sour Cabbage Dumpling(酸菜餃子) Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 head sour cabbage(酸菜), finely chopped and rinsed and squeezed dry
  • 1 giant scallion(大蔥) or 2 scallion or 4 garlic chive(蒜苗), finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp piece ginger, minced
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce(生抽)
  • 1 tsp sesame oil(香油) (optional)
  • 16 dumpling wrapper(餃子皮)

Directions

  • combine sour cabbage, scallion, ginger, salt
  • mix in soy sauce, sesame oil
  • place a scoop of cabbage mixture on each dumpling wrapper; fold and press edges together to wrap
  • boil 2 to 5 minutes
  • remove dumplings
  • serve