Recipes Dinner Pasta and Noodle Dishes Dumplings Lunar New Year Dumplings 3.7 (6) 6 Reviews These succulent steamed dumplings are filled with juicy pork, tender cabbage, and fragrant aromatics like ginger and Chinese chives. By Danielle Chang Danielle Chang Danielle Chang is the producer and host of Lucky Chow, a long-running PBS TV series about Asian food and culture, and founder of LuckyRice, a lifestyle brand, content production company, and festival series with a cookbook of the same name. Chang has worked as a cultural ambassador for brands such as Rémy Cointreau. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on February 10, 2025 Save Rate PRINT Share Active Time: 2 hrs 40 mins Total Time: 3 hrs 50 mins Yield: 8 to 10 servings Jump to recipe As part of her Lunar New Year spread, Lucky Chow producer Danielle Chang cooks up Chinese steamed dumplings filled with a fragrant and flavorful blend of garlic, ginger, and scallions bound with juicy ground pork and tender cabbage. "This is a traditional recipe that you can always ad-lib and add on," Chang says. "This is really all up to your tastes." Served with a soy-and-vinegar dipping sauce, the dumplings get an extra dash of color and heat from a drizzle of chile oil and a sprinkling of chopped chives. Frequently Asked Questions Why are dumplings eaten during Chinese New Year? Jiaozi — dumplings of thin dough wrapped around a filling that can vary from region to region — are traditionally eaten at Lunar New Year, especially in the north of China. Jiaozi often contain pork with cabbage or chives (or, as in this recipe, both). "A lot of people like to add shiitake mushrooms," Chang adds — "it just gives a really bold umami flavor to it." Chang steams her dumplings, but you'll also see them boiled or pan-fried. The plump and tender dumplings symbolize longevity and wealth, and the shape can resemble ingots of gold or silver, further signifying prosperity. What is the dumpling dough made of? Made from just all-purpose flour, water, and a touch of salt, the dough for these dumplings couldn't be any simpler to prepare. It comes together in about 10 minutes, but you should allow an hour or two for the dough to rest after it's mixed. If you prefer, store-bought wonton or dumpling wrappers may be substituted for freshly made dough. What is the best way to fold Chinese New Year dumplings? There are many ways to fold these dumplings: This recipe includes instructions for a basic pleated dumpling, which Chang says "is the kind that my family and I grew up making." But you can go super simple, simply folding the edges together, or try other shapes like the triangle fold, lotus flower, or golden ingot. Chang demonstrates the techniques in the video above. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Gently steaming the dumplings in bamboo steamer baskets lined with cabbage leaves helps them keep their pleated shape without tearing and renders the filling juicy and the wrappers supple. This recipe makes a lot of dumplings, so you'll want to employ two stackable baskets and prepare the dumplings in two batches. Make ahead The filling can be made a day in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Keep Screen Awake Ingredients 1/2x 1x 2x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. Wrappers 2 cups all-purpose flour (about 8 1/2 ounces), plus more for dusting 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon boiling water Cornstarch, for dusting Filling 6 ounces napa cabbage, coarsely chopped (about 3 cups), plus whole cabbage leaves for lining steamer baskets 6 ounces ground pork 6 tablespoons finely chopped scallions 6 tablespoons chopped fresh Chinese chives or garlic chives, plus more for garnish 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic 3/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated 3/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil Dipping sauce 1/2 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup rice vinegar 2 teaspoons thinly sliced scallions, white parts only 1 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds Additional ingredient Chile oil (optional) Directions Make the wrappers Stir together flour and salt in a large heatproof bowl. While stirring constantly with a fork or chopsticks, pour boiling water into flour mixture until shaggy pieces of dough form. Knead in bowl until flour absorbs all water, about 2 minutes. Continue kneading until smooth, about 3 minutes. Shape into a ball and cover with a damp cloth. Let rest at room temperature at least 1 hour or up to 2 hours. Meanwhile, make the filling Pulse chopped cabbage in a food processor until finely chopped, four to six pulses. Transfer cabbage to a clean kitchen towel and squeeze firmly over sink to remove any excess liquid. Transfer cabbage to a medium bowl; stir in pork, scallions, chives, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil until well combined. Chill, covered, until ready to use. Prepare the dumplings Lightly dust two baking sheets with cornstarch; set aside. Divide wrapper dough evenly into four portions. Place one dough portion on a clean work surface; cover remaining portions with a damp cloth. Knead dough portion until smooth, about 15 seconds, if needed. Roll dough portion into a 10-inch-long rope (about 3/4-inch thick). Cut rope crosswise into 10 (1-inch-long) pieces (about 1/4 ounce each). Cover dough pieces with a damp paper towel. Working with one dough piece at a time, roll into a ball with your hands. Place rolled dough ball on work surface and, using the bottom of a measuring cup, push down to flatten into a circle. Lightly dust both sides of dough circle with flour; using a dowel rolling pin, roll into a 3 1/2-inch circle. (If desired, you can trim using a 3 1/2-inch round cookie cutter.) Repeat process with remaining nine dough pieces, stacking and covering wrappers. Working with one dumpling wrapper at a time, spoon 2 teaspoons filling into center of wrapper and spread slightly. Holding the wrapper flat in your hand, lightly wet edges of wrapper with water using your fingertip; fold in half to form a half-moon, pressing out the air as you seal the dumpling. Cradling the dumpling in one hand, use the thumb and index finger of your opposite hand to fold and pinch the sealed edge, forming pleats along the length of the dumpling. Transfer sealed dumpling to prepared baking sheet; cover with a slightly damp paper towel. Repeat process with remaining dough and filling to yield 40 dumplings. Prepare a wide pot or wok for a bamboo steamer and add 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil over high, making sure water doesn't touch bottom of steamer. Line bottoms of two stackable bamboo steamer baskets with cabbage leaves. Arrange 10 dumplings in a single layer in each steamer basket. Stack and cover steamer; place in prepared pot. Reduce heat to medium-high and steam dumplings until wrappers are glossy and slightly translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Repeat steaming process with remaining 20 dumplings. While dumplings steam, make the dipping sauce Stir together soy sauce, vinegar, scallions, black pepper, and sesame seeds in a small bowl. Serve dumplings hot with sauce, garnished with Chinese chives and, if desired, chile oil. Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christine Keely Originally appeared: February 2021 Cook this recipe and more in the MyRecipes app. Get the App Save Rate Print Loading shell for RecipesUgcThreaded1 Vue component in Globe.