The corresponding Chinese characters for "''Jiaozi''" refer to the arrival of the Chinese New Year at midnight. According to the Chinese calendar system, "''Tiangan Dizhi''" is used to designate the time in accordance to the Chinese zodiac. "''Jiao''" in Chinese means "join," while "''zi''" is a reference to the first and eleventh hour of ''Dizhi'' - midnight on the Western clock.
Jiaozi typically consist of a ground meat and/or vegetable filling wrapped into a thinly rolled piece of dough, which is then sealed by pressing the edges together or by ing. Jiaozi should not be confused with wonton: jiaozi have a thicker, chewier skin and a flatter, more oblate, double-saucer like shape , and are usually eaten with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce ; while wontons have thinner skin, are sphere-shaped, and are usually served in broth. The dough for the jiaozi and wonton wrapper also consist of different ingredients.
Chinese version
Chinese dumplings '''' may be divided into various types depending on how they are cooked:
*Boiled dumplings; '''' literally "water dumplings" .
*Steamed dumplings; '''' literally "steam-dumpling" .
*Shallow fried dumplings '''' lit. "pan stick", known as "potstickers" in N. America, , also referred to as "dry-fried dumplings" .
Dumplings that use rather than dough to wrap the filling are called "egg dumplings" or .
Common dumpling meat fillings include pork, mutton, beef, chicken, fish, and shrimp which are usually mixed with chopped vegetables. Popular vegetable fillings include cabbage, scallion , leek, and Chinese chives. Dumplings are eaten with a soy sauce-based dipping sauce that may include vinegar, garlic, ginger, rice wine, hot sauce, and sesame oil.
Dumplings are one of the major foods eaten during the Chinese New Year, and year round in the northern provinces. Traditionally, families get together to make ''jiaozi'' for the Chinese New Year. In rural areas, the choicest livestock is slaughtered, the meat ground and wrapped into dumplings, and frozen outside with the help of the freezing weather. Then they are boiled and served for the Chinese New Year feast. Dumplings with sweet, rather than savoury fillings are also popular as a Chinese New Year treat.
Cantonese style Chinese dumplings are standard fare in dim sum. These are different from ''jiaozi''; they are smaller and wrapped in a thinner translucent skin, and usually steamed. Fillings include shrimp, scallop, chicken, tofu, mixed vegetables, and others. The most common type are shrimp dumplings, sometimes called as Haa Gaau . In contrast to ''jiaozi'', which are easy to make at home, ''gaau'' are rarely home-made as they are more difficult to prepare. Many types of fillings exist, and dim sum restaurants often feature their own house specials or innovations. Dim sum chefs and artists often use ingredients in new or creative ways, or draw inspiration from other Chinese , such as Chiuchow, Hakka, or Shanghai. More daring chefs may even incorporate a from other cultures, such as Japanese or Southeast Asian , while upscale restaurants may use expensive or exotic ingredients such as lobster, shark fin and . Another Cantonese dumpling is the jau gok.
Jiaozi were so named because they were horn shaped. The Chinese for "horn" is ''jiǎo'' , and jiaozi was originally written with the Chinese character for "horn", but later it was replaced by a specific character 餃, which has the food radical on the left and the phonetic component ''jiāo'' on the right.
According to folk tales, jiaozi were invented by Zhang Zhongjing, one of the greatest practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine in history. They were originally called "娇耳" because they were used to treat frostbitten ears.
Japanese version
The word ''gyōza'' was derived from the reading of 餃子 in the Shandong Chinese dialect and is written using the same Chinese characters.
The most prominent differences of Japanese-style gyōza from Chinese style jiaozi are the rich garlic flavor, which is less noticeable in the Chinese version, and the fact that Japanese-style gyōza are very lightly flavored with salt, soy, and that the Gyoza wrappers are much thinner than the Chinese counterpart. They are always served with soy-based dipping sauce seasoned with rice vinegar and/or . The most common recipe found in Japan is a mixture of pork, garlic, cabbage, and ''nira'' , and sesame oil, which is then wrapped into thinly-rolled dough skins.
''Gyōza'' can be found in supermarkets and restaurants throughout Japan. Pan-fried ''gyōza'' are sold as a side dish in almost all ''ramen'' and Chinese restaurants in Japan.
The most popular preparation method is the pan-fried style called ''yaki-gyōza'' in Japan, in which the dumpling is first on one flat side, creating a crispy skin. Then, water is added and the pan sealed with a lid, until the upper part of the ''gyōza'' is . Other popular methods include boiled ''sui-gyōza'' and ''age-gyōza'' .
They are best enjoyed while still steaming hot. In Japan, they are considered Chuka (中華）, which despite the literal translation meaning "Chinese", it is Japanese style Chinese dishes.
Korean version
The Korean name of the dish is , a cognate derived from Chinese steamed bread ''mantou'' , but culinarily closer to jiaozi. Popular fillings for Korean dumplings include pork, beef, cabbage, squash, cellophane noodles and kimchi. They are often deep fried for a lighter, crispier texture. Steamed mandu is also very popular, and can come in various shapes: a "horn", crimped edges, a horn with the sides pressed together for a prettier, rounder look, etc. Generally mandu are dipped in soy sauce with vinegar and red pepper flakes.
''Guotie''
Guotie is pan-fried ''jiaozi'', also known as potstickers in North America. They are a Northern Chinese style dumpling popular as a street food, appetizer, or side order in , , and Korean cuisines. This dish is sometimes served on a dim sum menu, but may be offered independently. The filling for this dish usually contains pork , cabbage , scallions , ginger, Chinese rice wine or cooking wine, and sesame seed oil.
The mixed filling is sealed into a dumpling wrapper, until golden brown, then for a few minutes. If done correctly, they don't stick as much as their name suggests, if a non-stick frying pan is used, they do not stick at all.
An alternative method is to steam in a wok and then fry to crispness on one side in a shallow frying pan.
The ''guotie'' is similar to the Japanese .
Other names for ''guotie'':
* Peking Ravioli — In Boston, ''guotie'' are known as "Peking ravioli", a name first coined at the in , in 1958.
* Wor tip is the Cantonese name for ''guotie''.
* Chinese perogies in parts of Western Canada where the influence of Eastern European cuisine is strong.
* Pork Hash, in Hawaii, although it is not actually hash.
History
The ''guotie'' is said to date back to the Song Dynasty in ancient China.
In popular culture
In North American hacker culture, this convenient food became popular as "ravs" or "pot-stickers". Gyoza are a popular dish served at the Wagamama restaurant chain in the United Kingdom. They come in Duck, Chicken, Ebi and Yasai . In Canada they are normally referred to as "Chinese perogies", due to the ubiquity of Ukrainian food in parts of Western Canada.
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