First you start by mixing the flour with room temperature water.This is basically like making pasta.
Use your hands to knead the dough
Now,put the dough on the side covered (just like you were baking bread,it's important to let is rest for a while),while you prepare the stuffing (which Chinese call Xian).
You'll need chives,cut up in small pieces like above.You can also use yellow hotbed chives in addition to the green chives,or (like we did) mixed together.Then you need eggs,lots of them...
Mix the eggs,chopsticks are a good tool for that...
Add oil to the wok and heat it to a very hot degree before adding the eggs.The eggs will be done really quickly...
Chop up some scallion and mix it up with the chives and eggs.
Heat a generous portion of oil (again,make sure the oil is really hot),then add some anise...Let it boil until black to get the flavor out and then pour it over the veggies immediatelly while it's still really hot.Then add some salt and remove the pieces of anise.
Finally,add some soy sauce and mix it up...
Then the fun starts!Massage the boo...I mean,dough,for a little longer.It's ready when you can feel it's equally soft everywhere.Then make it to a roll and cut it in about 2 cm pieces
Make thin pancakes out of the small pieces of dough.These will be the "skins" of the dumplings.
Fill the skins with stuffing and wrap them up...be sure to secure the edges as otherwise the dumplings will open up when boiled.
Boil some water (quite much,similar to boiling pasta...) and add the dumplings.The dumplings will float to the surface when they're done,and the skin will also became a somewhat transparent.
To eat dumplings properly you will also need a dipping sauce.
Chop up some garlic sprouts and ginger.Mix in a cup and add salt,soy sauce and of course - vinegar.
The dumpling boiling water is a good drink so don't throw it away.Enjoy it with the meal!
