New Year Dumplings for the Chinese New Year & In the Forbidden City Giveaway

**Disclosure: Thank you to the China Institute for providing us with a lovely book to give away. No compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

The Chinese New Year is right around the corner! Recently, we read and reviewed the gorgeous and informative In the Forbidden City which magically unfolds that history and mystery of China's Forbidden City using intricate illustrations. We are proud to announce that in the spirit of the Chinese New Year we are giving away one of these lovely volumes to a lucky reader! In addition, the China Institute has provided us with a scrumptious dumpling recipe that you can use to celebrate the Chinese New Year!

Want to try your hands at dumplings? Check out this recipe:

Ingredients:

Dumpling (jiaozi) Dough:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups cold water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Pork & Chive Filling: 

• 1 cup ground pork (can also use beef)
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
 • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 3 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 green onion, finely minced
• 1 1/2 cups finely shredded Napa cabbage
• 4 Tablespoons shredded bamboo shoots
• 2 slices fresh ginger, finely minced
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced

Directions:

Stir the salt into the flour. Slowly stir in the cold water, adding as much as is necessary to create a smooth dough. Don't add more water than is necessary. Knead the dough into a smooth ball. Cover the dough and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.

While the dough is resting, prepare the filling ingredients. Add the soy sauce, salt, rice wine, and white pepper to the meat, stirring in one direction. Add the remaining ingredients, stirring in the same direction, and mix well.

Now, prepare the dough for the dumplings. First knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball. Divide the dough into 60 pieces. Roll each piece out into a circle about 3-inches in diameter to create the dumpling wrappers.

Place a portion (about 1 Tablespoon) of the filling into the middle of each dumpling wrapper. Wet the edges of the dumpling with water. Fold the dough over the filling into a half moon shape and pinch the edges to seal. Continue with the remainder of the dumpling wrappers.

To cook the dumplings, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add half the dumplings, giving them a gentle stir so they don't stick together. Bring the water to a boil, and add 1/2 cup of cold water. Cover and repeat. When the dumplings come to a boil for a third time, they are ready. Drain and remove. If you want, they can be pan-fried at this point. Repeat this process for the second half of dumplings.

In the Forbidden City is an absolutely gorgeous book and perfect for any child learning about Chinese history or even taking Mandarin. My daughter is currently taking Mandarin in school and relished the opportunity to connect with Chinese culture. The volume is so artfully done that it is also a worthy coffee table book! Now is your chance to win one! Fill out the giveaway below for your chance to win this lovely book by the China Institute. Giveaway is open to US residents 18-years-old and older. The giveaway ends February 22, 2015. Happy New Year!
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