Sichuan Dumplings (钟水饺, Zhong Shui Jiao)

What makes Zhong Shui Jiao special?

Sichuan dumplings in red oil, or Zhong Shui Jiao (钟水饺), are an iconic part of Sichuan cuisine. These boiled dumplings are stuffed with a simple pork filling and smothered in a rich, spicy sweet sauce. It’s a hallmark street food, particularly in Chengdu. 

Compared to northern Chinese dumplings, such as pork and chive dumplings, lamb dumplings, and beef dumplings, Sichuan dumplings have a very simple pork filling. The filling doesn’t use vegetables or rich seasonings and tastes much milder. That’s because these dumplings are like a vehicle, intended to deliver the rich and irresistible sauce made with chili oil and seasoned sweet soy sauce. 

If you like Sichuan food, you cannot miss this one! 

Why this recipe

• Simplified seasoned soy sauce: My quick recipe cuts the cooking time from 30 minutes to 5 minutes and requires fewer ingredients. 
• Infused ginger and Sichuan pepper water: So the filling has the signature smooth mouthfeel and a nice fragrance.  
• Easy to prepare ahead: This recipe is suitable for making ahead of time and assembling later, making it a great appetizer for your Sunday dinner or gathering.

Seasoned sweet soy sauce

Seasoned sweet soy sauce is the main ingredient and cannot be replaced. It is a thick sauce made by simmering down soy sauce with brown sugar and various aromatics and spices. I shared a traditional seasoned sweet soy sauce recipe in the past. But I want to introduce a simplified recipe today, since it makes this recipe much more practical.

Ingredients

• Soy sauce: I used regular Japanese soy sauce. A low-sodium soy sauce is also great for this recipe. Do not use light or dark soy sauce in this recipe.
• Scallion: It adds natural sweetness and umami to the sauce.
• Ginger: A main ingredient, lends its spicy aroma.
• Bay leaf: Adds fragrance and rounds out the sauce.
• Brown sugar: Adds sweetness and thickens the sauce.
• Five spice: Five spice powder is used here instead of individual whole spices, shortening the cooking time and simplifying the ingredients.
• Cornstarch: It is used to thicken the sauce. 

How to make

To make seasoned sweet soy sauce, simply combine the soy sauce with the aromatics and simmer for 5 minutes. Then dissolve the sugar in it and thicken it with cornstarch. The sauce will be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but will continue to thicken up once cooled.

It takes a lot more ingredients and more than 30 minutes if using the traditional method. I really like how fast this recipe is, and it creates a great complex flavor just as well.

Sichuan dumplings ingredients

Dumpling wrappers

Sichuan dumplings are boiled dumplings. When you shop for wrappers, make sure you use a type that is suitable for boiling, such as these Shanghai dumpling wrappers. You can also use my dumpling wrapper recipe to make the wrappers from scratch. For more information, check out my pantry page with an introduction to dumpling wrappers to read more on how to shop for the correct type.

Gyoza wrappers won’t work for this recipe because they are very thin and prone to falling apart during boiling. 

Infused water

My Sichuan dumplings use ginger and Sichuan peppercorn infused water to make the filling, instead of adding those ingredients directly. This way, the filling has a very smooth texture and you won’t be biting into pieces of ginger as you eat. The liquid makes the filling tender and juicy.

To make it, simply combine the grated ginger, Sichuan peppercorn and hot water and let it steep for 5 minutes. Then strain the infused water directly into the ground pork.

Pork filling

Like I mentioned above, Sichuan dumplings use a very simple pork filling without other added vegetables for texture or any strong seasoning. This recipe only uses:

• Ground pork: the fattier, the juicier your dumplings will be.
• Infused ginger and Sichuan peppercorn water: adds aroma while keeping the texture smooth and tender.
• Shaoxing wine: adds a nice earthy umami.
• Light soy sauce: add savory umami.
• Sugar: a hidden ingredient to bring out the flavor.
• Salt: for balance.
• Sesame oil: adds nuttiness.

When mixing the pork filling, make sure you beat the ingredients together in a single circular direction for at least 3 minutes. The filling will look very loose at first. Once beaten, it becomes sticky and can hold its shape. This step is important so the filling holds together as you’re wrapping the dumplings.

How to make Sichuan Dumplings

How to wrap the dumplings

Sometimes you may see street style Sichuan dumplings wrapped in a simple crescent shape, like these egg and pepper dumplings. This wrapping method is fast and it works great when you want to speed up the process.

On the other hand, I prefer wrapping my dumplings with pleats, which creates nooks and crannies to hold onto the rich sauce.

1. Add the filling into the center of the wrapper.
2. Pinch the center together.
3. Create pleats from both sides.
4. Press to seal the dumplings tightly.

Watch my video below to see the wrapping process in action.

You can use either the crescent shape or pleated method for your dumplings, whichever way you prefer.

How to cook the dumplings

There are a few ways to boil dumplings. This is the method that my mom taught me and it’s my favorite method.

1. Stir the water in a circular motion to create a whirlpool, dropping the dumplings in one by one with your hand. The moving water prevents the dumplings from sticking to the bottom.
2. Cover the dumplings and cook for 3 minutes, keeping it at a low boil. The dumplings will float to the top. Too strong a boil might break apart the dumplings. Then boil them uncovered for another 1 to 2 minutes. 

Assemble

To assemble, you simply need to combine the chili oil, seasoned soy sauce, and some grated garlic with the dumplings. If preferred, you can garnish with more ground Sichuan peppercorn for that signature zesty numbing taste.

How to store

You can make the seasoned soy sauce ahead of time, assemble the dumplings and freeze them. When you’re ready to serve, you can simply boil the dumplings using the same method (it might take a little longer to cook, covered, until the dumplings float to the top), then assemble.

How to serve

Sichuan dumplings are usually served as an appetizer. If you want to serve them as a main dish, consider boiling some noodles and making extra sauce to make the meal more filling. You can also add blanched vegetables such as choy sum or baby bok choy to the bowl. 

Don’t assemble the bowls until right before serving, so the dumplings won’t end up soaking up the sauce and getting soggy. 

Frequently asked questions

Sichuan Dumplings (钟水饺, Zhong Shui Jiao)

By Maggie Zhu

Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 4 servings (16 dumplings)

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My recipe for Sichuan dumplings, or Zhong Shui Jiao, gives you authentic flavor with some shortcuts so you can easily put them together.

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

Seasoned sweet soy sauce (*Footnote 1)

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 scallions , cut into 1” pieces
• 1 slice ginger
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon five spice powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Dumplings

• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn
• 3 tablespoons hot water
• 8 oz pork
• 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
• 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 24 homemade dumpling wrappers (or packaged wrappers) (*Footnote 2)

Dumpling sauce

• 4 tablespoons homemade chili oil (or store bought chili oil, oil & chili flakes 1:1)
• 2 cloves garlic , grated
• Sichuan peppercorns , grated (for garnish) (Optional)

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Instructions

To make seasoned sweet soy sauce

• Combine the soy sauce, scallion, ginger and bay leaf in a small sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until simmering. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the ginger and scallion pieces using a slotted spoon and discard them. Add the brown sugar and five spice powder into the sauce. Stir and cook until dissolved. Combine the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water and stir to dissolve completely, then pour it into the soy sauce mixture. Stir and cook until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

To make the dumplings

• Combine the ginger and Sichuan peppercorn in a small bowl and pour the hot water over them. Stir a few times. Let sit for 10 minutes. Then strain the mixture through a fine sieve. Discard the ginger and Sichuan pepper.
• Add the pork into a medium-sized bowl. Add the ginger peppercorn water, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, salt, sugar and sesame oil. Stir in one circular direction until all the ingredients are absorbed and the pork becomes sticky.
• Make the dumplings by adding about 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of a dumpling wrapper. Fold the wrapper into a half-moon shape and press to seal the edges, or fold the dumpling pleats using the method in the blog post (refer to the photos and video above). Place the folded dumplings onto a tray and cover with damp paper towels to prevent them from drying out.
• While folding the dumplings, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the dumplings in two batches (*Footnote 3). Carefully lower the dumplings into the water. Cover and cook until the water starts to boil again. Adjust the heat so the water keeps a low boil without spilling. Cover and cook for 3 minutes (up to 5 minutes for bigger dumplings, or frozen dumplings). Uncover pot. Continue to cook for about 1 minute (up to 2 minutes for bigger dumplings), until cooked through. Transfer to a plate immediately using a spider strainer.

Assemble

• To assemble the dumpling bowls, add 2 teaspoons of seasoned soy sauce, 1 tablespoon chili oil, and about 1/4 teaspoon grated garlic into each individual bowl. Portion the dumplings into each bowl and stir to mix well. Garnish with extra ground Sichuan peppercorn if preferred. Serve immediately as an appetizer. Add more sauce if desired.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

1. I made a simplified version of seasoned soy sauce in this recipe. If you have more time, you can also use the traditional seasoned sweet soy sauce recipe.
2. If using store-bought wrappers, make sure to use the type that are designed for boiled dumplings. They’re sometimes packaged as “Shanghai Dumpling Wrappers”. Do not use gyoza wrapper or other types of thin wrappers, as those won’t hold up in the boiling water and the dumplings will fall apart. If using other types of thin dumpling wrappers, steam the dumplings instead of boiling them.
3. The dumplings should be able to form one single layer once they float up, with some gaps in between. Overcrowding the pot will cause dumplings to stick together.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 346kcal, Carbohydrates: 27.3g, Protein: 20.6g, Fat: 17.6g, Saturated Fat: 2.9g, Cholesterol: 47mg, Sodium: 1062mg, Potassium: 303mg, Fiber: 1.1g, Sugar: 4.1g, Calcium: 9mg, Iron: 1mg

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