What it is
Zhengjiao (蒸餃) are jiaozi dumplings cooked by steam instead of in boiling water. Part of the flour is mixed with hot water, which keeps the skin soft and leaves it slightly translucent once cooked. Pork, beef, shrimp and vegetable fillings are all common. They are dipped in vinegar and soy.
Where it came from
Jiaozi have a long past in northern China. Archaeologists found a bowl of them in Tang-dynasty tombs at Turpan, in Xinjiang. A popular legend credits the Han-dynasty physician Zhang Zhongjing with inventing them to treat frostbitten ears, which is said to explain an early name, 'tender ears' (嬌耳), though nothing proves the story.
In Taiwan, wheat dumplings spread with the mainland Chinese who arrived with the Republic of China government between 1948 and 1950. Many came from the wheat-eating north and brought their flour foods with them. Dumplings became a fixture of mainlander (外省) snack shops across the island.
How it is made
Steamed dumplings use a partly scalded dough (半燙麵), unlike the cold-water dough of boiled ones, which turns hard as it cools. The scalded flour keeps the skin tender. The dough is rolled, filled and pleated shortly before cooking, and some shops pinch off each piece by hand instead of cutting it. The dumplings are steamed to order in baskets.
How to eat it
Dip them in black vinegar and soy sauce, with garlic, chilli oil or sesame oil to taste. Order by the basket. Dumpling shops such as Yang Bao Bao in Kaohsiung pair them with soups, from clear beef broth to hot and sour, plus small side dishes.
Around Taiwan
- Kaohsiung
- Yang Bao Bao (楊寶寶蒸餃) began as a market stall in 1993 and is now known across southern Taiwan. It steams pork, beef and vegetable dumplings to order. The Michelin Guide picks out the vegetable filling of wood ear, bok choy, glass noodles and dried tofu.
- Central
- Taichung has its own mainlander snack shops. Li's Steamed Dumplings (李記蒸餃世家) is known for shrimp dumplings in freshly rolled half-scalded dough, with each piece of dough pinched off by hand.
