Jiao zi anyone?

As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. Proverbs 27:17

I learned how to cook traditional jiao zi last night! I can officially say I now know how to cook authentic Chinese food. Woohoo! Jiao zi is another word for dumplings. My friend, Shelby, learned how to do this as a very young girl and often made these for her family.

You start by making the dough from flour and water. Next, you roll out each piece. Shelby was amazing to watch! She has this technique that none of the rest of us could do. As she rolls the dough with one hand, she keeps spinning the dough with the other. This makes a perfect circle for the dumpling. Hey Jen, we need her to help us roll out cut out cookie dough next year!

Jane, Sarah Jo, me and Shelby

Jane was the jiao zi QUEEN! Her's were "piao liang" (aka beautiful)! Carrie was really good too! She has done this a few times and now she is ready to take the recipe home and share it with family and friends back in the states!

Carrie, the expert jiao zi maker

Jiao zi can be filled with anything. We made two kinds. One was with pork and onion. The other was egg and carrot. You then dip them in a mixture of soy sauce, sauteed garlic and hot pepper paste. Once you have had soy sauce here, you can't go back to the states and have the "fake" soy sauce. It is sooooo good here!

Can you tell which is the true Chinese way and which one was made by the American? Let's just say...mine may not have looked as pretty but it sure tasted really good!


The next time we get together to cook, they want to learn something American. I am going to teach them to make Chicken Soup. This was a wonderful way to spend a Friday night.

My question to you is when was the last time you spent quality time with your friends? We have entered a really busy time of the year and it is easy to take people for granted. Make sure you take time for the people who are important in your life.