Recipe: Pumpkin jiaozi(Dumplings)

Ingredients (serves 2):

400 g pumpkin, skinned

200 g minced pork or lamb

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp cooking wine

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Pepper

20 dumpling wrappers

Method:

1. Season the minced meat with the sesame oil, soy sauce, wine and pepper. Mix well and put aside to marinate while you grate the pumpkin.

2. Finely grate the pumpkin and mix it into the seasoned mince. Add the tablespoon of oil.

3. Wrap the dumplings and lay them neatly on a floured tray.

4. You can either fry them into pot-stickers, or cook them in boiling water and serve with a vinegar and garlic or ginger dip.

Food note:

It's much easier to buy the dumpling wrappers, but you can also make your own and roll them out. I find dumpling making is fast food only if you have a stash of ready-made wrappers waiting in the chiller. Keep your wrappers tightly wrapped in cling film. I divide my wrappers into stacks of 10s or 20s for easy reference.