Our family has been making egg dumplings, 蛋饺 (dan jiao) every Chinese New Year for as long as I can remember. The shape and color of these egg dumplings resembles the gold coin or gold nuggets of old China. It’s a symbolic food that you must have to be prosperous in the New Year––a tradition that we carried from China to the US!
To be perfectly honest, making these egg dumplings can be labor intensive! This job is usually given to a teenager–someone just old enough that they won’t accidentally burn themselves, but still young enough to not be able to say no to this somewhat tedious job. And–you guessed it–that person used to be me! I remember using a small piece of pork fat instead of oil, running the pork fat again and again across a large, hot ladle set over the fire until it produced just the right amount of oil to fry one egg dumpling. I can still hear the pork fat sizzling––and smell the aroma when it hit the heat––like it was yesterday.
We like to add these egg dumplings to a famous Shanghai favorite, Yan Du Xian soup. They cook in minutes, so you should add them towards the very end. You can also add these to any Chinese chicken soup, pork bone soup, fish soup, or even wonton soup. What’s more, they can be made ahead and frozen! However, they should be simmered in a soup of some kind, as the time you cook these over the ladle isn’t long enough to cook the meat through.
I hope you don’t resent me for adding these egg dumplings to what I’m sure is already a laundry list of Chinese New Year dishes to prepare. But knowing that these will bring wealth and riches to your family, you have to include them on your Chinese New Year menu! While it may be a little time consuming, put your favorite music on or find someone to chat with in the kitchen, and they’ll be done in no time. Again, speaking from experience! :)
You’ll need:
- 5 large eggs
- 8 ounces ground pork (or chicken)
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons minced scallion
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger, plus one additional thin slice of ginger
- A large, round stainless steel soup ladle
- Some vegetable oil and a pastry brush
In a large bowl, beat 5 eggs for a good 2 minutes. Set aside next to the stove.
In a separate bowl, mix the ground meat with the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, sesame oil, ground white pepper, water, minced scallion, and minced ginger. Whip everything in one direction for at least 3 minutes, until the filling is well combined and starts to take on a sticky texture. Set aside along with the egg.
Pour a small amount of oil in a bowl, and grab a pastry brush. Set it alongside the egg and meat filling so everything is easily within reach.
Now, turn your stove on to medium heat. Hold the ladle over the open flame (if you have an electric stove, it will be tricky to maintain even heat).
With the help of a pair of chopsticks, rub the ginger inside the ladle all over using quick motions for a good two minutes or so. This step treats the ladle, so the egg will not stick to it. I’m not sure why it works, but it does! If the egg still sticks to the ladle, repeat this process one more time.
Once the ladle has been treated, brush the inside with some oil, pouring any excess oil back into the bowl.
Add 1 tablespoon of the egg mixture, and immediately turn the ladle in a circular motion to spread the egg mixture into a circle about 3 inches in diameter.
Add 1 teaspoon of the meat filling…
And use the chopsticks to ease the other half of the circle off of the ladle, folding it over to create a half moon shape.
Gently tap the edges closed so the inner raw egg seals the dumpling shut. That’s one! Repeat until you’ve used up all your egg and meat filling. This recipe makes 3 dozen egg dumplings.
Here’s a quick video showing the entire process:
Reminder that at this step, the egg dumplings are *not* fully cooked. You will need to cook these Chinese egg dumplings further in a soup, or you can steam them for 5 minutes.
Egg Dumplings, A Chinese New Year Must Have (蛋饺)
Ingredients
- 5 large eggs
- 8 ounces ground pork (or chicken)
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons scallion (minced)
- 1 teaspoon ginger (minced, plus one additional thin slice of ginger)
- A large round stainless steel soup ladle
- Some vegetable oil and a pastry brush
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat 5 eggs for a good 2 minutes. Set aside next to the stove.
- In a separate bowl, mix the ground meat with the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, sesame oil, ground white pepper, water, minced scallion, and minced ginger. Whip everything in one direction for at least 3 minutes, until the filling is well combined and starts to take on a sticky texture. Set aside along with the egg.
- Pour a small amount of oil in a bowl, and grab a pastry brush. Set it alongside the egg and meat filling so everything is easily within reach.
- Now, turn your stove on to medium heat. Hold the ladle over the open flame (if you have an electric stove, it will be tricky to maintain even heat), and with the help of a pair of chopsticks, rub the ginger inside the ladle all over using quick motions for a good two minutes or so. This step treats the ladle, so the egg will not stick to it. I’m not sure why it works, but it does! If the egg still sticks to the ladle, repeat this process one more time.
- Once the ladle has been treated, brush the inside with some oil, pouring any excess oil back into the bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the egg mixture, and immediately turn the ladle in a circular motion to spread the egg mixture into a circle about 3 inches in diameter. Add 1 teaspoon of the meat filling on one side of the circle, and use the chopsticks to ease the other half of the circle off of the ladle, folding it over to create a half moon shape. Gently tap the edges closed so the inner raw egg seals the dumpling shut. That’s one! Repeat until you’ve used up all your egg and meat filling. This recipe makes 3 dozen egg dumplings.
Notes
Nutrition
Brendan says
These look delicious, and Atkins/Keto/Paleo friendly! I will be trying these this weekend. Thanks.
Judy says
Hope you like it, Brendan!
WW says
I absolutely love that there is Shanghainese traditional food on thewoksoflife. xia xia nong! My dad makes these for Chinese New Year and they are fabulous!
Judy says
I’m Shanghainese so I have posted a lot of Shanghainese dishes. Search our site for some of your favorites. :-)
hengelsport says
JiaoZi: For the Chinese New Year, Dumplings (jiao zi), are considered lucky because their shape resemble the silver ingots used as currency during the Ming Dynasty.
Judy says
Aahhhh…that sounds (about) right :-) Thank you so much for your input.
susan jones says
I love egg dumplings! My Cantonese mom made this as well, but finished it with oyster sauce, much like stuffed eggplants. I’ll definitely try a soup next round! Love your website!
Judy says
Hi Susan, sounds very interesting––the oyster sauce as a dipping sauce?
Roberta Luzzi says
When I was growing up in HK, our family cook was from Shanghai and she made these egg dumplings in hot pot often in the winter. I have such fond memories as a youngster hanging out in the kitchen with her and she showed me much about Shanghainese cooking. Both my parents were from Shanghai and that was the cuisine at home. October was the best month when my dad would treat everyone to a feast of Shanghai crabs (the furry clawed crab). I was in heaven!
Thank you for a very happy trip down memory lane.
Judy says
Hi Roberta, thank you so much for sharing these happy memories with us :-)
Lorelai says
I’m Cantonese and I have never heard of these egg dumplings. I love learning about dishes from all over China from the Woks of Life! The ladle technique looks ingenious but I wonder if you could use egg rings (or tuna cans open on both ends or round cookie cutters) and a larger pan to make more than one dumpling at once. Another idea is using muffin tins and making them in the oven. These wouldn’t have the Chinese gold nugget shape but they would look like golden (meat filled) discs/coins. Still lucky and yummy!!! ;-) Happy new year!
Judy says
Why not, Lorelai, meat-filled “gold” coins sound intriguing and worth a try. As for me, I will keep making these egg dumplings. I like the size, the shape and the tradition :-)
Pamela says
I have never seen egg dumplings before. What a wonderful idea. I’m going to try this. Can any filling be used….? This would make a great addition to the Japanese style nabe dishes that we make all winter. And yes, I want to know more about the “soup” which must be some kind of Chinese nabe…..
I have a question: do the 2 sides of the dumplings hold together well when folded over? I guess you would need to fold them fairly quickly while the egg is still a bit runny so they cook the flap closed….
Judy says
Hi Pamela, you are absolutely right about “folding them fairly quickly while the egg is still a bit runny”. Regarding the question on the filling, it’s usually just spiced ground pork filling. But I think you can change it up a bit, as long as you keep the filling somewhat dry and not too wet. Also, the soup in this post is Shanghainese Yan Du Xian soup with added napa cabbage and glass noodles.
Judy says
This recipe looks amazing love your technique can’t wait to try it !
Judy says
Thank you so much, Judy!
bruce callahan says
what is the soup you are putting it in,
and the recipie????
love the site
Nancy says
Seconding this question – the egg dumplings look delicious but I’m drooling over the soup!
Judy says
Hi Nancy, the soup in this post is Shanghaiese Yan Du Xian soup with added napa cabbage and glass noodles. Another good soup to include these egg dumplings in is our Easy Fish Tofu Soup.
Judy says
Hi Bruce, the soup in this post is Shanghaiese Yan Du Xian soup with added napa and glass noodles. Another good soup to include these egg dumpings is our Easy Fish Tofu Soup.
Steph says
I love your recipes and have used several. Thank you for crafting these recipes in easy steps to follow and explaining what different ingredients look like (when necessary). My friends and I get together every CNY to celebrate. We all met as expats in Shanghai years ago. We miss all the flavors! And now our little ones are growing up celebrating CNY every year. – Anyway, just wanted to share some love.
Judy says
That is so nice, Steph, that you are sharing your “expat tradition” with your kids. Thank you so much for taking the time to “share some love” :-) :-) :-)