How to Shape Dumplings, Easy to Advanced

Shaping dumplings is one of the main barriers to entry for home cooks, even though the process is as straightforward as can be: Dollop a little bit of filling onto a dumpling wrapper and seal it up, and you’ve got a dumpling. But there’s an entire universe of dumpling shapes out there, and while becoming comfortable with more advanced shaping techniques is mostly a matter of practice, you’ve got to start somewhere.

In this video, chef Tim Chin demonstrates in detail how to fold and pleat 12 different dumpling shapes, from super-basic ones that require no more than a couple of pleats and folds to trickier variations.

In the process, Tim highlights how the shape of a dumpling can determine the best method for cooking it. For example, cinching and pleating the dumpling wrapper many times around the filling will create a flat base, which is ideal for pan-frying, because the dumpling will have maximal surface area contact with a frying pan.

To learn more about dumpling wrappers, fillings, and cooking methods, check out our Ultimate Guide to Chinese Dumplings (Jiǎo Zi): https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/...

[Time Codes for the 12 Common Shapes]
0:00 - How to Make 12 Different Chinese Dumpling Shapes
0:59 - Half-Moon (Bàn Yuè Jiǎo Zi)
1:55 - Pinched Half-Moon
2:49 - Open Potsticker
4:22 - Potsticker
5:57 - Pinched Potsticker
7:43 - Ingot (Yuán Bǎo Jiǎo Zi)
9:08 - 2-Pleat Half-Moon (Yuè Yá Jiǎo Zi)
10:31 - Bidirectional 4-Pleat Half-Moon
11:23 - Bidirectional 6-Pleat Half-Moon
12:24 - Bidirectional 8-Pleat Half-Moon
13:26 - Unidirectional 8-Pleat Half-Moon
14:49 - Pleated Leaf (Liǔ Yè Xíng)

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