Lamb for your frozen ears

The grey skies stirred outside, the wind beating against the windows of my office. Then all of a sudden these mean concrete streets were sprinkled with a white powder. Falling fluffs of white ice lingered outside the windows. Luckily I had brought my navy Eisenhower jacket, as I was about to travel south to Zhengzhou for Qingmingjie (清明节), also known as Tomb Sweeping Day. My hands and ears were a bit frosty as I walked to the subway station, headed to Beijing West Railway Station.

As it would turn out, this trip was to be all about jiaozi (饺子), dumplings usually filled with both ground meat and vegetables. Jiaozi are serious business in China, usually eaten on special occasions such as spring festival. Jiaozi are a symbol of family and the holidays, and making them is a way for families to bond during the holidays. They also happen to taste pretty damn good.

There are many versions about the origin of jiaozi. One version tells of how Zhang Zhongjing, a famous TCM practitioner, used jiaozi to treat frostbitten ears. He found that poor nourishment and insufficient warm clothing in winter caused many residents to suffer from frostbitten ears. He used dough to make small thin pancakes, called “skin”, and filled them with his special recipe filling made of lamb, pepper and herbs. He boiled these small packets and gave the jiaozi and broth to his patients prior to Chinese New Year. To this day Chinese people still have the tradition of eating jiaozi on the winter solstice (冬至) to avoid the ears freezing and falling off.

At university here in Beijing my friends started calling me Mr Jiaozi, after I had jiaozi nearly every day – not needing the reason of a special occasion to have my favorite dish. I was also living on a scholarship, so my budget for lunch was about 10rmb. Few things are as amazing in life, as jiaozi with lots of vinegar and chilli. A simple meal, and hardy like a Beijing taxi driver.


Your life is like a plate of jiaozi
In the winter of your life the plate will become empty
Each day might seem dull and plain, like their dull complexion
Savour the moment, dip your jiaozi in a sea of heavenly chilli, vinegar and soya sauce


I was on my way to Zhengzhou to spend time with my Hui family. Hui (回族) are one of China’s many ethnic groups, they are also muslim. For this reason pork, which is the filling of most jiaozi in China, is off the menu. So I was about to try a new type of jiaozi, and a slightly different experience.

We are like jiaozi
We might all look the same
Folded by two heavenly hands
Yet our filling is unique

And then there was dough.

The large piece of dough was rolled into a long log, and then cut into small pieces with a cleaver. These pieces were then pressed flat and covered in flour. The next person put the “skin” on their upturned hand, cupping it slightly before adding a lump of lamb and jiucai (韭菜) filling onto the skin. The skin is then skillfully closed around the filling and sealed, creating a lamb filled packet which looks a bit like an ear if done correctly. The jiaozi are then put on a large mat called a bi (箅), waiting to be cooked.

Apart from the skin and the filling, the other essential matter is the sauce you use to dip your jiaozi in. The sauce we had was a mixture of vinegar, soya sauce, chilli oil and garlic. The quality of these ingredients makes a big difference to the final experience.


Life is like making jiaozi
You hold the “skin” in one hand and add the filling
It might seems hard to create the perfect jiaozi
We create our own perfection in the here and now

The plate of shuijiao (水饺), boiled jiaozi are literally called “water dumplings”, was placed in the center where it belongs and we all sat down for dinner. The jiaozi had a much chewier taste than usual as the skin was much thicker than those I have had before. The skin was almost like the thick noodles of huimian (烩面). The lamb itself was very good quality, like the lamb back in South Africa and Namibia. The dip was just the cherry on top, like a bomb of flavors. Lamb jiaozi are just that! These jiaozi are quite big, and the more you have the hungrier you get. The beer helped wash them down. Sort of like life, the more we have the more we want. We often suffer from tunnelvision, and fail to enjoy the moment. Like beer, life can be bubbly and yet it can also be bitter, but it definitely helps you get through a big plate.

Apart from hulatang (糊辣汤) and huimian, the Longmen Grottoes (龙门石窟), White Horse Temple (白马寺) and some other sights, I will remember lamb jiaozi whenever I think of Zhengzhou.


Life is like a jiaozi restaurant
It can steam, boil or fry you
Although your skin might become crispy or even soft
You will end up stronger


Getting on the train bound for Beijing, I felt warm and luckily my ears were still attached. Strokes of white decorated the great blue canvas above. Fields and residential compounds rushed by, as I sat back thinking of where to wander next.

 

See the article on Radii:

https://radiichina.com/holidays-history-and-dumplings-with-a-hui-muslim-family/