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Chinese Chive Pocket Square
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Chinese Chive Pockets (韭菜盒子)

Chinese chive pockets are a deliciously light version of traditional dumplings. This recipe yields pockets with a thin, crispy skin and a generous amount of savory filling.
Prep Time1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: chinese chive pockets, chive pockets, jiu cai he zi, 韭菜 盒子
Servings: 8 pockets
Calories: 194kcal

Ingredients

Dough

  • 160 mL hot water (2/3 cups)
  • 240 g all purpose flour (2 cups)
  • 1 tsp vegetable oil

Filling

  • 225 g Chinese chives (1/2 lb, also known as garlic chives)
  • 2 tbsp dried shrimp (20 g)
  • 4 dried shiitake mushrooms (20 g)
  • 3 eggs
  • 50 g mung bean vermicelli (fen si, 粉絲)

Seasoning

  • 1 tbsp ginger minced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper
  • 1 tsp five spice
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil

Instructions

  • Rehydrate the shiitake mushroom and dried shrimp with hot water.

Make the Dough

  • Add the flour into a large bowl. Add the flour into a large bowl. Pour the hot water and oil into the bowl and mix to combine.
  • Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes while you prepare the filling.

Prepare the Filling

  • Cook the vermicelli noodles according to the packaging instructions.
  • Drain the mushrooms and shrimp, reserving the water. Chop mushroom, shrimp, and chives finely.
  • Whisk the eggs and scramble them in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Set aside.
  • Drizzle more oil into the skillet and sauté the mushroom and shrimp until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool.
  • Mix the filling ingredients, seasoning ingredients, and reserved mushroom/shrimp water together in a large bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Assemble

  • Flour your work surface. Divide the dough into eight pieces. Roll out the dough thinly into a large circle, around 7" in diameter. Note 1
  • Place a generous 1/3 cup of filling into the center. Fold the dough in half and press out any extra air. Seal the pocket to form a half-moon shape. Optionally use your thumb to pinch small pleats along the outer edge. (See post above for more details on pleating)
  • Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

Pan-Fry the Pockets

  • Heat some oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the pockets in and cover the pan with a lid.
  • Pan fry the pockets for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Halfway through pan-frying, add a splash of water.

Storing

  • Place the pockets spaced apart on a lined baking sheet and freeze until completely hardened. Transfer the pockets to a freezer-safe bag with parchment paper between each pocket to prevent them from sticking to each other.
  • Cook the pockets without thawing beforehand. Cooking frozen chive pockets will take a few more minutes than fresh pockets.

Notes

  1. When rolling out the dough, stop rolling before the dough begins to turn translucent. Otherwise, the dough is more likely to break when pan-frying.