Money bag dumplings, which look like little money purses, are eaten during Chinese New Year and symbolise luck and prosperity.
There are certain dishes enjoyed during Chinese New Year as they symbolise prosperity, luck and fortune for the coming year. Often it is the shape, colour or pronounciation of the food that is symbolic. These money bag dumplings are folded to look quite literally like small purses that you'd carry money or gold in. They are tied up with a little string of spring onion and you can deep fry or steam them.
Dumplings in general are a classic lucky food for the new year, with a variety of different folding methods each representative of gold or money. Jiaozi can take the shape of silver or gold ingots, symbolic of wealth. The can be filled with either meat, seafood or vegetables. Dumplings are a tasty and auspicious addition to your festive table. It is said that the more dumplings you eat during the New Year celebrations, the more money you will make.
Money bag dumplings are very easy to make, just a little fiddly to assemble. The spring onion tie is for aesthetic purposes only, they aren't essential but contribute to the overall look of the dumpling. You can use softened coriander stems or strips of pandan leaves instead if you'd prefer. I find that if you thinly slice spring onion before you begin making the dumplings, but the time you are ready to assemble, the spring onion has wilted ever so slightly, making it easier to tie. Don't pull too tightly on the spring onion as it may break. It isn't there to actually hold the wonton skins together, you will have pre-sealed them by pressing the wrapper tightly together.
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🧧Sun Lin Fai Lok! Kung hei fat choy!🧧
Money Bag Dumplings (Fried & Steamed)
Ingredients
- 2 spring onions
- 200 g pork mince
- 100 g prawn meat minced
- 4 whole water chestnuts OR 12 slices chopped
- ½ c chives chopped
- ½ tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon corn flour
- 25-30 square or round wonton skins
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Take spring onions and cut off the green portion. Slice this part thinly, lengthwise, about two millimetres thick. You will use these to 'tie' your money bags.
- In a bowl combine pork mince, minced prawn, water chestnuts, chives, soy sauce, shaoxing wine, sesame oil, white pepper and corn flour. Use chopsticks to stir the meat in one direction until it looks sticky.
- Place about one heaped teaspoon of filling into the middle of your wonton skin. Gather the edges together in the centre, pressing to seal tightly.
- Take a spring onion 'string' and tie around the money bag. Trim off any excess. Repeat with remaining filling and wonton skins.
Deep fry:
- Heat vegetable oil in a pot to around 180ºC. Once it has come to temperature deep fry money bags, a few at a time, until they are a golden brown colour.
- Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat with remaining dumplings.
Steam:
- Add money bag dumplings to a bamboo basket lined with baking paper. Steam over a pan of simmering water for 10-12 minutes until cooked through.
Looking for more Chinese recipes? Try my pork and chive dumplings or tomato egg stir fry.
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