If you are an old China hand, you will already love dumplings, or jiaozi. And if you are new to the country, it will be sooner rather than later when you encounter a dumpling, or more likely an entire platter of dumplings.
如果你是一个中国老手，你会已经喜欢饺子，或饺子。如果你刚到这个国家，你很快就会碰到一个饺子，或者更有可能是一整盘饺子。
Jiaozi are eaten all year round, during important festivals, and especially during the winter solstice.
饺子一年四季都可以吃，在重要的节日期间，尤其是在冬至期间。
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Dumplings are eaten during almost every major festival, but it all began with one man and the winter solstice. 几乎每个重大节日都会吃饺子，但这一切都始于一个人和冬至。 |
As a southerner, I regarded the jiaozi as a snack, a sort of stocking filler during dim sum sessions. And then I married into an old Beijing family.
作为一个南方人，我认为饺子是一种小吃，一种点心时的长筒袜填充物。然后我嫁进了北京的一个老家庭。
The first time I had northern-style dumplings was at the welcome meal at my mother-in-law’s hutong courtyard house. Two sister-in-law were hard at work deftly rolling out the handmade skins and putting the filling into each. The finished dumplings were neatly laid out on large round reed trays.
我第一次吃北方饺子是在婆婆的胡同四合院的欢迎宴会上。两个嫂子正在辛勤地工作，熟练地把手工制作的皮铺开，然后把馅放进去。做好的饺子整齐地摆放在大的圆形芦苇托盘上。
When it was time to cook them, one turned to me and said, “Sister, how many can you eat?”
到了做饭的时候，一个人转过来对我说: “姐姐，你能吃多少?”
Eyeing the large dumplings on the tray, I hesitated and said six. They burst into laughter. Well, it seems everyone eats at least 20.
看着托盘上的大饺子，我犹豫了一下，说了六个。他们哈哈大笑。看起来每个人至少吃20个。
All these decades later, I still cannot finish more than 10 at a go, unless they are fried as pot-stickers.
这么多年过去了，我还是不能一口气吃完10个以上，除非它们被炸成锅贴。
My husband later explained the thick wrappings and fillings to me.
我的丈夫后来向我解释了厚包装和填充物。
Northern dumplings are large and doughy because they are designed to satisfy hunger. They are regarded as a staple. There is more vegetable than meat in them, and the most common filling is probably chopped napa cabbage and pork.
北方的饺子又大又软，因为它们是为了满足饥饿而设计的。它们被认为是主食。蔬菜比肉多，最常见的馅料可能是切碎的甘蓝菜和猪肉。
Another characteristic is the use of strongly flavored herbs such as fennel tops and chives, aromatics that the Western palate may consider too strong as vegetables.
另一个特点是使用风味强烈的草本植物，如茴香和细香葱，芳香，西方口味可能认为太强的蔬菜。
Chopped fennel tops and a bit of pork is a classic Beijing dumpling filling, as are chives and scrambled eggs, lamb and carrot, beef and onions.
切碎的茴香和一点猪肉是经典的北京饺子馅，还有韭菜和炒鸡蛋、羊肉和胡萝卜、牛肉和洋葱。
Unlike in southern China, seafood is seldom used here.
与中国南方不同，这里很少使用海鲜。
Still, these hefty dumplings are the originals, and the dainty versions in the south with their light wrappers bursting with seafood and meat evolved from jiaozi brought south by merchants from the north plying the maritime trade routes.
尽管如此，这些大包子还是原汁原味的，而南方的精致版本则是由北方商人通过海上贸易路线带到南方的饺子演变而来的，它们的包装很轻，里面盛满了海鲜和肉类。
Dumplings are eaten during almost every major festival, but it all began with one man and the winter solstice.
几乎每个重大节日都会吃饺子，但这一切都始于一个人和冬至。
The man was Zhang Zhongjing, a doctor who lived during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). He was most famous for his dissertations on Shanghan Lun, a medical text that sets out the basic principles of traditional Chinese medicine. Many physicians still see his tome as their medical Bible.
这个人就是张仲景，一个生活在东汉时期(25-220)的医生。他最著名的论文是关于《伤寒论》 ，一本阐述中医基本原理的医学著作。许多内科医生仍将他的著作视为他们的医学圣经。
Besides being a learned TCM practitioner, he was also a great philanthropist.
除了是一个博学的中医师，他也是一个伟大的慈善家。
He had been ready to retire after a long stint at court and had gone home to what is now Henan province. It was bitterly cold and near the winter solstice and there were plenty of hungry, sick people on the streets, all with frostbite on their ears.
他在宫廷呆了很长一段时间之后，已经准备退休，回到了现在的河南省。天气寒冷刺骨，临近冬至，街上有很多饥饿、生病的人，他们的耳朵都被冻伤了。
The good doctor was very upset by the sight, and he and his disciples quickly set up a stall by the roadside.
这位好医生看到这一幕感到非常沮丧，他和他的弟子们迅速在路边摆了一个摊位。
Here, he dispensed medicine and advice, along with a huge cauldron of mutton soup. He also created ear-shaped dumplings with a generous crust and a meat filling. He served everyone who came two dumplings and a bowl of piping hot broth.
在这里，他分发药物和建议，还有一大锅羊肉汤。他还制作了耳朵形状的饺子，外皮厚实，馅料丰富。他为每个来的人端上两个饺子和一碗滚烫的肉汤。
It wasn’t too long before their frostbite and chilblains were cured. The rich mutton broth assuaged their hunger and warmed their bodies.
没过多久，他们的冻伤和冻疮就被治愈了。丰盛的羊肉汤缓解了他们的饥饿，温暖了他们的身体。
Zhang was simply following the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, which dictates that winter is a time to replenish the body while it rests, according to the ancient timetables of when and how to eat.
张只是遵循传统中医的原则，根据古代吃饭的时间表，冬天是身体休息时补充营养的时间。
Animals hibernate, and man is forced to rest in winter while the ground is frozen and lying fallow. That is why this is the best season to eat well, because the energy is stored and not lost immediately in manual labor.
动物冬眠，人类被迫在冬天休息，而大地则被冻结，处于休耕状态。这就是为什么现在是吃得好的最佳季节，因为能量是储存起来的，不会在体力劳动中立即消耗掉。
The recipe that Zhang used for his mutton soup is lost to time, but we can be assured that it would have had plenty of beneficial herbs. In many parts of China, to this day, a popular winter soup is mutton cooked with Chinese yam, shanyao, as well as angelica root and goji berries.
张先生用来做羊肉汤的配方已经失传了，但是我们可以肯定的是，那里有很多有益的草药。在中国的许多地方，直到今天，一种流行的冬季汤是羊肉与山药，山药，以及当归根和枸杞煮熟。
Because of Zhang, too, dumplings became a tradition for the winter solstice. They are such a popular food that they are now eaten on birthdays and for funerals, weddings, farewells and welcome meals.
也因为张的缘故，饺子成了冬至的传统。它们是如此受欢迎的食物，以至于现在人们在生日、葬礼、婚礼、告别和欢迎宴会上都会吃到它们。
The winter solstice is both a beginning and an end. On this longest night of the year, the bitter winter draws to an end. After this, the days start getting longer and warmer and the countdown to spring begins.
冬至既是开始也是结束。在一年中最漫长的夜晚，严冬即将结束。在这之后，白天变得越来越长，越来越暖和，春天的倒计时开始了。
paulined@chinadaily.com.cn
Paulined@chinadaily.com. cn
Winter solstice dumplings
冬至饺子
3 cups plain flour
3杯普通面粉
2 cups warm water
两杯温水
500g minced belly pork
500克五花肉
1 kg napa cabbage
1公斤纳帕卷心菜
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
1茶匙花椒
Oil
油
Salt and pepper
盐和胡椒
Prepare the dough. Place flour in a mixing bowl and slowly stir in the warm water until you get a crumbly texture. Knead till the dough comes together. Rest under a warm, wet towel.
准备面团。将面粉放入搅拌盆中，慢慢加入温水搅拌，直到面粉变得易碎。揉搓直到面团团在一起。在一条温暖湿润的毛巾下休息。
Prepare the filling.
准备馅料。
Heat up three tablespoons vegetable oil and add the Sichuan peppercorns. When the peppercorns turn dark, remove from heat and strain off the peppercorns. Let the oil cool.
烧热三汤匙植物油，加入花椒。当花椒变黑时，停止加热并过滤掉花椒。让油冷却。
Chop up the cabbage and salt generously. Place in a large sieve and let the juices drain for 30 minutes. Rinse quickly and squeeze out as much water as possible. One kilo of cabbage sounds like a lot, but once it is salted and squeezed, it will have reduced by at least 50 percent in volume.
把卷心菜和盐大量切碎。放入一个大筛子，让果汁流出30分钟。快速冲洗并挤出尽可能多的水。一公斤卷心菜听起来很多，但是一旦加盐和挤压，卷心菜的体积至少会减少50% 。
Place the drained cabbage in a large mixing bowl and add minced pork. Stir well, and add the Sichuan peppercorn-infused oil, salt, pepper and sesame oil to taste. Mix well. Rest.
将沥干的卷心菜放入一个大的搅拌碗中，加入猪肉碎。搅拌均匀，加入花椒油、盐、胡椒粉和芝麻油调味。搅拌均匀。休息。
Meanwhile, it’s time to work on the wrappers.
与此同时，是时候做包装纸了。
Divide the dough in half and flatten each into a disc. Poke a hole in the center and thread the dough onto your hands. Spin the dough until it becomes a long wide doughnut. Cut through and you have a nice long rope of dough.
把面团分成两半，然后把每个面团压成一个圆盘。在中间戳一个洞，把面团穿在手上。把面团转成一个长而宽的甜甜圈。穿过去，你就有了一条漂亮的长绳子。
Pinch off sections and roll them into rounds, flouring each lightly so they don’t stick.
捏碎部分，把它们卷成圆形，轻轻地撒上面粉，这样它们就不会粘在一起。
Place a spoonful of filling in the center of the jiaozi skin. Bring together the two sides so they meet in the center. Make little pleats on one side so you get the classic ear shape.
在饺子皮的中间放一勺馅料。把两边拉到一起，让它们在中间相遇。在耳朵的一边打上褶皱，这样你就能得到经典的耳朵形状。
If you cannot manage the pleats, don’t worry. Just seal up the edges so the filling cannot escape.
如果你不能控制褶皱，不要担心。只要把边缘封起来，这样馅料就不会漏掉了。
You can fry the dumplings or cook them in boiling water.
你可以煎饺子或者用开水煮饺子。
To Boil:
煮沸:
Heat up a large pot of water. When the water is boiling, drop in the dumplings, but do not overcrowd. A safe bet is between 10 to 20, depending on the size of your pot and dumplings. The water will subside when you add the dumplings. When it comes to a boil again, add a half cup of water to calm it down and allow the dumplings to cook a little longer. Repeat. Finally, when the dumplings float to the surface a last time, drain and serve with soy, vinegar and hot oil dips. Minced garlic and ginger are optional.
把一大锅水烧热。当水沸腾时，把饺子放进去，但不要过分拥挤。一个安全的赌注是10到20，这取决于你的锅和饺子的大小。你把饺子放进去，水就会退下来。当它再次沸腾时，加入半杯水使它平静下来，让饺子煮久一点。重复。最后，当饺子最后一次浮上水面时，沥干水分，用酱油、醋和热油蘸着食用。蒜蓉和生姜可以选择。
