Chive Pockets (韭菜盒子)

essentially, it's a chinese empanada- a giant doughy pocket packed with a savory filling.

Chive pockets, like dumplings, are what I consider a reunion, or a group activity, food. It's so much more fun stuffing and frying these with friends and family, aka your personal dumpling factory. The fun of these is that they're much more beginner friendly when it comes to the art of dough-wrapped goods. Regardless its shape or size, as long as it's a pocket, I'm sure it will be delicious. And if you've never had chives other than as a garnish, you'll be surprised how exceptionally juicy they can be.

Servings: 10

Ingredients

Dough

3 cups flour

1 cup water (40% hot water, 60% cold water)

1 tbs salt

Filling

2 bunches chives- 2 cups chopped

1 bunch bean thread noodles (42g)

4 eggs

1tbs lard

2 tbs xia pi (hair shrimp)

1 tbs salt

2 tsp white pepper

2 tbs hoisin sauce

½ cup white sesame oil

steps

Make dough. Stir in hot water into flour and salt until it forms small clumps.
Add cold water just until it comes together.
Rest for 30min.
Knead until dough becomes smooth and soft (15 min).
Rest for at least 1 hour or leave it out overnight.
Prepare filling: soak noodles and hair shrimp in warm water for 1 hr
Stir fry eggs in lard. Chop into small pieces and allow to cool.
Dice chives, hair shrimp, and noodles uniformly
Add eggs, hair shrimp, and noodles into a bowl. Add salt, white pepper, hoisin sauce, and sesame oil
Stir evenly with chopsticks
Add chives last, then stir again. Chives are added at the end so that they do not become crushed while stirring.
Roll out the dough and divide into 8 pieces.
Roll each dough out into an oval about ⅛ inch thick.
Spoon a heaping ½ cup (approximately) of the stuffing on the center of the oval
Starting from the middle, pinch the two sides together to create a pocket. Continue pinching the seams together from one corner towards the middle, and continuing in that direction to the other end. Take care to not let any of the stuffing get into the seams. The moisture from the filling will cause the dough to break apart.
Repeat with the rest of the dough and stuffing
Add 2 tbs of oil to a pan.
Pan-fry at a medium-low heat for about 4 minutes per side, covering with a lid to cook the stuffing. The dough should be a golden brown color and the inside should be cooked through when ready
Serve with black vinegar and white sesame oil (ratio: 4:1).