餃子Jiăozi (Chinese transliteration),gyōza (Japanese transliteration),or pot sticker is a Chinese dumpling,widely popular in China and Japan as well as outside of East Asia,particularly in North America.
Jiaozi typically consist of a ground meat and/or vegetable filling wrapped into a thinly rolled piece of dough,which is then sealed by pressing the edges together or by crimping.Jiaozi should not be confused with wonton:jiaozi have a thicker,chewier skin and a flatter,more oblate,double-saucer like shape (similar in shape to ravioli),and are usually eaten with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce (and/or hot chili sauce); while wontons have thinner skin,are sphere-shaped,and are usually served in broth.The dough for the jiaozi and wonton wrapper also consist of different ingredients.
In Korean cuisine,filled dumplings are called mandu.Although some variations are similar to Chinese jiaozi or Japanese gyoza in filling,shape and texture,Korean mandu are generally more like Mongolian buuz or Turkish mantı.
湯圓Tangyuan
Tangyuan is the traditional food for the Lantern Festival or Yuanxiao Festival.The small dumpling balls are usually made of glutinous rice flour.
We call these balls yuanxiao or tangyuan.Obviously,they get the name from the festival itself.Made of sticky rice flour filled with sweet stuffing and round in shape,it symbolizes family unity,completeness and happiness.
The fillings inside the dumplings or yuanxiao are either sweet or salty.Sweet fillings are made of sugar,Walnuts,sesame,osmanthus flowers,rose petals,sweetened tangerine peel,bean paste,or jujube paste.A single ingredient or any combination can be used as the filling.The salty variety is filled with minced meat,vegetables or a mixture.
The way to make yuanxiao also varied between northern and southern China.The usual method followed in southern provinces is to shape the dough of rice flour into balls,make a hole,insert the filling,then close the hole and smooth out the dumpling by rolling it between your hands.In North China,sweet or non-meat stuffing is the usual ingredient.The fillings are pressed into hardened cores,dipped lightly in water and rolled in a flat basket containing dry glutinous rice flour.A layer of the flour sticks to the filling,which is then again dipped in water and rolled a second time in the rice flour.And so it goes,like rolling a snowball,until the dumpling is the desired size.
粽子Zongzi
Zongzi is the festive food traditionally served during Dragon Boat Festival celebrations.
During the Duanwu Festival,a glutinous rice pudding called zongzi is eaten to symbolize the rice offerings to Qu.Ingredients such as beans,lotus seeds（蓮子）,chestnuts（栗子）,pork fat and the golden yolk of a salted duck egg are often added to the glutinous rice.The pudding is then wrapped with bamboo leaves,bound with a kind of raffia and boiled in salt water for hours.