From Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)
Steamed Pork Dumplings
Reconstructed
Serve when
Serve them as Chef Chu pleats each one at blinding speed in the opening montage — the fine handwork that says everything about a man who can shape a dumpling but not a conversation.
In the movie
Theatrical
- Part of Chu's opening tour de force — pleating delicate dumplings by hand at extraordinary speed, one of the many dishes that make up the Sunday banquet.
Ingredients
Steps
- Mix the flour with the just-boiled water into a shaggy dough, then knead until smooth. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
- Mix the pork, dried cabbage, scallions, ginger, soy, Shaoxing, and sesame oil in one direction until the filling is tacky and cohesive.
- Roll the dough into a rope, cut small pieces, and roll each into a thin round, thicker at the center.
- Place a spoon of filling in each, then pleat the edges closed — the film makes this look effortless; give yourself grace on the first dozen.
- Steam (or boil) for 8–10 minutes until the wrappers are glossy and the filling is cooked. Serve with black vinegar, ginger, and chili oil.
In the movie
Chu's dumpling-pleating is the montage's signature flourish — the camera lingers on his hands because his hands are how he speaks. The tragedy and comedy of the film is that a man this fluent in food is nearly mute with the people he loves. Every fold is a sentence he can't otherwise say.