Chinese Chive pockets (韭菜盒子)

Flour-based dishes with meat filling, such as dumplings, buns, stuffed flatbread, etc., were nominated to be our family’s favorite type of food. Last week, after we happily tucked into some Chinese chive pockets (Jiu Cai He Zi/韭菜盒子), I was reminded so much of my childhood and how much I love vegetarian fillings—just as much as if not more than, meat-based fillings.

What are Chinese chive pockets

Chinese chive pockets are pan fried, semi-circle shaped, flat dumplings filled with Chinese chives and scrambled eggs. Sometimes you can find mung bean vermicelli noodles in the filling. Chinese chives have such a strong and appealing flavour on its own that you don’t need to add too much seasoning to the filling.

Chinese chives (aka garlic chives, Jiu Cai/韭菜) have long, flat, dark green leaves. They not only look different from regular chives but also have a much stronger flavor, resembling the taste of garlic—less pungent but more fragrant.

In Chinese cuisine, they are usually used as a vegetable (rather than a herb) and often paired with meat or eggs, such as Pork and Chive Dumplings, Stir-Fried Chive and Egg. Among many dishes that feature this flavourful vegetable, Chinese chive pocket (韭菜盒子), literally means “Chinese chive box”, is no doubt the most popular one.

You may find Chinese chive pockets complicated at first glance. However, they are actually much easier to make than you would imagine. 

Prepare the dough

You only need two things for the dough:

• All purpose flour
• Hot water

Different from regular dumpling dough, which calls for room-temperature water, the classic version of chive pockets uses hot water. This approach makes the dough softer, less chewy, and shortens the cooking time.

Here is how you make the dough:

• If using a stand mixer: Add the flour and hot water to the mixing bowl. Use the dough hook to mix on low speed for about 8 minutes, until a soft, cohesive dough forms. Briefly knead it by hand until it becomes smooth.
• If kneading by hand: Place the flour into a heat-proof bowl, then pour the hot water over it while stirring with chopsticks or a fork to form lumps. Let the mixture sit for a short while. As soon as it’s cool enough to handle, combine and knead by hand to form a soft, smooth dough.

Without delay, cover the dough tightly with cling film to prevent it from drying out. Let it rest for about 15 minutes while you prepare the filling.

🌟 NOTE: Since hot water evaporates quickly, it’s important to mix and knead the dough without delay. Otherwise, the dough may dry out.

Make the filling

The filling for these pockets calls for these ingredients:

• Chinese chives
• Eggs
• Mung bean vermicelli, optional (see note below)
• Salt
• Ground Sichuan pepper, or five spice powder, ground white pepper
• Neutral cooking oil

🌟 NOTE:  Mung bean vermicelli noodles don’t have much flavor on their own, but they offer an interesting texture and help absorb excess moisture in the filling. You may skip them if they are unavailable. In that case, increase the amount of chives and eggs accordingly.

To prepare the filling, you’ll need to follow these steps:

1. Scramble the lightly beaten eggs in hot oil, then chop them into small pieces.
2. Rehydrate the dried mung bean vermicelli noodles by soaking them in hot water for 5 minutes until they become pliable. Then, chop them into very short strands.
3. Add the finely chopped Chinese chives, noodles, eggs, and all the seasonings to a bowl. Mix well.

Pan-fry the pockets

Use a large skillet to fry these chive pockets. They take less time to cook than regular dumplings (e.g., Pan-Fried Kimchi Dumplings) because the dough is partially ‘cooked’ by hot water, and the vegetarian filling cooks through more easily.

1. First, add a little oil to the skillet—just enough to coat the surface—and set it over medium heat.
2. Lay the chive pockets in the skillet, then cover with a lid. Wait until the bottom side turns golden.
3. Flip the pockets over to fry the other side without the lid. Enjoy them while warm, with a dip in Chinese Chili Oil if you like.

Other vegetarian dishes

Looking for more vegetarian-friendly recipes? Check out these popular ones:

📋Recipe card

Love this recipe? Please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and a comment. Thank you!

Chinese chive pockets (韭菜盒子)

Pan-fried flat dumplings filled with fragrant Chinese chives, tender eggs, and springy noodles — Chinese chive pockets are simply delightful.

Author: Wei Guo

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Diet: Vegetarian

Prep: 30 minutes minutes

Cook: 15 minutes minutes

Rest: 15 minutes minutes

Total: 1 hour hour

Servings: 12 pieces

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

For the dough

• ▢ 3 cup all-purpose flour - plus a little extra for dusting
• ▢ 1 cup hot water

For the filling

• ▢ 4 eggs - lightly beaten
• ▢ 1 bundle dried mung bean vermicelli - 1.8 oz/50 g, optional, see note 1
• ▢ 6 oz Chinese chives - finely chopped
• ▢ 3 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper - or five-spice powder, ground white pepper

For frying

• ▢ 2 tablespoon neutral cooking oil

Free Top 25 Recipes CookbookDOWNLOAD IT NOW!

Instructions

Make the dough

• Put the flour into a heatproof bowl. Pour in hot water (soon after being boiled). Stir with chopsticks or a fork until the flour turns into small lumps.
• As soon as the mixture becomes cool enough to handle, knead the mixture into a soft, smooth dough (see note 2).
• Cover the dough tightly with cling film. Leave to rest for 15 minutes.

Prepare the filling

• Heat oil in a skillet over high heat until very hot. Pour in the beaten eggs and scramble until they turn solid. Once they cool down a little, chop into small pieces.
• Soak mung bean vermicelli in hot water for 5 minutes until pliable. Rinse under cold water, then chop the strands into tiny pieces.
• Put the chopped chives, vermicelli and eggs into a mixing bowl. Stir in salt and ground Sichuan pepper (or five-spice powder, ground white pepper).

Assemble the pockets

• Divide the dough into 12 equal portions.
• Dust the working surface and the rolling pin with a little flour to prevent sticking. Flatten each piece of dough into a round wrapper, about 6 in / 15 cm in diameter.
• Place the filling mixture in the middle of a wrapper then seal it into a semi-circle flat pocket (see note 3)

Fry the pockets

• Fry the assembled pockets in two batches. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil into the skillet over medium heat.
• Place in 6 chive pockets then cover with a lid. Flip over when the first side becomes golden brown.
• Fry the other side uncovered until it turns golden brown (see note 4).

Make ahead

• Freeze uncooked chive pockets on a lightly floured tray. Once completely frozen, transfer them to an airtight bag and store in the freezer for up to three months.
• Fry the frozen pockets without defrosting them first. When frying the first side, add about ½ cup (120 ml) of water and cover the pan with a lid.

NOTES

1. Mung bean vermicelli noodles don’t have much of a flavor on their own, but they provide an interesting texture to the filling. You may skip them if not available. In this case, increase the volume of chive and egg accordingly. 

2. The ideal flour to water ratio may vary slightly depending on the brand of the flour and how you measure it (Measuring with cups is less accurate). 

3. Securely sealing the edge of the wrapper is enough, but if you wish to create a prettier pattern, check out my post on Ten Ways to Fold Dumplings which includes a method for these chive pockets.

4. Cooking time may vary and a heavy bottom is preferable. It takes me around 5 minutes to cook the first side and a further 2 minutes to finish the other side.

 

NUTRITION

Serving: 1 piece | Calories: 219 kcal | Carbohydrates: 32 g | Protein: 5 g | Fat: 8 g | Saturated Fat: 1 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g | Trans Fat: 0.2 g | Cholesterol: 55 mg | Sodium: 216 mg | Potassium: 119 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 0.1 g | Vitamin A: 79 IU | Vitamin C: 3 mg | Calcium: 22 mg | Iron: 2 mg

Cooked this recipe?Show me your dish or ask me questions @red.house.spice

NUTRITION DISCLOSURE: Nutritional information on this website is provided as a courtesy to readers. It should be considered estimates. Please use your own brand nutritional values or your preferred nutrition calculator to double check against our estimates.