Egg + Chive Boxes (Jiu Cai He Zi)
“Chive boxes (韭菜盒子 Jiu Cai He Zi) are filled with egg, chive, and mung bean vermicelli. They’re another childhood favorite of mine and something that I would always look for on the menu when we went out to eat. Since they’re not always easy to find, I started to make my own, which always include dried shrimp and MSG to give it an extra oomph and umami taste.”－author, Christy Wang
Find it more online here!
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 2 cups AP flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp neutral (canola or veg) oil
- ~1/2 to 3/4 cup hot (not boiling) water
For the Filling
- ~2-2.5 cups of chives. Tough stems removed and chopped into ~1cm (half inch)
- 4 eggs scrambled with a pinch of salt, break into small pieces with your spatula or give it a once-over with a knife
- 1/2 cup cooked mung bean vermicelli, cut into 1 cm (half inch) pieces (I just go at it with scissors)
- 2 tsps neutral oil
- 2 tbsps dried shrimp (optional)
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp Ac’cent or umami seasoning AJI-NO-MOTO® (MSG)
- Salt to taste, ~1/2 tsp
- **Feel free to adjust ratios of chives, eggs, and vermicelli based on personal preference
Directions
Make the Dough
Mix flour, salt, and oil
Add in water slowly while continuing to stir with chopsticks until large chunks start to form
Knead until smooth ~5 minutes at which point the dough should be slightly tacky to touch but not sticky
Cover and let rest for 30 minutes
Making the Boxes
Mix chives and oil together, then mix in the rest of the filling well.
Divide dough in half. Then, roll out each half into a log and divide into 8 pieces, yielding 16 total pieces. Add the pieces you’re not working on back into the covered bowl to keep them from drying out.
Roll each piece into a ball, flatten with your palm, and then roll out into a 4.5-5 inch round. Take the rolling pin over the edges so that you don’t have real thick edges.
Spoon a heap of filling into the center, fold the dough in half so you half a semi-circle, and seal the edges closed with your fingers.
Then use your thumb to pinch small pleats into the dough. Alternatively, follow a simpler folding technique that I used for my beef meat pies.
To Cook/Freeze
To cook: heat up oil over medium heat in a non-stick pan so that it covers the bottom layer of the skillet. Pan fry each side for 3-4 minutes until golden brown.
To freeze: freeze the boxes on a tray in a single layer, not letting the boxes touch. Once they’ve solidified (~2 hours) remove them from the tray and transfer to a ziploc.
