Shadowing Practice: How to Make Dumpling Wrappers (Dumpling Skins/餃子皮) | Lisa Lin - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Hi everyone, welcome back!
2
Today we're making dumpling wrappers.
3
This is what I usually use for pot stickers, but you can use them for a variety of dumplings.
4
First, you'll need all-purpose flour or plain flour.
5
Then you'll mix that flour with very warm water that's almost too hot to touch.
6
You want the water to be somewhere between 110 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
7
The warm water helps to relax the dough so that the dough is a lot easier to roll out later.
8
I typically don't use boiling hot water because it'll be more difficult to handle
9
when I'm mixing the dough by hand later on.
10
Also, I think the boiling hot water relaxes the dough too much.
11
Stir the water and flour together until all the water is absorbed into the flour.
12
Then use your hands to gather up the dough together.
13
I like to dig into the dough with my fingers in
14
a claw-like motion to work the dry flour into the lump of dough.
15
Occasionally, I'll also brush the dough against the sides of the
16
bowl to catch some of the flour that's stuck on there too.
17
Take the dough out of the bowl and knead it for 2-3 minutes.
18
I don't usually dust the surface with flour, but if your dough is feeling a bit sticky, feel free to sprinkle some flour on the work surface.
19
There's quite a bit of dough stuck to my fingers, so I'm just cleaning off those tiny bits of dough
20
and then working them into the large ball of dough that I'm shaping.
21
By the way, you can knead all the dough inside a stand mixer too.
22
Just add all the ingredients to your stand mixer.
23
Then, using a dough hook, mix all the ingredients on medium-low for about 3 minutes.
24
After a few minutes of kneading, the surface of the dough won't look completely smooth, and that's okay.
25
The important thing is that it shouldn't stick to your hand.
26
If it does, sprinkle one or two tablespoons of flour on the dough and knead everything again.
27
Place the dough back into the bowl and cover it with a damp towel or any lid and let the dough rest.
28
You can start working with the dough after it rests for about 20 minutes, but it's even better if you can let it rest for longer.
29
I usually let it rest for at least 45 minutes.
30
After resting the dough, knead it a few times.
31
Then use your fingers to make a hole in the center of the dough
32
and stretch out that hole until you get a very large ring.
33
The dough should be about one to one and a half inches thick.
34
Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into small pieces.
35
For For medium-sized dumplings, aim for dough pieces of about 12 to 14 grams, which is about one tablespoon.
36
For larger dumplings, you'll want them to be about 14 to 16 grams.
37
Roll out the pieces of dough into tiny balls.
38
I like to work the pieces of dough like you see here
39
so that there are practically no visible seams on the exterior of the dough once it's rolled into a ball.
40
I think the wrappers roll out in a more consistent, circular shape this way, but it can also just be me being overly obsessive, which is very likely.
41
You can simply roll out the pieces of dough into smaller balls with the palms of your hand, but as you can see, those seams really bother me for some reason.
42
Now dust the work surface with some flour and cover the small balls of dough with the flour.
43
In terms of rolling pins, I like using smaller ones that are about 10 to 11 inches
44
because they're easier for the rolling technique that I'm about to show.
45
You can use a larger rolling pin, but they work better with the two-handed rolling technique that I'll show later on.
46
Take a piece of dough and flatten it into a disc.
47
When you first roll out the wrapper, you want to roll the dough out almost all the way before retracting the rolling pin.
48
Turn the dough 90 degrees and do the same.
49
After about one revolution, roll out the dough only halfway before rotating it.
50
If the dough is sticking to the pin, brush it with some flour.
51
Notice how I never lift the rolling pin.
52
It is a constant forward and back motion.
53
After a few more revolutions, I'll go in and only roll out the edges so that they're thinner.
54
I usually place the rolled out wrappers onto a baking sheet that's dusted with flour and cover everything with a dry linen.
55
This helps to keep the wrappers from drying out.
56
Here's another angle of me rolling out the wrappers.
57
When I'm pushing the rolling pin away from me, that's when I'm exerting the most pressure on the wrapper.
58
Again, notice how I never lift the rolling pin from the surface.
59
By the way, if you're making dumplings on your own, it's better to roll out about four or five wrappers at a time.
60
The edges crust over pretty easily, which make the dumplings more difficult to seal and pleat later on.
61
Here's how I would roll out the wrappers if I'm using a larger rolling pin.
62
In this case, you will want to lift the rolling pin from the surface before you turn the wrapper.
63
Now if you don't master the one-handed rolling technique right away, don't worry, it took me a long time,
64
and even Mama Lin hasn't quite gotten the hang of it yet.
65
Suicide!
66
This song!
67
This song is not a song.
68
It's one little.
69
I'm saying it's one little, it's one little.
70
Oh dear.
71
Very pretty.
72
The wrappers are now ready to use for making dumplings.
73
I don't like rolling out the wrappers a day ahead because they don't feel as nice as freshly made wrappers.
74
But if you were to roll them out ahead, make sure to brush a lot of starch between the wrappers.
75
Don't use the same flour that you used for the dough
76
because it'll get absorbed into the dough causing the wrappers to stick together.
77
Make sure the wrappers are well coated with some type of starch like potato starch or tapioca starch.
78
Then use saran wrap to cover the wrappers tightly so that they don't dry out.
79
I put everything in another container as an extra precaution.
80
Try to use the wrappers in the next day or two.
81
You'll need to use water to moisten the edges so that the wrappers can seal properly.
82
Alright, that's it for this dumpling wrapper tutorial.
83
You can get the full recipe on my website, which I link to below.
84
If you have any questions, feel free to leave it in the comments.
85
Don't forget to hit subscribe for more videos.
About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will practice your English speaking skills by working through a cooking tutorial on how to make dumpling wrappers. This transcript provides a detailed step-by-step guide led by Lisa Lin, which can help you not only enhance your vocabulary but also improve your ability to follow instructions in English. By utilizing the shadowing technique, you can mimic the speaker's tone, rhythm, and pronunciation, making it an effective way to learn English with YouTube.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Dumpling wrappers - Thin sheets of dough used to encase filling for dumplings.
- All-purpose flour - A versatile type of flour used for various recipes.
- Knead - To work the dough with your hands to develop its texture.
- Rest - To let the dough sit after kneading, allowing it to relax.
- Rolling pin - A cylindrical tool used to flatten dough.
- Seams - The edges where pieces of dough are joined together.
- Flatten - To press down or spread something into a thinner shape.
- Rotate - To turn or spin something around an axis.
Practice Tips
To get the most out of this lesson and utilize the shadowing technique effectively, follow these suggestions:
- Listening Pace: Start by listening to the entire transcript once without trying to shadow. This will help you understand the flow of the instructions.
- Shadow Speak: After your initial listening, play the video again, pausing after each sentence or key phrase to repeat what you hear. Focus on mimicking Lisa's pronunciation and intonation.
- Consistent Practice: Try to practice shadow speech daily. Consistency can greatly improve your accent and fluency.
- Interactive Engagement: Instead of just repeating, engage with the content by imagining you are making the dumplings as you speak. This adds context to your learning.
- Record Yourself: Consider recording your shadowing practice. Listening back can help you identify areas for improvement and track your progress over time.
- Slow It Down: If you're finding the original video too fast, consider adjusting the playback speed to slow it down. This can help you catch every word clearly.
Practicing these techniques will enhance your listening and speaking skills, making it easier for you to follow English cooking tutorials and other instructional videos in the future!
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.