Dumplings full of childhood memories

On the eve of the New Year, I sent my friends an SMS. "Homemade jiaozi are the most delicious, may everyone have a round tummy," I said, visualizing the dumplings of minced pork, fragrant mushroom, baby cabbage, Chinese water chestnut, leek, and fresh eggs.

While not the best-written New Year's wish of the zillions flying across the globe among Chinese speakers, it was a sincere wish from a happy family.

Many foreigners find jiaozi delicious to eat but formidable to make. Stuart Beaton, a great chef and English teacher based in Tianjin, wrote in Tuesday's Hotpot column about how he sweats while making jiaozi in front of his Chinese friends.