Extra (Ap)petite // Chinese dumplings / potstickers recipe

I love exploring different cultures through food, and cooking at home is a way to stay in touch with my own. One of the first dishes I learned from Mom was dumplings. They’re ubiquitous in Asian cuisine, and traditionally eaten on Chinese New Year as they symbolize wealth and prosperity. I have the fondest childhood memories of perching around a table with my extended family, in a dumpling assembly line. My work product was easy to identify – they were always the most deformed…err, creative shapes.

I’ve received many requests to post recipes, so am sharing this today in honor of Lunar New Year. I had an amazing time celebrating the holiday in Canton two years ago (see post), and will just be enjoying some home cooking today!

I love this dish as it’s adaptable for vegetarians (see example veggie recipe) and other dietary preferences. I make these for friends, potlucks, you name it. It’s simple enough for beginners, and easy to freeze for enjoying later.

I’ll start with the basic core ingredients for 1 batch of dumplings, which can be altered to your taste. As with most Chinese cooking – this is a flexible recipe and it’s not necessary to measure closely. It’s also ok if the filling is under-seasoned, since dumplings will be dipped in a sauce once cooked. My mom will usually wrap one dumpling and cook it for a taste test, then continue seasoning the filling if necessary.

Basic dumpling recipe:
– 1 package of dumpling skins/wrappers.*

Filling:
– 1 lb ground meat**
– 1 generous cup of veggies finely chopped, more as desired***
– 2 Tablespoons light soy sauce, more as desired
– 1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
– 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
– salt to taste

Add more seasoning to taste after testing 1 dumpling

Notes:
* Dumpling wrappers are found at Asian grocery stores either refrigerated or frozen, or you can be ambitious and make your own. I prefer the refrigerated white, round “Shanghai style” wrappers. Other varieties include yellow “Hong Kong style” which are super thin and better for steamed dim sum, or square shapes which are for wontons.

** You can use ground pork which is traditional, or ground turkey or chicken, but poultry is not ideal because leaner meat = less juicy dumplings.

*** For veggies, traditional dumpling fillings use either napa cabbage or garlic chive, which is my favorite by far. Garlic chives, as shown in the above photo, look like long blades of grass similar to a cross between scallions and leeks. They have wonderful garlic-y aroma and flavor starting at the white roots and throughout the blade. I’ve only been able to find these at Asian grocery stores. If using napa cabbage, make sure to squeeze as much water out as you can.

Optional ingredients:
– Peeled and de-veined shrimp, cut into small pieces. I love adding shrimp to our dumplings!
– Corn or tapioca starch sprinkled into the filling, to help better bind it together
– Minced ginger
– Fish sauce
– White pepper

My favorite dumpling filling combo is simply shrimp and ground pork with garlic chive and the above seasonings. Delish!

Filling directions: Mix all filling ingredients together in a large bowl. My mom uses 3 chopsticks held together almost like a mortar, and uses it to stir vigorously in a clockwise motion to mix the filling until almost paste-like. The filling can be mixed up to a day ahead of time, covered and stored covered in the fridge.

Wrapping directions: Prepare a small bowl of warm water. This will be your wrapping “glue.”

To avoid running out of either filling or wrappers, I start by splitting my wrapper into quarters and also roughly segmenting the filling into the same. Be sure to keep the pile of unused wrappers covered, so they don’t dry out. If your wrappers are already feeling a little dry, I cover a small batch with a damp paper towel and microwave for 10 seconds.

1. Put a wrapper in the palm of your hand and 1 spoonful of filling in the center. Start with less filling if it’s your first time wrapping!
2. Dab a finger on your other hand in the warm water, and “draw” the water liberally around the outer circumference edge of the wrapper.
3. Pinch the top and bottom centers together
4. Pinch together the lower right corner with your thumb and index finger.
5. Keeping your hand and thumb in place, use your index finger to fold down the bubble of skin between the two pinches made in steps 3 and 4.
6. Press firmly.

7 – 8. Repeat the same process on the other side
9 – 10. Give your dumpling a few last pinches between your thumb and index finger to make sure it doesn’t come apart. Use more water as glue if necessary.

Line up dumplings on a lightly floured cookie sheet or piece of foil. I’m quite lucky that Nick eats everything I cook, plus is a fast learner in the kitchen!

Freezing directions: Put the entire cookie sheet or pan (lined with foil and lightly floured) of un-cooked dumplings into the freezer. Let freeze on cookie sheet until they’re semi-hard, then transfer into zip-loc bags. This is to prevent them from sticking into 1 big lump.

Cooking directions: You can either boil or pan-fry these as potstickers. Boiling fresh or frozen dumplings is easy and healthy – cook these in a large boiling pot of water until they float to the surface for 5-8 minutes, then strain.

Pan-frying is tastier in my opinion but has a few steps. UPDATE: Watch my IGTV video for pan frying frozen dumplings! You MUST use a good nonstick pan and enough oil, otherwise the bottoms will stick.

For dipping sauce, start with a soy sauce base and add the following if you desire: black vinegar, sesame oil, hot sauce, chopped scallions and cilantro. And enjoy!

For those who celebrate – wishing you and your families a happy Lunar New Year! What have/will you be eating?