The Potsticker, Part II

Almost two years ago, I wrote a post about potstickers, which a faithful commenter called the "walk version." Since then, I have made a lot of them, and learned quite a bit from the experience, and we're ready to "run." The entire process is now done from scratch, from dough to filling, to sauce.

The shaft of light clearly shows divine inspiration at work

Dough

At the time of my initial post, I was content with buying frozen wrappings. These are easily available at any Chinese grocery or even many general supermarkets. While these do work and let you save a lot of time, you can bring these to a whole new level with homemade dough. I also felt there was something a little off about them, but never bothered to try it. It was Ariel who put her foot down and declared the frozen wrappers unfit for use. We tried making our own, and never went back. Like chive pancakes, potstickers employ a hot water dough. In fact, I first started out using the pancake dough, but found it a bit too wet to handle. The recipe here is my adjustment. I make about two of these for a big batch.

Potsticker Wrapper Dough

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 cup boiling water 
• 1/3 cup cold water

Mix the flour and boiling water, and let stand for 3 minutes. Add cold water and knead into a smooth dough. Roll out on a floured surface. To work as a wrapper, the dough needs to be very thin. Cut the dough into circles using a glass. I find a standard pint glass or similar glassware does the job well. Closing the dumplings requires only water around the edge of the wrapper, and I don't find an egg wash necessary.

Filling

Over the years, my grandparents always have seemed to regard the filling as an afterthought, as if it was just meat and that was it. This is certainly not the case. Properly proportioned and seasoned filling can make or break your potstickers. 

The base will always be some kind of ground meat. Pork is the standard, but this can certainly be swapped or mixed with beef, lamb, or anything else. You can certainly add some chopped shrimp to the mix, as well. A good amount of vegetables is important to prevent the filling from becoming too dense. My usual choice is green cabbage. For additional flavoring, I add either green onions or chives plus soy sauce, black pepper, a touch of sesame oil and salt to taste. Minced garlic is another good option. Finally, add an egg to tie it all together. As with any meat mixture (as for burgers, meatballs, and the like), mix gently and avoid overworking. 

You can test out your filling without much commitment by forming a small patty and frying it. 

Sauce

My go-to sauce formula is about half soy sauce and half Chinese black vinegar. This is another somewhat "exotic ingredient" that I honestly don't know any other use for. However, if you make a lot of potstickers, it's definitely worth picking up a bottle. 

This basic sauce works very well, but you can always experiment with variations. A drop of sesame oil (don't overdo it), grated ginger, garlic powder, or a bit of mustard can work. Adventurous sorts might try some chili oil.

Cooking

The first thing you need is the right pan. The pan should fulfill four criteria: broad size, non-stick, flat bottom, and a good lid. I've found this in our trusty nonstick pan from IKEA (see photo). It didn't come with a lid, but the one from one of my other pans fits perfectly. 

The all-important second frying

It was not until reading Pei-Mei's technique for cooking potstickers that I feel I really nailed the crunchy texture on the bottoms. Here's how it's done: First, on medium heat, heat up vegetable oil in the pan. Add the potstickers and briefly brown the bottoms. Next, add water and cover. Let them steam until the meat is cooked. Carefully drain out any water that did not absorb. Finally, splash some more oil into the pan and fry until the bottoms are well browned and crisp. To serve, you can line up an inverted plate on top of the pan and then flip the whole thing so the dumplings fall onto the plate. I have found that you can cook potstickers just fine either freshly made or frozen. Frozen dumplings will, of course, require a longer steaming time.