Sunday, April 17, 2011

Chinese Dumplings or Potstickers Recipe 1


My children love Chinese’s Dumplings, also known as Potstickers. I was lucky enough to meet a Chinese family willing to share their beloved recipe. I tried it out and it was a big hit. Since then I have tried some variation of my own. I will share those variations at a later date.

This recipe makes about 48 dumplings, but I tend to make larger dumplings so I don’t quite get 48.

Dumpling filling recipe 1:
½ lb lean ground pork
½ lb lean ground beef
1 egg
1 tbsp corn starch
3 to 4 tbsp Hosp soya sauce (may use any soya sauce)
To taste:
Baby bok choy - I used 6 baby bok choy
Finally chopped garlic – I used 3 tbsp
Finally chopped ginger – I used 1 tbsp
Finally chopped fresh Chives – I used one cup
Ground pepper – I used ½ a tsp or less

Boil the baby bok choy. Drain and let cool. Once cool squish the baby bok choy so that excess liquid is removed. Finely chop the compressed or squished baby bok choy.
Mix meat together. Add and mix into the meat the finally chopped bok choy, garlic, ginger, chives, egg, soya sauce and pepper. Once the mixture is well mixed add and mix in the corn starch. Once everything is mixed together you are ready to add to the dumpling wraps.

Please note that I learned to add the corn starch last because it tends to lump up when added with everything else.

Dumpling wraps can be purchased or made. I used pre-made wraps the first time. They were quick and easy to use, but it was still time consuming to make them by hand. You have to put about 1 tbsp of filling in and fold the wrap in half, pinch the edges together so that they are firmly sealed. Making the dumpling wraps takes more time, but there are no added chemicals and you know they are fresh.




Dumpling wraps recipe:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup boiled water

Put flour in a bowl. Add water. Mix until a soft dough forms. Knead the dough on a lightly flour surface about 5 minutes, or until smooth.

Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a roll 12 inches long and cut each roll into 1/2-inch slices.



Roll 1 slice of dough into a 3-inch circle and place 1 tablespoon pork mixture in the center of the circle. Lift up the edges of the circle and pinch 5 pleats up to create a pouch to encase the mixture. Pinch the top together. Repeat with the remaining slices of dough and filling.



I did try using my perogie maker to make things easier. It does work but only if I make the dough a little thicker than I do when I am making them completely by hand. The dough did have a tenancy to stick to the sides of the perogie maker and tear if care was not taken. The problem was reduced when I used slightly thicker dough and dusted it with a little flour before putting on the perogie maker.

How to cook the Chinese Dumplings or Potstickers:
The recipe called for: Heat a wok or nonstick skillet until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, tilting the wok to coat the sides. If using a nonstick skillet, add 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil. Place 12 dumplings in a single layer in the wok and fry 2 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown.



Add 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook 6 to 7 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Repeat with the remaining dumplings.

I used: a non-stick frying pan. Add 1 tbsp oil, virgin olive oil or roasted sesame seed oil. Brown both sides on medium heat. Add about ¼ cup of water, put lid on, reduced heat to simmer, cook 10 minutes (15 if they are larger sized).

The roasted sesame seed oil adds a nice flavour, but can be more expensive than virgin olive oil. The roasted sesame seed oil and soya sauce can be mixed together to create a dipping sauce, though I like peanut sauce to dip them in.

These dumplings went over great with my family. We ate them all up and I ended up spending a weekend making them. They can be frozen before they are cooked. So if you like the dumplings but don’t want to have to put the work into them every time then make a batch to freeze. When you want to eat them just take out as many as you would like. Brown both sides, and ¼ water and simmer for 10 minutes with lid on.

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