There’s no getting around it: Making potstickers from scratch is a time-consuming, mess-making undertaking. But there I was two Saturday nights ago, smack-dab in the center of culinary chaos, giving my husband fair warning: Dinner was going to be late.
Inspiration had come by way of the tantalizing novel I’d just finished, “The Last Chinese Chef,” by Nicole Mones. It’s a delightful read, both for its dazzling writing and storyline, as well as its sumptuous observations on classic Chinese cuisine.
My hankerings for an Asian hit were intense. And it seemed the quickest answer would come by way of homemade potstickers.
But did I mention the mess-making and long-taking factors? Which is why winter is a good time to make them.
Typically, potstickers contain a ground or chopped meat or seafood, which helps hold everything together, as well as some vegetables and seasonings (fresh ginger, bean sprouts and shredded cabbage are the standards). I love the flavor and texture of such concoctions.
If you have any doubts, there are about 350 passengers on the Royal Viking Sun who can back me up. Several years ago, on the final leg of a cruise from San Francisco to Hong Kong, I was demonstrating the preparation of this, my favorite Chinese dumpling, to fellow passengers the day before docking in Shanghai.
The Chef de Cuisine, Manfred Jaud, had never seen the simple little device one can use to create these meat-filled Chinese dumplings. He has always assigned the task of filling and crimping — a time-consuming proposition — to a sous chef. So when I showed him how this procedure could be streamlined with the use of a dandy little hinged plastic potsticker press (available in Asian food stores and most gourmet cookware and specialty-food shops for about $5), he was charmed. In fact, my parting gift to Chef Jaud was my potsticker press.
Like Chef Jaud, you’d be surprised how simple it is to make these elegant half-moon morsels with the help of a potsticker press. It’s a three-step process. First, you make the filling. Then, you unite the filling with the wrappers by placing a dollop of the filling in the center of the wrapper, brushing the edges all around the filling with a bit of egg white to encourage the dumpling to hold together and pressing it shut.
When you have several dozen filled and sealed, the cooking begins. Unlike most Chinese dumplings, which are simply steamed, potstickers are fried on their flat bottoms before steaming. This gives them a slightly crunchy character and robust flavor.
Once the bottoms are a nice golden hue, add water or chicken broth and cover the pot. Steam the dumplings until the broth has been absorbed, the wrappers are translucent and the potstickers are plump and tender.
Final destination: a serving platter with one or two zesty dipping sauces. That’s all it took the other night to handle my culinary hankerings.
This is the filling I taught to my fellow cruise guests on The Royal Viking Sun.
My favorite potsticker filling
110-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (see note)
1pound ground raw pork, chicken or turkey
1-1/4cups minced green onion (white and pale green portions)
3tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2tablespoons soy sauce
2tablespoons dry sherry
1tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
1tablespoon chili garlic sauce (I use the Sun Luck, but there are several on the market)
2teaspoons sesame oil
4large cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1package of at least 35 3- to 3-1/2 -inch potsticker or gyoza wrappers
1egg white, lightly beaten
1/2cup vegetable oil
2cups chicken broth (homemade or canned)
Dipping sauces (recipes follow)
In a large bowl, combine the spinach, ground raw meat, green onion, cilantro, soy sauce, sherry, ginger, chili garlic sauce, sesame oil and garlic; mix well.
You can prepare this filling up to 48 hours ahead; cover and refrigerate.
To assemble the potstickers: Lay a wrapper on the potsticker press. Spoon in 1 to 2 teaspoons filling, depending on the size of your wrappers and press into the center of the wrapper. Brush all around the outer the edges of the wrapper with some of the lightly beaten egg white and press the 2 halves of the hinged press together firmly.
If you do not have a press, then after filling and brushing with egg white bring the edges together around the filling and, with your fingers, firmly crimp and press the edges to form a seal. Gently remove the folded and crimped dumpling and lay it on a flat surface, crimped edges up, to form a flat bottom. Repeat with the remainder of the filling and wrappers.
The potstickers may be prepared to this point, covered lightly and frozen, then sealed in airtight packaging and stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.
When ready to serve, just proceed with the recipe; no need to thaw.
To cook the potstickers: Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch heavy-bottomed or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add as many potstickers as you can get in the pan without touching each other, and cook until they’re golden-brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the broth and cover the pan immediately (as soon as the broth comes in contact with the oil there will be major splattering and sizzling, so be careful). Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the dumplings until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the potstickers are nicely plumped and a deep golden-brown on the bottom, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove from the heat and keep them warm in a 200-degree oven while you cook the remaining potstickers in the same manner. To serve, provide your guests with individual small dishes containing the dipping sauces.
Note on spinach: When I say “squeezed dry,” I really mean it! After pressing the thawed spinach firmly into a strainer to extract the moisture, I then pick it up in clumps and squeeze again to make sure it’s extra dry before mixing it in.
Chili garlic dipping sauce
1/4cup chili garlic sauce
1/4cup vegetable oil
2tablespoons soy sauce
2tablespoons red wine vinegar
Whisk all ingredients together in a medium-size dish.
Sesame-soy dipping sauce
1/2cup soy sauce
2tablespoons Chinese black vinegar or 1 tablespoon each red wine vinegar and Wocestershire sauce
1tablespoon minced garlic
1teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
1teaspoon sesame oil
Combine all ingredients in a medium-size dish.
Shrimp, pork and mushroom filling for potstickers
6dried black mushrooms
1/4pound smoked ham
1/2cup fresh cilantro
1/2cup canned bamboo shoots, drained
1/2cup canned water chestnuts, drained
1/4pound raw shrimp meat
1/4pound raw ground pork (or raw ground chicken or turkey)
2cups bean sprouts
2teaspoons cornstarch
2teaspoons chili garlic sauce
1/2teaspoon salt
1/2teaspoon sugar
1/4teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water until softened, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, place the ham, cilantro, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and shrimp in the workbowl of a food processor and chop, using short, quick bursts of the motor. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and mix in the ground pork, bean sprouts, cornstarch, salt, sugar and pepper.
Drain the mushrooms from their liquid, squeezing firmly to remove as much moisture as possible. Finely mince the mushrooms and stir into the pork filling, mixing well to blend thoroughly.
Follow the directions above in the previous recipe to assemble and cook the potstickers. Serve with the chili garlic dipping sauce and the sesame-soy dipping sauce.
Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis, Ore., food writer, cookbook author and artist. Readers can contact her by e-mail at janrd@proaxis.com.
Potsticker tips
To prevent potstickers from actually sticking to the bottom of the pan, it’s best to use either a nonstick or a heavy-bottomed pan that cooks evenly and does not scorch.
Traditional potsticker wrappers are round, about 3 to 31/2 inches in diameter and sold in stacks of 35 or more. If you can’t find the round wrappers, which fit nicely in the potsticker press, you can buy square egg roll wrappers and either work with them as is, or cut them into rounds.
Potsticker presses are available at Asian food markets, cooperatives and gourmet cookware stores.
You can also make potstickers in stages. Make the filling one day and refrigerate. Then fill them and cook them the next day. Or, after making and filling them, simply store them in the freezer and cook them whenever you crave the experience.
To get a good seal around the edges of the wrapper, be sure to liberally brush the edges with egg white before adding a scoop of the filling to the center of the wrapper.
Don’t fear making your own filling or altering the ones you see on this page. It’s all about fine-tuning the flavor and texture to suit your taste.
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