Daring Cooks - Chinese Dumplings and Potstickers

By now most folks who follow food blogs are aware of the Daring Bakers - that dedicated group of bakers who tackle a complex baking challenge each month. You might not know that the Daring Bakers have formed another group known as the Daring Cooks and there is a whole new website called The Daring Kitchen.

The Daring Cooks had their first challenge last month which I skipped - no good reason as I had everything I needed to make the recipe. When I saw this month's challenge I knew that I'd be joining the ranks of the Daring Cooks post haste!

The neat thing about being a Daring Cook is that you are given the opportunity to whip something together that you wouldn't normally attempt to make. This month's challenge is a perfect example of this! I've made dumplings and post stickers before but I've never thought to attempt the dough; it has always been easier to buy pre-made wrappers.

Jenn of Use Real Butter (you have to love the title of that blog - a cook after my own heart!) would have none of that! The dumpling dough was the one thing you HAD to make so make it I did!

Chinese Dumplings and Potstickers

Jenn's recipe and directions:

It's a basic concept; a filling inside a dough wrapper, sealed, and cooked. This delicious theme runs through many cultures and is among the more popular bites at Chinese restaurants - especially dim sum. The recipe I provide is based on my family recipe. There is a lot of wiggle room and I encourage you to explore. If you've made them before - great! Now try something different!

The process goes a little like this:

You can (and should) reference instructional photos and discussion on my blog post here.

Wrappers:Well yes, you could purchase pre-made dumpling wrappers at the store (NO WONTON WRAPPERS - they have egg), but they are inferior compared to homemade. The whole point of this challenge is to make the dumpling wrappers by hand. So here is the one requirement: the dumpling wrappers must be made by hand. It isn't all that hard, it just takes a little time and practice. People usually get the hang of it after making about a dozen.

Fillings:the beauty of the Chinese dumpling/potsticker is that the filling is very versatile. That's why there are so many different kinds of dumplings when you go to dim sum. The two most common are pork and shrimp. You can make them with other ground meats (beef, chicken...) or vegetarian (tofu, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, glass noodles, Chinese chives - oh yum!). The important thing to keep in mind is that the filling needs to "stick" to itself or else you will make your life incredibly miserable wrapping up filling that keeps falling apart. I think if I were to make vegetarian dumplings, I would sauté the cabbage and mash up the tofu for a better cohesiveness. It's up to you how you want to fill your dumplings and I say - run with it! Just keep it cohesive and no big chunks of hard ingredients (they poke through the wrapper dough = disaster). I realize it may be tempting to dump all of the vegetables into a food processor and give it a whir, but I caution against it. You don't want a slurry, you want a mince. Practice your knife skills and be careful.

Special Equipment: A rolling pin - preferably not tapered.

Time:Prep for the filling takes me 30 minutes - longer if peeling and de-veining shrimp. It will depend on your proficiency with a good sharp knife. Rolling and wrapping several dozen dumplings takes me 1 hour by myself. My parents can crank through it in 30 minutes when one person is rolling wrappers and the other is wrapping dumplings. Might be fun to get a second person to help! Cooking: I have to cook mine in batches. When steaming, I can cook a dozen at a time in about 10 minutes. Potstickers: 15 minutes per 2 dozen determined by the size of your pan. Boiling - 6 minutes per dozen or so depending on size of pot. My own personal preference is for potstickers - mmmmm! But they are ALL good.

Chinese Dumplings/Potstickers

pork filling:
1 lb (450g) ground pork
4 large napa cabbage leaves, minced
3 stalks green onions, minced
7 shitake mushrooms, minced (if dried - rehydrated and rinsed carefully)
1/2 cup (75g) bamboo shoots, minced
1/4 (55g) cup ginger root, minced
3 tbsp (40g) soy sauce
2 tbsp (28g) sesame oil
2 tbsp (16g) corn starch

[note: I used the pork filling - it was delicious]

OR

shrimp filling:
1/2 lb (225g) raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped
1/2 lb (225g) ground pork
3 stalks green onions, minced
1/4 cup (55g) ginger root, minced
1 cup (142g) water chestnuts, minced
1 tsp (5g) salt
3 tbsp (40g) sesame oil
2 tbsp (16g) corn starch

dough: (double this for the amount of filling, but easier to make it in 2 batches - or just halve the filling recipe)
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (113g) warm water
flour for work surface

dipping sauce:
2 parts soy sauce
1 part vinegar (red wine or black)
a few drops of sesame oil
chili garlic paste (optional)
minced ginger (optional)
minced garlic (optional)
minced green onion (optional)
sugar (optional)

[note: I used soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, garlic chili sauce, garlic, and green onion - MMMMMM)

Combine all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly (I mix by clean hand). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (up to a day, but preferably within an hour or two).

Make the dough, Method 1:Place the flour in the work bowl of a food processor with the dough blade. Run the processor and pour the warm water in until incorporated. Pour the contents into a sturdy bowl or onto a work surface and knead until uniform and smooth. The dough should be firm and silky to the touch and not sticky. [Note: it’s better to have a moist dough and have to incorporate more flour than to have a dry and pilling dough and have to incorporate more water).

As people worked on the challenge there were some comments that the dough was too dry. Jenn was quick to provide advice:

There have been two complaints posted about a dry dough and I realize that this rests in the problem of measuring flour which has a different density and hence weight for 2 cups depending on how you scoop it. That is why I also list the weight: 250g. Flour tends to settle over time, so when I scoop it out, I shake several cups' worth back into the container before taking a final scoop of soft, fluffy, flour and I get 250g for 2 cups. When you knead the dough, if it feels hard and dry, then you can add more water. [Warning: it will NOT be a soft bread dough, so don't expect it to be, but it shouldn't be a brick either.] It is perfectly fine to use more than the 1/2 cup listed in the recipe as everyone's climate and flours vary. Use your judgment - this is what being a Daring Cook is about. We are trying to cultivate a sense of intuition so that recipes are general guidelines from which you can expand your own style.

Knead the dough about twenty strokes then cover with a damp towel for 15 minutes. Take the dough and form a flattened dome. Cut into strips about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. Shape the strips into rounded long cylinders. On a floured surface, cut the strips into 3/4 inch pieces. Press palm down on each piece to form a flat circle (you can shape the corners in with your fingers). With a rolling pin, roll out a circular wrapper from each flat disc. Take care not to roll out too thin or the dumplings will break during cooking - about 1/16th inch. Leave the centers slightly thicker than the edges. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper and fold the dough in half, pleating the edges along one side (see images in post for how to fold pleats). Keep all unused dough under damp cloth.

To boil: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add dumplings to pot. Boil the dumplings until they float.

To steam:Place dumplings on a single layer of napa cabbage leaves or on a well-greased surface in a steamer basket with lid. Steam covered for about 6 minutes.

To pan fry (potstickers): Place dumplings in a frying pan with 2-3 tbsp of vegetable oil. Heat on high and fry for a few minutes until bottoms are golden. Add 1/2 cup water and cover. Cook until the water has boiled away and then uncover and reduce heat to medium or medium low. Let the dumplings cook for another 2 minutes then remove from heat and serve.

To freeze: Assemble dumplings on a baking sheet so they are not touching. It helps to rub the base of the dumpling in a little flour before setting on the baking sheet for ease of release. Freeze for 20-30 minutes until dumplings are no longer soft. Place in ziploc bag and freeze for up to a couple of months. Prepare per the above instructions, but allow extra time to ensure the filling is thoroughly cooked.

To serve:Serve dumplings or potstickers hot with your choice of dipping sauce combinations.

Comments

[Cindy Ruth]

Your dumplings look awesome! I can't wait to make these-I guess better late than never. I'm venturing out today for a short trip to the grocery store(first time out since the foot surgery), so I think I'll pick up the ingredients and try to make this week. Welcome to Daring Cooks!

[kendall]

I wish you were my neighbor. I would constantly be peering in you kitchen window with a pathetic, sad , hungry look hoping for table scraps.

[Rose]

i make japanese dumplings with the recipe that Junishi left me...pork and ground beef mixture. Sauce is soya sauce, peanut oil and sugar. They are always a hit....yummy in the tummy!

[Palma]

Really beautiful dumplings! Yum, I can ALMOST taste them.

[Jen Yu]

Oh how pretty! Your dumplings came out great. Awesome job on the challenge this month. Woohoo!!

[Jerry]

I know that you will enjoy them when you make them Cindy.

Kendall - I do share! LOL

Rose - how is it you've never whipped those up for us?

Thanks Palma - they were good.

Thanks for the amazing recipe AND instructions Jenn!

[easy dumplings]

Really fantastic dumplings, I am mouth watering and hungry now, oh my...
I really love dumplings and my favorite is chicken dumplings, which is not that easy for me to make, but I do hope I can make my own dumpling wrappers and make my own style dumplings on day by your detailed recipes, thank you so much for sharing, I can enjoy more!

[Kayte]

I'm trying to get caught up here in Jerryville and I promised myself I would limit the comments for your sake and for the sake of being able to read faster, but YOU KNEW I would not be able to read and copy and paste all this to an email to myself without commenting, didn't you? OMW these look FANTASTIC. You did such a superb job on the little dumplings...I can almost taste them just looking at the photos. Great post.

[JDeQ]

Thanks Kayte - they were pretty darn good. Jenn gave such brilliant instructions thta it was hard not to wind up with great results.

[Chinese Traditional Recipes]

Wow, the cooking way of this dumpling is great and easy to cook, I’ll try it later and I hope it tastes delicious. Just one suggestion: If you add some cooking pictures it will be easier to follow!

[Surrey Private Detective]

These are my favorite things to eat in the world. However, I never make them myself so I'm going to bookmark your recipe. Thanks for sharing!