Peking Pan-fried Dumplings (Potstickers)

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Peking Pan-fried Dumplings (Potstickers)

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Pan-fried dumplings (potstickers) are served throughout the entire year in China but they are especially served during the Chinese New Year. Because these dumplings look like golden ingots that were used for money during the Ming dynasty, they are believed to bring prosperity.

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These dumplings can be filled with various meats or shrimp and vegetables and they can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or supper. This particular recipe calls for ground pork and Napa cabbage.

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There is also a recipe for making the dough since wonton wrappers are not well suited here. Making the dumplings themselves, is a little tricky, but if you look at the photos, it should become apparent just how to pinch the pleats in the dumplings.

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Difficulty:

Moderate

Preparation Time:

90 Minutes

Cooking Time:

30 Minutes

Servings:

About 18

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Ingredients for the Filling:

8 Oz. of Napa Cabbage

8 Oz. of Ground Pork

2 Scallions (minced including the green part)

¼ Teaspoon Sugar

¼ Teaspoon Salt

2 Teaspoons Dry White Wine

2 Teaspoons Thin Soy Sauce

6 Tablespoons of Oil

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Cooking Instructions:

1. Steam the Napa cabbage over water for 10 minutes until it is tender. I don’t have a steamer, so I use a colander in a large pot with water in it and a cover.
2. Mince the cabbage and squeeze out the excess water.
3. Mix the cabbage with the other filling ingredients (except for the oil) and store the mixture in the refrigerator while you prepare the dough.

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Ingredients for the Dough:

2 Cups of All-purpose Flour

½ Cup of Cold Water (approximate)

¾ Cup Boiling Water (approximate)

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Instructions:

1. Place one cup of flour in one bowl and add the cold water a little at a time. Mix and knead the dough until it is smooth
2. Place the second cup of flour into a second bowl and gradually add the boiling water. Mix and knead that dough until it is smooth.
3. Mix the hot and cold doughs together and knead until you get homogenized, elastic dough. Cover it with a damp cloth and let rest for 15 minutes.
4. Roll the dough into sausages that are about one inch in diameter. And pinch off walnut sized pieces. There should be about 18.
5. Flour each ball and roll it into about a three-inch circle.
6. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each circle, fold it in half and pinch about a dozen small pleats around the edges. Look at the photos to see what each dumpling should look like.
7. Place 2 Tablespoons of oil in a large skillet and arrange the dumplings evenly around the pan in one layer.
8. Add about a half-inch of water, cover the skillet and simmer for three minutes.
9. Using the cover, carefully drain off the liquid.
10. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil, recover the pan and cook over medium-low heat until the bottoms of the dumplings are crisp and brown.
11. Serve with Soy-Vinegar Dip or Soy-Chili Dip.

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Soy- Vinegar Dip:

Mix 4 tablespoons of Chinese red vinegar with 2 tablespoons of thin soy sauce.

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Soy- Chili Dip:

Mix 4 tablespoons of black soy sauce with 2 tablespoons of chili oil.

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