This time last year, I made a big deal about the fact that it was Chinese New Year, my favourite new year of the year. Regular-ass New Years has become somewhat of a burden, where you spend the week between Christmas and New Years flip-flopping about what you’re going to do, and debating whether you can muster up the energy to leave your house when it’s cold, and prices are inflated, and there are too many amateurs out there and not enough taxis. On Chinese New Years, you just go see family and eat a ton of food and get cash money from relatives in adorable red envelopes.
So, in honour of this tradition, I’m sharing yet another dish that is typically served during the Lunar New Year in many Chinese households: dumplings. I could go on and on about how great dumplings are, but chances are, you already know: most cultures boast some version of a dumpling, which is technically any form of starch or dough that is boiled or fried, and often stuffed with awesomeness such as meat and/or cheese and/or, get this, other starches (perogies, anyone?). In whatever form or cuisine, they are almost always a comfort food reminiscent of grandmothers and family time.
Chinese dumplings come in many shapes and sizes with a variety of fillings, and can be boiled, steamed, pan-fried or deep fried, but my favourites (and the ones traditionally served this time of year) are the savoury pork dumplings that are fried crispy-crunchy on one side of the wrapper, with the other side left soft and steamy — better known as potstickers. According to legend, potstickers result from the happy accident of an absent-minded chef for the Imperial Court who left his boiled dumplings on the stove too long. Having no time to prepare another batch, he served them up and pretended they were his new dumpling invention, and the Imperial Court was all “you are amazing” (for any Top Chef watchers, do we need any more proof that you should never let on to the judges that your stupid foam didn’t make it onto the plate?).
Dumplings can seem intimidating to many and can be time consuming to make, particularly when you make the wrappers from scratch. However, the pre-made dumpling wrappers available at Asian grocery stores are perfectly good and will cut your time in more than half. Other than that, it’s really a matter of making a meat mixture (not unlike making hamburger patties or meatballs), then wrapping the dumplings. Doing it with a friend or two makes it go much faster — and let’s face it, small dexterous fingers are an asset, so why not enlist a small child to help you (preferably your own)? Another option is to host a dumpling party and have everyone bring a different filling: at the end, everyone can go home with multiple types of dumplings, which can be frozen and fried up in a flash for a quick weeknight meal with some stir-fried veggies, or for a late night snack on their own.
You can get any of the ingredients for the recipe below in an Asian grocery store, and minced chicken can be substituted for the pork if you wish (but don’t use extra-lean). Make sure you buy the dumpling wrappers which are usually round, and thicker and denser than wonton wrappers (which are usually square and resemble very thin pasta). To freeze the dumplings, dust them with a good amount of flour to prevent sticking and put in Tupperware, separating layers with wax paper. You can also freeze lightly floured dumplings arranged in a single layer on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet, then tossed in a Ziploc bag. Dumplings can be fried straight from frozen as per below, allowing an additional 4-5 minutes to steam.
Potstickers
Makes about 50 dumplings
4 cups Napa cabbage or bok choy*, finely chopped (a food processor can be useful here)
1 tsp salt
3/4 lb medium ground pork
3 green onions, chopped
1 tsp minced ginger
1/4 cup chopped water chestnuts
2 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or Sherry
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp cornstarch
50 round dumpling wrappers
1 egg white, lightly beaten with a tsp of water
Vegetable oil for frying
For dipping sauce**
Combine and let sit for 20 minutes:
1/2 cup red chinese rice vinegar
3 tbsp shredded ginger
* The cabbage is more traditional but requires you to salt it to draw out the moisture first; the bok choy is a little quicker (see below)
** This is the traditional dipping sauce to serve with potstickers, but a perfectly good substitute is Worcestershire sauce. Seriously, it’s really good. You can also combine 2 parts rice vinegar to 1 part soy sauce with a dash of Chinese chili paste or Sriracha.
1. Place the cabbage with salt in a bowl and toss lightly, letting it sit for 30 minutes while you prep the other ingredients. Squeeze out any water from the cabbage before adding to pork mixture. Quicker: use the bok choy and blanch in salted boiling water for about a minute until leaves turn bright green, then rinse with cold water and drain well.
2. In a large bowl, combine cabbage or bok choy with the pork, green onions, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, ginger and cornstarch. Mix until will combined. Drain off any excess liquid.
3. Set up a wrapping area by having a parchment-lined baking sheet or lightly floured cutting board nearby to set your finished dumplings on. Try to avoid doing this in a warm room as soggy dumplings will stick together.
4. To wrap the dumplings, hold a wrapper in the palm of your hand and, using a finger, apply a bit of egg wash along half of the edge of the wrapper. Place a heaping teaspoon of the filling in the middle of the wrapper, then fold the wrapper over to make a semi-circle, sealing the outermost edge (you can simply seal the edge all the way around, or try pleating the dumplings for a prettier and more traditional look — there are lots of instructional videos available but this one does the trick). Avoid overfilling and make sure you don’t leave any air bubbles in the dumpling, sealing the wrapper around the meat.
5. To fry dumplings, heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large frying pan with a cover, on medium-high heat. Add a single layer of dumplings and fry for about 2 minutes, until golden brown on one side. Add 1/3 cup of water and cover the pan, allowing dumplings to steam for 2-3 minutes, then remove cover and allow remaining water to evaporate (this will help re-crisp the browned edge). Repeat with remaining dumplings and serve hot with dipping sauce. Dumplings can also be boiled for 8 minutes and served with the sauce.
Sara Chan is a Toronto-based entertainment lawyer, food enthusiast, unprofessional home chef and even less professional food photographer. Her favourite food group is pork. Sara’s column appears every other Tuesday here on lawandstyle.ca.