Potstickers

The History: 
 Potstickers, also called Jiaozi, are Chinese dumplings, and very similar to Japanese Gyoza, and apparently the Nepali have their own version with lots of spices. (Next time...) According to the ever-helpful Wikipedia, potstickers were invented by a famous practitioner of Chinese medicine, Zhang Zhongjing, who used them to treat frostbitten ears. (I'm not kidding. And I'm not really sure HOW they prevent frostbite. Do you apply them to the ears? Does the mere act of eating them prevent the affliction? Unsure. Thoughts?) Luckily, New Haven was a sultry 68 degrees today so frostbitten ears were not the purpose for today's culinary experiment.

The Process: 
 I consulted about 15 food blogs to figure out how to make potstickers, most seemingly written by Chinese-American women following very strict rules from their mothers on the ideal potsticker recipes and cooking techniques. At first, I was intimidated- it seemed that so much could go wrong! But after my success with pasta, my confidence was bolstered and I felt prepared to tackle a seemingly elaborate dish. One particular blog laid out the process really well, and if you tackle potstickers (which you should! You'll never go back to the Trader Joe's version!) I recommend taking a look at her description and pictures of the process, although I encourage you to invent your own filling (I don't eat pork or shrimp, so I used her filling recipe as a guide.) Potstickers turned out to be really easy, though messy. (It seems like everything I make is messy- maybe it's just me.)

The Recipe:
There are three components to this dish, and each recipe is really simple, requiring very little in the way of measurement. (Hooray!)
The wrapper: Combine about 1.5 cups of flour with enough warm water to form a dough, plus a little salt. Knead until mixed, then set aside to relax and let the gluten do its thing.
The filling: We mainly eat vegetarian, so I used a brick of firm tofu (I love the local brand, Bridge Tofu- it's amazing what a difference fresh tofu makes!), crumbled. I added diced green onion, cilantro, a ton of ginger, garlic, some diced snow peas and shredded carrots, a handful of frozen spinach, a sprinkling of chili flakes, a splash of sesame oil and soy sauce, and a scrambled egg (to hold it together when it cooks). Mix, set aside. You can make filling with ground pork or raw shrimp, chicken, or egg, and/or add your favorite vegetables (most recipes called for Napa cabbage but we didn't have any, but some sort of crunchy vegetable is ideal.)

The sauce: Mix together any of the following ingredients in your soy sauce: fresh ginger, garlic, cilantro, green onion, sesame seeds, sesame oil, lime juice, vinegar, chili flakes, honey. Set aside to chill in the fridge.

Now, to assemble! Give the dough a few more kneads, then snip off bits about the size of a cherry tomato. Roll each dough bit into a ball, then using a rolling pin (or a wine bottle) flatten the dough into a circle shape, using your fingers to pull the dough until it's a bit larger than your palm. Spoon about a tablespoon of the filling into the center of the dough, then fold the dough in half. At this point, you fold the dough together, pleating as you go. This doesn't need to be pretty (see mine.) It takes about 3-5 potstickers to master the technique. As long as they are sealed all the way around, you'll be fine. Attractive potstickers are a bonus. Place the completed potsticker on a very floured surface. Repeat.*
To cook, pre-heat a very generous splash of oil in a very large frying pan on medium-ish heat, then array the potstickers in the pan, and cook until the bottoms are browned. At this point, very quickly add about a cup of water, then clamp a lid on the frying pan before you get splattered with hot water. They'll steam and continue to cook for about 5-8 minutes. When the water has steamed off, continue to cook them a minute more to allow them to firm up.
Serve with the dipping sauce!
(*If you want to freeze the extras, before you cook, arrange the potstickers so they aren't touching on a cookie sheet, freeze until solid, then place them in a tupperware or plastic bag.)

The Results: These were a HUGE hit. Totally delicious, with a great chewy texture on the outside and full of hot zesty flavor on the inside. At this point, you can probably tell I'm a fan of starchy, soul-satisfying comfort foods (pasta, gnocchi, pierogi...) so I'm not surprised that I loved the potstickers. Will I make them again? Definitely! I'd enjoy trying them with chicken, or mixing up the herbs a bit. Far from being intimidating, they were simple, fun to make, and are a (fairly) healthy snack (or meal, in my case.) They'd also make an impressive food to serve at a party, and would be fun to cook with kids. (Particularly if they are picky kids- they could make their own mixture.) If you make some- let me know how they turn out for you, and let me know what's in your filling!
Cheers!