Chinese Dumplings and Potstickers with Cabbage Slaw

Uncultured as I am, I had to do a bit of research to determine the differences between dumplings and potstickers. Turns out that dumplings are steamed or boiled, while potstickers are pan-fried. Ah! I decided to try my hand at both.

I was so pleased with the way these turned out! My pleating technique was terrible at first, and really took some practice to get the hang of it. The filling was moist and flavorful, and the ginger and soy in the dipping sauce really brought out those flavors in the filling. I liked the light, chewy texture of the dumplings, where my husband liked the crunchy bottoms of the potstickers (let’s face it, did anyone think he wouldn’t prefer the fried option?). The slaw was light and refreshing, and a good way to make dumplings a full meal. The dough is a great base and I’m looking forward to experimenting with lots of different fillings, including dessert ones (peach with caramel? raspberry with chocolate ganache?).

The recipe as written below yields ~30 dumplings. The amount of dough only uses 1/2 of the filling yielded in this recipe, so if you don’t want to have filling left over, double the dough recipe. Since we didn’t really need 60 dumplings, I sauteed the filling by itself while the dumplings/potstickers were cooking and we ate it in lettuce wraps.

Adapted from Use Real Butter

Ingredients:

For the dough, go to Use Real Butter. I used the same exact recipe, only mine needed a bit more water (~1/4 c.)

For the filling:

• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1/2 small head green cabbage, chopped finely (Note that if you’re planning on steaming the dumplings, reserve a few of the outer leaves to lay in the bottom of the steamer basket to prevent the dumplings from sticking.)
• 1/2 bunch green onions, chopped finely
• 1-8 oz. can water chestnuts, chopped finely
• 1.5″ fresh ginger, chopped finely
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp. corn starch

For my version of the dipping sauce:

• 2 Tbsp. sake
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp. ginger, grated

Directions:

• Check out Use Real Butter for instructions on how to make the dough and pleat it correctly.
• With a rolling pin, roll out each piece into a circle. They should be ~1/8″ thick and the center of the circles should be a bit thicker than the edges.
• Once you’ve got the dough made and rolled out into small circles, put ~1 Tbsp. of the filling in the middle of the circle and fold the circle in half. Close the dough pocket by pleating the edges.
• Food safety tip: assembling the dumplings takes a bit of time, so you want to make sure the raw filling stays cool. To do so, store the bowl of filling inside of a larger bowl filled with ice. Work in batches of dumplings, so as you finish 5 or so, put them on a plate and store them in the fridge.
• To steam the dumplings, lay cabbage leaves in the bottom of a steamer basket and steam them for ~6 minutes, then serve immediately.

• To pan-fry the potstickers, heat ~2-3 Tbsp. canola oil over high heat in a frying pan. Add the potstickers so that the pleated edge is facing up. Fry the potstickers in the oil for a few minutes until the bottoms are golden. Add 1/2 c. water to the pan and cover immediately (please be careful while doing this — it makes a ton of steam and is downright scary!). Cook until the water has boiled off, then remove the cover and lower the heat to medium-low. Let the potstickers cook for another 2 minutes, then serve immediately.

• Combine all of the dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl and serve with the dumplings/potstickers.

I served these with an asian-esque cabbage slaw made with the rest of the cabbage (sliced finely), 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar, 2 Tsbp. soy sauce, 1 tsp. sesame oil, 2 stalks green onions (chopped finely), 1/2 c. cilantro (chopped finely), ~1/2″ grated fresh ginger, and 1 tsp. sesame seeds. Combine the ingredients and let sit for 1 hour before serving.