327029 Mon Sep 18 23:04:27 -0700 2006 12 31 Home Cooking 0 1885278 Are there any northern Chinese out there (or not) who have great potsticker techniques to share? Mine is just to not touch the potstickers at all during cooking. Put some oil in a pan, add the dumplings, fry a little, cover halfway with water, cover to steam, uncover to let the water evaporate, and slide off. The trick to "real" potstickers, for me, is getting all of the dumplings to connect to a crispy bottom pancake of dough. Hard to describe, but gorgeous to behold: http://www.chezpei.com/2006/09/potstickers.html How do all the other hounds make potstickers? Mon Sep 18 23:04:27 -0700 2006 11577 Pei 1 1887118 I'm not Chinese but when I cook pot stickers I do the exact opposite of what you are doing. I get the water going first with the oil in it and then add the stickers and cover and let steam. Then I uncover and let the water boil away and the dumplings fry in the remaining oil. This way works very well and they have nice crispy bottoms and don't stick to the pan. Photo is chive dumplings from this past spring when I had an abundance of the chives. http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y75/cgrover/P5070020.jpg Tue Sep 19 18:42:22 -0700 2006 1885278 10285 Candy 2 1889256 I could go for that Chive dumpling recipe, too, tho, please! TIA! Wed Sep 20 15:06:52 -0700 2006 1887118 11098 BackyardChef 3 1889277 The filling is made by blanching a half lb. of Chinese Chives cut into 1/2" pieces in boiling salted water. Then drain and refersh with cold water. Squeeze dry and place in a bowl and add 4 oz. minced sehlled nad deveined shrimp, 1/2 tsp. soy sauce, some freshly gtound white pepper, 1/2 tsp. dark toasted sesame oil and a tsp of cornstarch. Blend it all well. I use round gyoza wrappers. Moisten them lightly with a drop of water on your finger tip. then put a sacnt 2 tsp. of filling in the center and pull the sides up pinching into pleats as you work around the filling. Stream and fry as I described above. Wed Sep 20 15:14:39 -0700 2006 1889256 10285 Candy 4 1889333 Sounds great, tx! Wed Sep 20 15:34:48 -0700 2006 1889277 11098 BackyardChef 1 1887349 I've done it both ways and they come out well. The only tricky part, as Pei says, is keeping the potsticker intact. I think this is due to overcooking so the wrapper is too soft. I've done this occasionally and even though the potsticker comes away without sticking, the bottom falls off the rest of the dumpling. Tue Sep 19 19:50:25 -0700 2006 1885278 12335 cheryl_h 1 1887849 would you mind posting your recipe? they look great! Tue Sep 19 22:27:15 -0700 2006 1885278 11190 fara 2 1888176 my chive or hers? Wed Sep 20 00:46:01 -0700 2006 1887849 10285 Candy 3 1888450 pei's please! Wed Sep 20 03:07:57 -0700 2006 1888176 11190 fara 2 1888719 I never use a recipe, but roughly speaking: -1 lb ground pork -2tablespoons soy sauce -2tablespoons sesame oil -1 egg -1 large bunch Chinese chives -1/2 can chicken stock -sprinkling of salt -1/2 pound shrimp (or up to a pound if you like) Mix everything together very well. Sometimes I add mung bean noodles, tofu, napa cabbage instead of chives, or other variations. My favorite skins are the Hong Kong brand dumpling skins, easily found at Asian markets (in California, at least). Wed Sep 20 06:30:22 -0700 2006 1887849 11577 Pei 1 1887953 I believe the filling must be dry to prevent bleed-through and breakage of the dough wrapper. This is particularly an issue with veggie dumplings so I like to squeeze the water out of the bok choy or spinach, and then, if it's still too wet after I've beaten in an egg, I sprinkle crumbled wakame (dried Japanese seaweed) or a pinch of dried vermicelli into the mix and it soaks up the rest. I am also a convert to the boil-then-fry method described by the poster above, and also subscribe to your "No touching" policy while they are cooking: 1. Oil in non-stick pan. 2. Add one layer of dumplings, loosely packed. 3. Add 1/2" cold water and swirl to make sure the dumplings are coated with a film of oily water. 4. Cover and bring rapidly to a boil. 5. Uncover and let the water boil off. 6. Let fry. Tue Sep 19 22:59:25 -0700 2006 1885278 14011 vicki_vale 1 1888208 Japanese Gyoza - the flat side is a golden brown: Heat a frying pan Add oil Add the gyoza Fry until golden brown (only on the flat side) Do not turn over Add a small amount of water into the pan w/ the gyoza Cover the pan with a lid Turn down the heat & let the water evaporat. Enjoy! Wed Sep 20 00:56:49 -0700 2006 1885278 15845 JWh 1 1889000 The best dumplings I've had in the States were from Dumpling House(?) in the Lower East Side in Manhattan. These were comparable to dumplings I've had in Taiwan. Delicious! The finished product was a sort of "pancake" that Pei describes. They cooked the dumpling by putting them directly in a large pan with oil, adding water, covered slightly ajar for several minutes, untouched. The cook told me that the trick is to use warm/hot water not cold. The temperature change associated with the addition of cold water or water from the tap alters the texture of the dough. When I've done it at home, I often just add unheated water and gotten pretty decent results. Have not tried a side-by-side test, though. Wed Sep 20 13:47:12 -0700 2006 1885278 23630 mielimato