i made… killer pork dumplings/gyoza/potstickers

omfg! i love.

I’ve been working on homemade dumplings for almost a year.  It started with the Kenny Lao recipe on The Kitchn and then I watched Anita (♥:Iloveher) Lo on Epicurious.  I went to their Rickshaw Dumpling Bar site to study and stare.  A woman I worked with, Bouasone, was a great help at the beginning of my adventure.  She explained how her father cooked his dumplings.

I started googling recipes.  I took out various Asian cookbooks from the library* because everyone stuffs dough with stuff.  Just threw myself into making dumplings.  Pork with ginger and mint was my favorite, until yesterday.

This is my really lo-fi what’s in the house take on dumplings.  The napa cabbage at my local Korean market is huge and I end up wasting more than I use.  So, as of late, I haven’t been using it.  I will the next time I make them because I want to get a feel for how the new ingredients change the flavor and enhance the texture.

I’ve always liked my dumplings.  So, why was yesterday different than all the other times I’ve made them in the last year?  I did a few things.

fish sauce. I’ve had that fish sauce sitting in the pantry since the first time I made dumplings.  I wasn’t feeling it at all in the beginning.  For some reason, I just decided to try it again.  I’d read a lot about how it added a special something to everything it’s used in.

rice vinegar. I caught the pickle fever, so I picked up some rice vinegar at my local Korean** market.  With so much to choose from, I figured sugar/fructose free was a good place to start.

taste test. After everything was mixed,  I cooked up a bit of the filling to see what it tasted like.  Mmmm.  Hi, Heaven.

The making. I’m an eyeballer who likes it spicy and full of bite.  It was a little weird for me to measure and write things down.  But this helps make it easier for me when I make it next.

3/4 lb of ground pork

2 bunches of scallions, sliced

a couple of cloves of garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon of fresh ginger, crushed

3 teaspoons of sesame oil

3 teaspoons of sriracha

7 shakes of fish sauce

3 shakes of soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon of rice vinegar

1 egg

black pepper, freshly cracked to taste

1 pkg of gyoza skins/wrappers, round

small bowl of water

Add everything except skins and water to a bowl.  Mix.  Spoon a bit of the filling into the center of the wrapper.  Dip finger in the water.  Dampen edge of wrapper.  Fold in half gently like a taco without sealing.  Pinch the end… Aww, heck I can’t explain this.  Learn it they way I did…by watching Anita Lo.

Things to remember. I like it HOT. Use less sriracha if you are sensitive to the heat.  Pleating is all about practice. How much goes in each skin/wrapper is trial and error.  Try different brands of soy sauce,  sesame oil and gyoza skins to get a feel for what you like.  Just make sure that the skins/wrappers aren’t too thin or they’ll tear easily.  I usually have a little filling left over.  I freeze it for later or cook it up.  I had it in my ramen the other day.  Could be fab with your eggs.

The cooking. In a non-stick pan, add enough oil to lightly cover the bottom.  I turn the flame up to medium high.  Add the dumplings so that they sit flat in the pan.  With the top off, I let them brown on the bottom.  Because my pan is jacked and so needs to be replaced, I play a game of pick up.  I wait about a minute or so after arranging them in the pan, I pick all of the dumplings up to make sure they’re not sticking as well as to see how they are browning on the bottom.  the spike. Into my small bowl that holds 1 1/2 cups of water, I add a cap full of lemon juice.   Once the dumplings are sporting that Saint Tropez tan, it’s time to steam.  With the lid almost covering the pan, I add half of the water.  I let it steam until the water evaporates and I hear it sizzling again.  Since I don’t cook my filling beforehand, to make sure the pork is fully cooked, I do the sizzle/steam again.

The eating. I make a quick dipping sauce out of the lemon juice, sriracha, sesame oil and soy sauce.  I like most things hot and tangy.  That so doesn’t sound right, but it’s true.  In the bottom of the dish I squirt a figure 8-ish line of sriracha.  I pour in a little sesame oil, maybe 1/2 teaspoon?  I’ll add a splash or two of soy sauce and a tablespoon of lemon juice.  Tweak for taste.

What’s next. I’m still working on perfecting a recipe/eyeball method so that yesterday and today are everyday.  I’m not sure if I should care about the slightly greasy sheen to the dumplings.  They are not usually long for the table anyway.  I’m excited to make them again.  I think I’ll just wait until the new year.  Chinese New Year.  Year of the Tiger, yall.

Nikki♥

*I♥LAPL hardcore… support your local libraries.

**With the exception of the produce, the Korean market near me isn’t always cheaper than the average grocery store Asian food aisle in my neighborhood, but the variety is out of control.