Potsticker and Boiled Dumpling Recipe

There are two different everyday dumplings that we always used to make at home. One is the potsticker (gwo tiea) and the other is the boiled dumpling (jow tzs) (literally foot). They have a variety of innards and different wrapper dough to deal with their cooking environments.

Dough Ingrediants

Potsticker Dough

400 grams all purpose flour

210 grams boiling water

2 grams salt

Boiled Dumpling Dough 

400 grams all purpose flour

210 grams cold water

2 grams salt

Dough Preparation - Is the same for both

Put the flour and salt in a medium bowl, and, using a fork or chopsticks, gradually add the water. Pour out the pieces of dough and extra flour onto a clean counter and knead together. Place in a covered bowl and let rest for 20 minutes. Then take it out and knead it again until it's smooth and pliable, about 3-5 minutes, and then put in the covered bowl again to rest at least 20 minutes, but it can hold for a few hours.

Filling

1 pound meat/protein. Usually ground pork, but ground turkey, chicken, beef, or even firm tofu

1 pound leaf vegetable. I usually use frozen spinach, but bok choy, nappa cabbage, or plain cabbage works

1 Tablespoon finely minced ginger

2 cloves finely minced garlic, if you like it

4 green onions or about 2 ounces (or equal weight garlic chives), finely chopped

1 Tablespoon oyster sauce

1/2 teaspoon five spice powder

2 Tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoon Xiao Xing wine

1 tsp sesame oil

1. With frozen spinach I thaw it and then wring as much water out as possible. With fresh leafy greens, I'll blanch them until they're tender, usually 3 to 5 minutes depending on how thick they are, ice bath shock them, and then wring them dry and chop fine.
2. Put the ground protein in a medium mixing bowl, add all the seasonings, garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, five spice powder, soy, salt, wine, and sesame oil to the ground protein and mix together thoroughly.
3. Add the vegetable to the mixture and mix in a circle until you can see protein strands start to "float" from the meat. Tofu won't do this, so don't mix it THAT much. Tofu fillings won't coagulate when you cook them, so they'll remain crumbly in the dumpling. But all the ground meat can be mixed to the point where it will create a firm ball of filling in the dumpling.
4. You can cover and refrigerate until the dough is ready, but I usually mix the fillings  just before wrapping the dumplings. 

Wrapping the Dumplings

Rolling the dough basically is making a snake out of about a half of the dough, and cutting into small pieces. Each piece gets rolled into a ball, and then rolled out with a dowel or rolling pin. Make the edges thinner than the center by rotating the disk and rolling up and off each part of the edge. 

The basic shape to the dumpling has pleats on the back and is smooth in front. 

One way is to just pinch the middles together of the front and back and then form pleats on either side of the back.

The way I was taught is shown by this YouTuber:  https://youtu.be/J0leTaUmGkc?t=844

I think she shows a good method for rolling the dough as well!

John and Jet have entirely different ways of getting the pleats in, and I've found that when you hold a big party with lots of people, everyone ends up doing it differently anyway.

The important aspect of it, though, is that the boiled ones are completely sealed, and the potsticker ones should have the bigger bottom so that they have more crispy bits.

Potstickers should be arranged on an oiled skillet, packed pretty close together. Add water to about a third to half way up the sides of the potstickers, and then add dollops of apple cider vinegar around the pan, about two or three of about a tablespoon each. Put the pan on the fire and cover it. Let them potstickers steam until all the water had gone, then open the lid to let the rest of the water out and to let them fry in the oil until the bottom is completely crisp and golden brown. Then they're done! Serve with black vinegar, soy, or chili crisp or oils. Pickles are good, too! Yellow Daikon ones are traditional, but my boys will also eat bread and butter pickles or dills with them, too.

Boiled dumplings need a big pot of boiling water. Dump them gently in and cook for about seven minutes, ten at altitude. They should all be floating for a few minutes in the boiling water before they're done. Serve with the same accompaniments as potstickers.