Written by Alvin Tang | Photo Cred: Alvin Tang
I don't quite remember when it happened. I remember it was the weekend, but I don't remember if we were exploring Chinatown or just on the subway, or wandering the Flatiron District when Wendy blurts out,...
"I wanna make dumplings."
"Yea let's do it. That was kinda random."
"Well I brought back a bunch of Chinese chives from my grandma's garden in Connecticut and it's the best way to use them all."
"True."
"Yea. Let's make a bunch and freeze them."
"Double true. You say 'a bunch' a lot."
"Whatever..."
That's when it dawned on me. Wendy was onto something. Dumplings, potstickers, gyoza, whatever you like to call them are, in my opinion, the ultimate meal prep item. They're compact, they're easy to make, they're freezable, they're quick to cook (no defrosting involved) and they're individually packed for easy portion control. The only caveat is the task of stuffing and folding the dumplings, but if you buy pre-made dumpling wrappers it saves you a lot of time and effort and should only cost a few bucks at your local Asian market. If you truly want to learn, however, how to make the wrappers (literally flour and water) I'll do a later post on that. But we're going for fast, efficient, easy and less cleanup here. You can think of this as a pasta recipe having you use dried Barilla pasta on a weeknight vs. making pasta from scratch for a special occasion.
Cue heart-warming childhood story connecting my past with dumplings: Growing up my family used to get together and make these delicious little parcels from scratch. It was optimum family-bonding assembly line style. My grandpa was the master dough maker, grandma was the master filling maker and the rest of us (aunts, uncles, cousins, mom, dad, sister) were the wrapper rollers and dumpling folders. They were the most delicious! But I could never discount all the times my dad made frozen store-bought potstickers as a quick dinner. Depending on the occasion, dumplings can be celebratory, ceremonial or just plain fast food. They're truly versatile. You can boil them, steam them, fry them or make them into soup.
This type of dumpling is a classic. It's what you'll find in any Chinese restaurant that sells dumplings. They may skimp on the chives to keep things cheap, which is a big no-no. You don't want a chunk of hard pork. You want a nice loose filling with a nice oniony and garlicky flavor from the chives. (Think what makes a burger or meatball a great burger or meatball.) Understandably, if this is your first time making this type of dumpling, Garlic chives (a.k.a. Chinese chives) are unique to their onion counterparts you're used to putting in your mashed potatoes. Garlic chives are flat and have a very pungent garlicky scent and flavor unlike the clean and subtle scent and flavor of hollow onion chives. If you can't find them at a local Asian market, minced garlic and onion chives are a fine substitute. Food52 has a great guide for those of you extra curious about garlic chives.
The Ingredients
- store-bought dumpling wrappers
- 1/2 lb fatty ground pork
- 1/2 lb lean ground pork
- 3 cups garlic chives (a.k.a. Chinese chives), finely chopped
*substitute 1 entire head of garlic, finely minced, and 2 cups of onion chives - 1" x 1" piece of ginger, minced (~2 tbsp)
- 1/4 cup canola oil (or: vegetable, grapeseed, avocado, etc.)
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp dark soy sauce
- a small bowl of water; for dipping your fingers while wrapping
The Directions
- Heat your canola oil in a small saucepan on medium heat for 5 min. (this bring out a nutty flavor.) Then allow to cool to room temperature.
- In a large mixing bowl mix all of your ingredients including the cooled oil together except the dumpling wrappers and water.
- Make a small test-dumpling to try how your filling tastes. Feel free to adjust the ingredients in the filling according to your palate and salt to taste.
- When you're ready, place one dumpling wrapper in the palm of your hand and scoop a tablespoon of raw filling into the center of the wrapper.
- Dip your a finger into your bowl of water and wet the entire edge of the dumpling wrapper. This will be like a glue that keeps it together.
- Pinch the edges together to do a basic dumpling fold. You can also pleat them like I did. Or if you're feeling ambitious and creative, try one of these beautiful folds!
- After place on a lightly floured plate, cutting board or baking sheet.
- To boil: When you're ready to cook, bring a pot of water to a boil and drop in as many dumplings as you want to eat as long as there is enough room for them to move around in the water. When they begin to float, they're ready to eat.
- To fry: Heat some canola oil in a nonstick pan to medium high heat. Place a single layer of dumplings in the pan and let it fry for about a minute. Pour a thin layer of water into the pan and cover. Cook until all water is evaporated and continue cooking for another 30 seconds. When ready to eat, place a large plate over the dumplings and flip upside-down to unveil a crispy, delicious, golden brown dumpling crust.
- To store: Wrap the entire platter in plastic wrap and place into the freezer for 2 hours until frozen. Take out and individually portion your dumplings into ziplock bags. When you're ready to eat them, follow steps 8 or 9 without defrosting the dumplings.
* Recommended ways to eat:
- Wendy likes them plain
- I grew up eating them with a mixture of 1 part soy sauce, 1 part black vinegar (any others will be fine), a few drops of sesame oil, and a squeeze of Sriracha
- Some Chinese restaurants will serve with black vinegar and thin strips of ginger
- Japanese gyoza is served with ponzu (basic version includes 1 part soy sauce, 1/2 part yuzu (or lemon) juice, 1/2 part rice vinegar (or white/red vinegar)
Enjoy!