Potstickers for Pasta?

With Chinese New Year round the corner, I've started the time consuming effort of making Jiao Zi (Chinese Dumplings) way in advance. I'm also taking a break from pasta recipes (although, dumplings are sort of like a pasta right? Aren't raviolis the same thing, just a different shape?) so a post on dumplings seem to be in quite good order.

I started learning to make them when I was in living in England - a northern Chinese girl taught me. She did not know how to cook, but knew how to make dumplings since it was tradition in her family! The hardest part of it is making the skin, and pinching the ends together to form an ingot looking pouch. Getting the dough right is much like making pasta. You learn it right once, and you know it forever. It's very simply, a combination of flour, water, salt, and a bit of oil. I know some versions add egg, but I tend to stay away from it.


My little creations - ingot pouch dumpling for good luck on CNY!

To get it nice and thin, I usually suck it up and use a rolling pin, however, I'm sure you can use a pasta roller which will work just as well. These days, unless there's a very good reason to make the skin by hand, I'm picking it up from the Chinese Market for $1.39 - I would say the opportunity cost is worth it.

The fillings vary, but traditionally, the ingredients are: Pork, Dried Shrimp, Chives, Dried Mushrooms, Napa Cabbage & Ginger, seasoned with sesame oil, salt, and white pepper. The trick to getting the filling to just the right tasty-ness is to fry up a small ball of the filling, taste it then adjust for seasonings before stuffing the dumplings!. It seems so simple, but many people skip this step, and then wonder why their dumplings were not salty enough, or too sweet, etc etc.

This year, I'm having dinner with some folks that don't eat pork, so I had to make a chicken dumpling in addition to the regular ones, and I thought I'd share this one with you. Plus, I have a feeling most of my readers are lazy cooks like me, and don't really relish chopping everything into tiny bits that have to be of equal size, and the chicken dumplings have significantly less ingredients.

You also don't have to pleat the dumplings for this - simply sealing the skin with some warm water will do, but try to make sure that all the air pockets are expelled! To cook, boil, or do it pot stick style - brown the dumplings in a non-stick pan, then add 1/2 cup water, cover, and steam until fillling is cooked through. Now look, if you're absolutely "gian" to learn how to pleat, go here.

Here's the recipe for Chicken Jiao Zi

Makes about 20 dumplings

1 ea Chicken Breast, large (about 1/2 lb)
2 stalks Green Chives, Minced
4 stalks Yellow Chives, Minced
1 Tbs Minced Ginger
2 ea Dried Chinese Mushrooms, reconstituted, and minced
2 Tsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp Cornstarch
20 ea Dumpling Skins (for Potstickers or Gyoza)

Salt & White Pepper to Taste

1. Combine all the ingredients together, except for the dumpling skins
2. Season with salt and pepper
3. Fry up a small ball of the filling and adjust seasoning accordingly
4. Press a teaspoon full of filling into the center of a dumpling skin
5. Using your finger, wet the edges of the dumpling skin, and fold over the meat to seal
6. Store in the fridge, or freeze to keep for about 1 month
7. To cook, boil until dumplings float, or pan-fry in a little oil, add 1/2 cup water, cover, to steam