Pan-Fried Dumplings / Potstickers 煎餃 / 鍋貼

Dumplings are one of my favorite things to make and eat at home. It's a simple humble food but a delightful dish in many ways. I enjoy the process of making dumpling skin from scratch, wrapping them one by one, before savoring the fresh juicy home-made dumplings. Making dumplings together with family and friends (kids especially enjoy it) is also a great bonding activity.

To make great dumplings, there are a few tips to observe....1) making the right kind of dough, 2) mixing the fillings the right way, and 3) cooking it well. Let's start with the dough.....

It is quite simple to make home-made dumpling wrappers, and the freshness and texture simply cannot be matched by store-bought ones. Homemade wrappers are also extremely pliable and easy to work with. The simplest dough wrapper is made of two ingredients: plain flour and water. You mix the two together, knead the dough, let it rest and relax for 1/2 hour, divide it up and it's ready to be used.

Just as we can cook dumplings in different ways, namely pan-fried (煎餃/鍋貼), boiled (水餃 ), steamed (蒸餃), deep-fried (炸餃); different methods can be employed in making dumpling skin. By varying the temperature and amount of water used in dough, the skin's softness and texture (chewiness) can be changed.


This works based on the following principles: 

• Flour can absorb more warm/hot water than cold water. Using warm/hot water allows more water to be used in dough, resulting in softer skin.
• Hot water partially cooks and tenderizes the gluten, resulting in more yielding dough and softer-chewy skin. This chewiness is the nice soft type of chewiness, not tough break-your-jaw chewiness.

There are various methods traditionally used to make dough:

(* cold water refers to room temperature water here)

1. Cold water dough - the most straight-forward method which uses room temperature water and the least amount of water, resulting in skin with firmer bite. Commonly used for boiled dumplings.
2. Warm water dough - uses water between 60-70 deg C, needs a little more water than cold water dough, which results in slightly softer and chewier dough skin. Commonly used for pan-fried or steamed dumplings, scallion pancakes, chinese pastry pies and other items.
3. Boiling + cold water dough - uses boiling water first which partially cooks the flour, before adding cold water to rest of dough. Still soft and chewy but a little firmer / crispier than boiling water dough. Commonly used for scallion pancakes, pan-fried dumplings, chinese pastry pies and other items.
4. Boiling water dough - uses only boiling water (95-100 deg C) which partially cooks the flour, uses the most amount of water and results in very soft and chewy skin. Can be used where such texture is desired.

While the above provides examples on how each dough type is commonly used, one is free to experiment and adapt based on personal preferences.

Today since we are making pan-fried dumplings, I will use boiling + cold water dough and my favorite fillings combination - ground pork, shrimps and Chinese chives. The sweetness of the shrimps and aromatic Chinese chives go perfectly with ground pork. I have learnt that using a few complementary ingredients and keeping the fillings simple is better than adding too many ingredients, which could result in competing or conflicting flavors.

To get juicy dumplings (where juices ooze out when you take a bite), add a bit of water slowly when mixing the fillings ingredients. Use a pair of chopsticks, a large wooden spoon or hands to stir the fillings together in a circular motion quickly. This not only helps the fillings to absorb the water but the fillings become almost paste-like so they 'adhere together' and don't fall apart when you bite into the dumplings.

Making sure the cooking part is done right is just as important for this recipe. Pan-fried dumplings are first pan-fried before being steamed in the same pan. This results in a soft chewy top and crispy bottom. My husband also learnt a neat tip from his friend to make extra crispy bottoms. Adding cornstarch mixed with water right at the end when the dumplings are almost done will create another layer of crispiness and texture....makes the dumplings extra delicious and for us, definitely worth the extra step.

RECIPE FOR PAN-FRIED DUMPLINGS

Makes 30 dumplings
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Ingredients

Dough
280g (2 cups) all purpose flour
1/3 cup boiling water
1/3 cup room temperature water

Fillings
250g ground pork
200g shrimps (without shell), cut into corn kernel size
120g chinese chives, chopped finely
2 stalks scallion, chopped finely
3½ Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp Chinese rice wine
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp water

For Cooking
1 Tbsp oil (x 2 portions)
1/2 cup water (x 2 portions)
1 tsp cornstarch + 2 Tbsp water (x 2 portions)

Dipping sauce (optional)
1½ Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp water
2 inch young ginger, julienned

Steps:

1) To make dough:
Place flour in a bowl. Add boiling water evenly over flour and stir with a spatula or chopsticks. Add room temperature water and continue to mix dough till it starts to come together. Transfer dough to work surface and knead for about 5-10 minutes till smooth and elastic.

The dough should be pliable, and not too wet nor dry. If the dough feels too wet, add a little more flour (1 tsp at a time). If it feels too dry, add a little more water (1 tsp at a time).

Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with damp cloth or plastic wrap and let dough rest for 15-30 minutes.

2) To make fillings:
In a large bowl, add ground pork, soy sauce, Chinese rice wine, sugar, sesame oil, pepper and mix well. Add 1 Tbsp of water at a time (total 3 Tbsp), stirring quickly in one direction with a pair of chopsticks to help the meat absorb water. Lastly add shrimp, Chinese chives, scallion and mix well.

3) How to wrap
Lightly flour the working surface. Divide the dough into 2 pieces and roll each piece into a log. Cover the parts you are not working on with a plastic wrap or damp cloth. Divide each log into 15 smaller pieces (total 30 pieces), each piece weighing around 15g.

Roll each piece into a ball and flatten each ball with your palm. Using a rolling pin, roll-out each piece into 3.5 inch (9 cm) diameter. Place a heap (about 1 Tbsp.) of filling onto the wrapper, and fold into half-moon, press the center together, then fold right and left pleats per the below pictures. Finally nudge it into a crescent shape, by slightly pushing the center backwards and pulling both sides forward (see picture).

4) To cook
I use a large non-stick pan and pan-fry 15 dumplings at one time. Over medium heat, heat up 1 Tbsp oil. Arrange dumplings in pan and fry till bottoms are golden-brown. Add 1/2 cup water and cover pan with lid to steam the dumplings for 6-7 minutes.

While waiting for dumplings to cook, mix 1 tsp cornstarch and 2 Tbsp water in a small bowl.

Remove lid and turn to high heat for any remaining water to evaporate. Stir cornstarch mix and pour evenly around the pan. Use high heat to cook till bottom layer is golden brown and crispy. Transfer dumplings to plate. Repeat cooking process for the other 15 dumplings.

Serve immediately. Enjoy dumplings on its own or serve with dipping sauce.


For Freezing: These dumplings can be frozen and stored for 1-2 months. Arrange them side by side (without touching) on tray laid with plastic wrap and freeze for an hour before putting in a freezer bag or airtight container. This prevents them from sticking to each other. When ready to eat, pan-fry without thawing, but extend steaming time.