yanclan.net

Things To Try

From Martin Yan: http://www.yancancook.com/menus/04/chefs_my_week04_appetizer01.htm
A common dipping sauce: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/dumpling-dipping-sauce/
A simpler version: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/dumpling-dipping-sauce
A little different: http://www.recipe.com/ginger-garlic-dipping-sauce/
Japanese dipping sauce (boiled): http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/pork-and-ginger-dumplings-with-mirin-soy-dipping-sauce-recipe.html
Another sauce idea: http://eatingwithangie.com/2011/potsticker-dipping-sauces
Garlicky: http://goodcheapeats.com/2009/11/potstickers-with-dipping-sauce/

Directions

DOUGH (BY HAND):
1. Sift flour into mixing bowl.

2. Add salt and mix well.

3. Drizzle in near-boiling water while mixing vigorously.

4. Add additional water if needed by the teaspoon.

5. Knead with clean, bare hands on a lightly floured board until dough no longer sticks to hands.

6. Place dough ball back in mixing bowl, and cover the bowl with a wet towel or wet paper towel.

7. Let dough rest for 20 minutes to 2 hours.

8. Knead dough again, until smooth and elastic (about 4 minutes if made by hand, or 30 seconds if made by mixer (I normally do it by hand -- it's usually crusty from sitting, but by the time the 4 minutes are up, it's a smoother consistency).

9. Divide the dough in half, and roll each half into a log, roughly 1" to 1.5" in diameter (it's not easily rolled into the log...I end up squishing it back and forth to elongate it first, and then I roll with my hands to even out the size).

10. Cut roughly 1/2" disks from the log (we usually do closer to 1/4 inch pieces for smaller dumplings.

11. Roll out the disks into flat wrappers, cutting with 3" cookie cutter (or larger, if you want bigger ones), then roll out from edges in.

DOUGH (BY MIXER):
1. Put sifted flour and salt in mixer bowl.

2. With the mixer running (I set it to a level 2 speed), add water in a steady stream.

3. As soon as the water has been added, stop the machine and check the dough. It should look rough and feel soft but firm enough to hold its shape when pinched. If necessary, add water by the teaspoon or flour by the tablespoon (I usually don't have to add anything). When satisfied, run the machine for another 5 to 10 seconds to further knead and form a ball around the blade. Avoid overworking the dough.

4. Proceed from step 5 (by hand instructions).

FILLING:
1. Cook cabbage in boiling water in a pot for 1-2 minutes (I usually do only 1 minute to slightly wilt the leaves, which makes cutting easier). Cool and mince. Set on paper towels, add salt, and wait for a few minutes for the salt to draw out the water, then enfold the cabbage with the paper towels and squeeze as much water out as you can.

2. In a large bowl, add cabbage, meat, green onions, soy sauce, sake, sesame oil, garlic, and cornstarch. Mix well.

3. Take a sheet of gyoza wrapper in your hand, and place a tablespoon size of meat mixture in the center of the wrapper. Moisten the edges with cold water. Fold one of the edges in a series of pleats, leaving the other edge smooth. Press the edges together to seal the gyoza.

4. Heat a pan at medium high heat, and add vegetable oil (adding a tiny bit of sesame seed oil adds a nice flavor to the dumpling too, but that's optional).

5. Place gyoza on pan and cook until bottom becomes golden brown.

6. Add water and immediately cover pan with a lid. Cook until water boils away.

Notes

1. We used 1/2 lb ground chicken with 6 dashes salt (and using 18 dashes of salt to dry out the cabbage), along with 10 dashes pepper.

2. We're also trying 1/4 lb ground chicken + 1/4 lb ground pork, with the same number of dashes of salt and pepper. *This was more flavorful.

3. We tried the above (#2) mixture with an extra clove of garlic and frying with 3 drops (approximately) of sesame oil mixed into the peanut oil. This made it really tasty. Next, we should try just doubling the garlic in the filling.

Sources

* Dough: http://www.chow.com/recipes/28052-basic-dumpling-dough
* Filling: http://www.japanesecooking101.com/gyoza-recipe/
* Dough rolling videos: http://biteslife.com/make-pot-sticker-wrappers-from-scratch/
* Hints on making dough: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/606374