Pork Potstickers

THE HARDEST PART OF THIS DISH IS FOLDING THE WRAPPERS, BUT THEN AGAIN, WHO CARES WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE WHEN THEY TASTE DAMN GOOD! THESE POTSTICKERS PACK FLAVOUR AND CAN BE EASILY ADAPTED TO ANY FILLING VARIATIONS!

Makes 30-40 pieces – cooking time- 1 hour

INGREDIENTS (wrappers):

300g plain flour
200ml boiling water
pinch of salt

INGREDIENTS (filling):

300g pork mince or minced pork shoulder (I used pork shoulder steaks which I then minced myself)
1tsp cornflour
1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1tsp sugar
1tsp fish sauce
1tsp light soy sauce
1tsp dark soy sauce
2tbsp sesame oil
1tbsp shaoxing rice wine
3tbsp cold water
1 pak choi, finely chopped
2 spring onions, finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
chunk of ginger (as much as you want but the piece I used was about 7cm long), peeled and finely chopped

INGREDIENTS (dipping sauce):

1tsp sesame oil
1tbsp light soy sauce
2tsp chilli oil (I use the Laoganma brand)
optional: roughly chopped coriander

When cooking, you will also need vegetable oil and 100ml of cold water!

METHOD:

Begin by preparing the dough for the dumpling wrappers. To a large bowl, add the flour, salt and then the boiling water. Using a wooden spoon (or chopsticks, as the dough will be hot!) begin combining together. Once the mixture has cooled enough, use your hands to form a ball of the dough. Plonk this on a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and slightly springy.
Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 2 and mould each into an even-sized bagel shape. Cover with clingfilm and leave to one side for 20 minutes.
Now to prep the filling. If you have chosen to mince your own pork shoulder like I did, make sure you have a sharp, heavy knife as this will make the process much, much easier. Either way, add the pork mince to a large bowl, along with all the other ingredients. I do this in stages just to make sure everything is mixed through thoroughly- I combine to pork with the liquids and flours and seasonings, and then add in the veg and aromatics.
Now back to the dough. Taking one of the bagel-shaped dough pieces, cut it in half, line up the 2 pieces and then cut in half again. Continue this until you are left with 16 even cubes of dough. Do the same with the other piece. Roll out each cube until its roughly 8cm wide (the circles don’t need to be identical, but if you are a bit of a perfectionist like I am, use the rim of a glass to cut out the circular shape). Put each wrapper to one side. With any excess dough, repeat the process for extra wrappers!
Then to assemble! There are tonnes of YouTube videos on how to wrap dumplings/gyozas which I recommend using as my instructions and wrapping skills are atrocious. But in short, place a bit of filling in the middle of a wrapper, the fold the edges (keeping your thumb in the middle) and pinch one corner together. Then fold one side of the wrapper (to make a pleat sort of shape) and pinch it into the other side. Continue this until a litter crescent shape has formed. DON’T PANIC IF THIS DOESN’T HAPPEN. IT NEVER HAS FOR ME EITHER, BUT AS LONG AS THE WRAPPER IS CLOSED AND LOOKS PRETTY-ISH, ALL IS WELL!
Once all the dumplings have been formed, heat vegetable oil over a medium heat, in a pan with a tight-fitting lid. Once the oil is hot, nestle in one batch of the potstickers and cook until their bottoms are brown and crispy. Then add in the cold water and quickly cover with the lid. Let them steam for 10-12 minutes.
Whilst they cook, quickly whip up the dipping sauce by adding all the ingredients to a small bowl and thoroughly mixing.
And there you have it-pork potstickers that taste just as delicious cold, as they do fresh out the pan!

NOTE: THE PORK MEAT CAN EASILY BE SUBSTITUTED WITH CHICKEN OR PRAWN. ALTERNATIVELY, I HAVE BLENDED TOFU WITH GRATED CARROT/BROCCOLI BEFORE AS A VEGAN-FRIENDLY OPTION (MINUS THE FISH SAUCE)!