Shrimp and Pork Pot Stickers

Dumplings:

1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting
1/2 cup lukewarm water
3 fresh or 4 rinsed canned water chestnuts (3 oz.)
1 cup coarsely chopped shrimp, peeled and deveined (Equals about 1/2 lb. in shells)
1/4 lb. ground fatty pork
3/4 cup chopped scallions
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tsp. minced peeled fresh garlic
1 tsp. Asian sesame oil
1 tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil

Sauce:
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. Chinese black vinegar (prefereably Chinkiang)
2 tbsp. water
1 tsp. asian chile oil

3 1/2 inch round biscuit or cookie cutter. (or English muffin cutter).

Make Dumplings:  Stir together 1 1/2 cups flour and lukewarm water (1/2 cup) in a bowl until a shaggy dough forms.  Knead on a lightly floured surface, adding more flour as needed if dough is sticky, until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes.  Dust dough lightly with flour and cover with an inverted bowl, then let stand at room temperature at least 10 minutes, and up to one hour (to let gluten relax.)

If using fresh water chestnuts, scrub very well, then peel with a sharp paring knife and rinse.  Cover fresh water chestnuts with 1 1/2 cups water in a 1-quart saucepan and bring to a boil, then boil until chestnuts are crisp-tender and slightly translucent, about 5 minutes.  Drain and rinse under cold water.  (Or, just open a can.)

Cut water chestnuts into 1/2 inch dice and put in a medium bowl along with shrimp, pork, scallions, soy sauce, ginger and sesame oil.  Knead mixture with your hands until just combined, then chill, covered, 10 minutes.

While shrimp mixture chills, line a large baking sheet with paper towels and dust lightly with flour, then lightly dust work surface with flour.  Halve dough and cover one half with an inverted bowl.  Pat remaining half into a flat square, then roll our to a 13-inch square (less than 1/8 inch thick) with a lightly floured rolling pin, dusting work surface with additional flour as needed. Cut out 12 rounds, very close together. Reroll scraps as necessary.

Transfer rounds to lined baking sheet and cover loosely with another layer of paper towels lightly dusted (on top) with flour.  Roll out and cut 12 more rounds and transfer to top layer of paper towels.

Line another large baking sheet with paper towels and dust lightly with flour.  With your hand palm up, put 1 dough round on fingers near palm, then put 1 tbsp. pork mixture in the center of the round and fold it over the filling to form an open half-moon shape.  With a wet finger, moisten the border along the lower inner edge of the round.  Using thum and forefinger form 10-12 tiny pleats along the unmoistenend edge, pressing the pleats against the moistened border to enclose the filling.  The moistenend border will stay smooth and will automatically curve into a semicircle.  Stand dumplings on a baking sheet and form 23 more in the same manner.  Arrange them in 1 layer, about 1/2 inch apart.  Cover loosely with paper towels.

Sauce:  Stir together sauce ingredients in a small bowl.  Restir before serving.

Cook dumplings:  Heat vegetable oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then arrange 7 dumplings, seam sides up, in a tight spiral pattern in the center of the skillet.  Arrange the remaining 17 dumplings along the outer edge (they should touch). Fr dumplings until the bottoms are pale golden, 2-3 minutes.  Add 1/2 cup water, tilting skillet to distribute, then cover tightly with a lid and cook until the liquid has evaporated and the bottoms of the dumplings are crisp and golden, 7-10 minutes.  ((Use a spatula to loosen and lift the edges to check the bottoms;  replace lid and continue cooking, if necessary, checking after 1-2 minutes.)  Remove the lid and invert a large plate with a rim over the skillet.  Use potholders and hold the plate over the skillet as you invert the dumplings onto the plate.  Serve immediately with sauce.

(Dumplings can be made a day ahead and cooked just before serving. )

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I love pot stickers and have made them with wonton wrappers before, and it worked fine, though I don't think I pleated the dough.

The illustration is from Ming Tsai's site, and here is his recipe for the same dish.

[From Gourmet, February 2006]

Comments

[keewee]

Yummm! my favorite too.

[Houston]

I loves me some pot-stickers, but they became so cliche out here, replacing the egg roll when frying went out of fashion. My buddy Kaiser up in Girdwood, Alaska makes pot-stickers all the time, and they are truly a food of love when prepared by a friend. At my house you'd be lucky to get Trader Joe's frozen pot-stickers.