Friday, October 20, 2017

Potstickers – For When You Can’t Decide Between Fried and Steamed Dumplings

Potstickers (or Pot Stickers, depending on which style guide you’re using) are very fast and easy to make, unless you only do them once or twice a year, in which case they’re going to take a little bit of time to fold and shape. 

Just for fun, find a video that shows professionals doing these, and marvel at how they come together in seconds. That's what happens when you do hundreds each day, for years.

Having said that, every second spent producing these, is a second well spent. The play between the crispy, crusty bottom, and the tender parts, makes for a truly unique dumpling. They’re also very versatile, since you can fill them with anything you want. No matter what you use, you’ll know exactly what you’re biting into, which is not always the case when you get these out.

Don’t get me wrong; I love the occasional take-out binge, and its associated mysteries. But, it’s nice being able to control the contents, as well as the generosity of the filling. There is nothing worse than biting into one of these, and realizing it’s only half-full. So, for all those reasons, and more, I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!


One production note: While I’ve made these many times, I’ve never actually measured the ingredients before, so I ended up with extra filling. So, I’ve increased the dough amounts from what I used in the video. Instead of getting 24 wrappers, you should get more like 32 (cutting each quarter dough into 8, instead of 6 portions), which should be a better match. Of course this depends on exactly how much you fill, but it should be close.

Ingredients:
For the filling:
1 pound ground pork
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
3 tablespoons very finely minced ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
pinch cayenne
1 1/2 cups finely chopped green cabbage

For the dough:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup hot water (about 130-150 F.)

For the dipping sauce:
1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
Optional: You can spike dipping sauce with things like hot sauce, garlic, minced green onions, ginger, etc.

33 comments:

Mitchell- said...

Most of the recipes you post show ingredients but not directions. How can I get complete recipes? Can you help me?

Unknown said...

I absolutely enjoyed these potstickers, the simple yet very delicious dough was perfect for the filling. I put ginger in mine and let me tell you, these things are to die for! Thank you chef John!!

Len said...

Sir,

Love your food wishes channel. Have you considered using egg roll wrappers in lieu of making dough? The places that use wrappers seem to ave a superior product.

Chris K. said...

How about Reuben pot stickers? Add a little caraway to the filling? Sauce with the Russian dressing?

Mabel Xu said...

posted this on youtube, but figured I'd share here too.

to make dumpling pleats:
1. while supporting the dumpling in the left hand, pinch on the left side.
2. make your next pinch by folding a pleat on the half away from you towards the left, and squishing that pleat down on top of the half closest to you.
3. repeat until all open dough edge is used up.
You will end up with the classic dumpling shape, where it's slightly concave on one side, nice and full on the other side, and the shape makes it stand up well in the pan for easy cooking.

Unknown said...

Your recipes are always easy to follow and taste great!

Jonny said...

Another wonderful recipe, as always :)

Any chance you could possibly do an episode on Romanian Lettuce/Salad Soup (Ciorba de Salata)? It's a fantastic and easy to make sour & savory soup that's just perfect for the coming colder nights. I'd love to see your take on it!

Unknown said...

I'm sorry this isn't related to the pot stickers (although I plan to make them). And yes.. I'm stalking you on both platforms!

Chef John, I have a FOOD WISH. My grandmother used to make a tasty (and not rubbery) well done / medium well steak. Now, I'm not saying it was as good as medium or medium rare cook. BUT.. it was good. I have no idea what cut of meat she used or how she cooked it. Can you give any tips or demonstrations? I have family that won't eat steak unless it's "done." Thank you in advance ;)

BTW... I think of all the youtube chefs I watch, I actually try out your recipes most. I find the demonstrations to be thorough and clear. Many recipes have been added to my repertoire. Thank you so much, you have made me (and many others, I'm sure) a better cook!

rashep142 said...

I'm thinking that the filling would make great wontons too.

Toshiko Suisei said...

Hi Chef John!

Tricks to speed the rolling part:
Trick1- Use a pasta machine and run your dough through the rollers to desired thickness and then use 3 1/4 inch round cutter to make the circles of dough.
Trick2- Use a tortilla press, putting your little dough ball in it and giving it a smoosh.

Tip: Use corn starch instead of flour to keep your dough rounds from sticking together or to your equipment as you prep a pile of them. Brush off excess starch of course, but I think the little bit of starch does better magic than flour during the 2nd frying phase. ^.^ Toshiko

Anonymous said...

Hey Chef!
Would the same dough work for fried egg-rolls or is that an entirely different thing?

Anonymous said...

Hey Chef!
Would the same dough work for fried egg-rolls or is that an entirely different thing?

Marshalrusty said...

Came out great. Thanks!

http://bit.ly/2yGolle
http://bit.ly/2gXSWTJ

Unknown said...

Hey Chef huge fan its Sunday morning 10:00am in Nyc i was going to start preping these right now how long could they store in the fridge before cooking thanks

Bentobochs said...

Looks delicious. I've made lots of gyoza, usually a couple hundred at a time.
The filling recipe is spot on. But I just buy my wrappers at the asian market. Saves me time, they are uniform and bit more sturdy. I usually salt the cabbage and after about 30 minutes squeeze out the extra water. Do you think there much of a difference between salting and not salting in the final product?

Steve Kennedy said...

Carnitas pot stickers. Yummm.

david melbourne OZ said...

I forgot the Cayenne :-(

which corner do I have to sit in?

Unknown said...

I forgot the cayenne!

Unknown said...

I mare the receipe last night and I gotta say there was too much ginger going on, it was overpowering, But apart from that it was awesome.
Ps and I used whole grain flour

JerryInDFW said...

Not pot sticker related...
Hey Chef John! I had a girlfriend from Ulster years ago, and she did something amazing once and made really great what we Americans call English muffins (And she called soda bread) using just flour, salt, baking powder and buttermilk. She'd mix it up and pour a bit into a cast iron skillet, and voila, an English muffin that looked like it came right out of a package, but much tastier with plenty of nooks and crannies inside. Wish I had watched her to get the recipe proportions. It was so much faster than using yeast, and she's could knock out a half dozen in a few minutes. Any chance you could figure this out and do a video? I'm sure it would be an absolute hit! Would love to make these on the boat. So fast and easy.

Marjolein said...

@Mitchell He doesn't give recipes because he wants you to watch his video because it's more fun and interactive, and he wants you to experiment and not just follow clear directions :P (I'm not sure how to reply to a comment, I hope you see this)

Debbie said...

Hi Chef John, I am a huge follower and have made many of your recipes with great success, but this time I think I did something wrong with my dough. I was wondering if it's possible to over-knead it. It was so elastic I had a hard time rolling it out, making it hard to get it rolled out thin enough and it was impossible to pleat because the pleats wouldn't hold. After cooking I thought it turned out kind of rubbery, I think maybe because I couldn't get the dough thin enough. The filling was very good. My son loved these, but I was disappointed with how my dough turned out. I'm gonna try again, but are there any tips you can give me, or do you have any idea about what I did wrong?
Thank you!

Unknown said...

time consuming and very worth it

Spoo said...

Made these for the first time with the help of my 7 year old. Which means if my 7 year old can do it, anyone can!!! The video makes it so much easier to understand. Our actual dumplings were forked on the edges (like an empanada), pleated randomly and it still worked great! I'm too lazy and just smooshed them together at times.The filling was delicious and very good when accompanied with dipping sauce made with soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, chili sauce.I did have a question about frying it in a pan with 2T oil. When I added the water, it was like oil fireworks splattering everywhere. I had to be fast and cover it. Maybe I should use less oil? I use stainless pan, so not sure less oil would cause sticking. Other than that, they still came out crispy and chewy and delicious. Thanks for the great videos!!!!

Unknown said...

Hi chef, do you have a recipe for the dumpling dough using rice flour? I'm looking for a gluten free recipe.

lemonbomber said...

Very easy to make with your instructions and man they were delicious!

Unknown said...

Another winner; so much cheaper and better to make your own. They freeze beautifully; I recommend doubling the recipe so you have an extra batch put away for some cold wintery evening and they're ready to go.

Unknown said...

Now I can have dumplings when ever I want😋

nayforlizz said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Could these be frozen raw and then thawed and cooked to order at a later date??Thank you!

Bentobochs said...

When I cook them, I fry for about 90 seconds. Then I add water and cover. When fresh, steam for 3 minutes. When frozen, steam for 5 minutes. After 3-5 minutes, uncover. As the water evaporates the oil is left behind. As this happens you can move around the dumplings so they won't stick. Remove when the bottoms are as brown and crisped up as much as you want.

Aaron said...

DO NOT use bread flour, or even an AP/bread flour mixture, for your dumpling dough! You will end up with really stretchy bread dough, not the easily pliable and workable dough you need to shape these gyoza. I've now made two failed rounds of gyoza using this bad technique.

Saffyyre said...

Made these last night and they looked like Frankengyoza, but the taste.... omg the taste was incredible. Love the gingery, somewhat crunchy inside. My sause was slightly too vinegary and my Gyoza ended up being twice the size they should have been. With practice I will have perfect little bundles of tasty joy on my plate. Thank you for the clear instructions.