Wolf's Den

This month, Jen from Use Real Butter, hosted the Daring Cooks Challenge.
She chose a doozy, let me tell ya, in Chinese dumplings/potstickers (aka gyoza in Japanese).





So... while I have enjoyed Chinese dumplings in soups before, I've never actually made Chinese dumplings. How hard could it be, though?

Turns out, if you're me and you're irritated at the world the day you decide to make this recipe, well, it's pretty damn hard. And asking the husband to help? Yeah, no. Just don't. Trust me on that.



So you gather up all your ingredients before you start. I was doing variations on 2 of the suggested fillings, cause, it's me, and naturally I have to tweak a recipe. Heh. Very rarely do I ever leave anything along. Well, unless it's my mom's recipe, then I make it as is.}:P



So you start out by putting your ground pork in a bowl, then you proceed to finely chop/mince or otherwise decimate the rest of the ingredients.}:P It's a great stress reliever, believe me. You can picture whatever you're mad at is the red cabbage that I used...



And you chop the crude out of it. I mean, really chop it up. When you think it's small enough, keep chopping.}:P Something to note- if you're making 2 fillings and using some of the same ingredients in both, be smart and chop enough for both as you go, then split it between 2 bowls for mixing. This is the smart thing to do. I are smart sometimes. Just sometimes, as you'll find out later.




Then you do the same with the scallions, aka green onions aka spring onions. The name really depends on where you live, I suppose. I grew with them being called green onions, myself. My dad ate them by the dozen, tops and all, dipped in salt before each bite. I blame my dad for my love of onions now.}:P



Now, the original recipe calls for Shitake mushrooms. I, obviously, used a mushroom blend that included oyster and baby bella mushrooms as well. AS much as I love Shitake mushrooms, they can be expensive here. I would suggest using whatever mushroom YOU prefer best.



Chop those mushrooms up finely as well. Chop until you can't chop anymore. Then chop a few more times for good measure. If you're annoyed, you'll be chopping for awhile. Heh. I was.}:P



Ok, this is called 'cheating'. I freely admit to it. Honestly? I cannot tell the difference between this chopped ginger and actual freshly chopped ginger. Maybe my palate sucks, who knows. But after all the chopping I did, I was getting tired.}:P So here we go. I used roughly a tablespoon or so of this. And what you can't see, is the minced garlic I also used.




Put all your chopped ingredients in the bowl with the ground pork. Then mix the crap out of it. I used a bamboo spoon, but if you're feeling squirelly, you can use your hands. Whatever makes you feel better. Me, I didn't really care at that point. Also, add in some sesame oil and rice vinegar as well.

After you get the pork filling mixed, cover it and stick it in the fridge. If you're only making the one filling, well, skip right on down to the dough making part and beyond. Otherwise, carry on to the pork/shrimp filling.





There are only a few differences between this filling and the other. One is the use of water chestnuts, again, chopped from here to kingdom come.




Then they get tossed in the bowl with ground pork, chopped red cabbage, chopped mushrooms, chopped homegrown organic garlic chives and minced lemongrass. Again, add in some rice vinegar and sesame oil. Mix this filling together very well, then stick it in the fridge with the pork filling while you make the dough.



Meanwhile, after ranting at the hubby because you had asked him to help you out with the making of the dumplings and well, he sat on his butt on the computer instead before finally being guilt tripped into peeling the raw shrimp for you while you chopped everything else up, you then get to chop said shrimp up into small pieces. Did I mention I was irritated that day I made these? Yeah.

So now we get to make the dough. This was the EASY part, let me just say.




Put your flour in your mixing bowl and turn it on. Gradually add the water until it incoporates into the flour and makes a sticky mess. Do it slow cause if you do it fast, well, flour flies everywhere and this is not cool, really. Trust me on this. Cleaning off the Zune, the Altec Lansing speaker, the Aerogarden, the Wusthof knife block... yeah, not fun.




When the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl as well as the bowl looks relatively clean, it's ready to be turned out onto a well floured surface.




Knead the crap out of the dough until it looks smooth and is nicely elastic. Shape it into a flattened ball, then slice it into four sections. Keep all dough you aren't working with under a damp cloth, this keeps it from drying out and becoming very hard to work with.




Now, this is the way you're SUPPOSED to do it. This did so not work for me. The little pieces? Annoyed me to no end. But you're supposed to take one section and stretch/roll it out, then cut it into 3/4"-1" pieces. Yeah. What DID work for me was keeping the dough as one piece and just pulling small pieces off, rolling them into a ball, then flattening them for rolling out thin.



You're supposed to roll the dough pieces out into 3"-4" wide circles. This was as close as I ever got to an actual circle. they need to be roughly 1/4"-1/8" thick too, thicker towards the center where the filling sits. Too thin and they'll fall apart while steaming or boiling or frying or whatever. I cannot seem to get a circle no matter how hard I try. But flattening then starting to shape the flat skin in my hands before rolling works better than simply flattening then rolling.





Jen's post HERE has perfect photos of HOW to pleat these fool things. And yes, they look absolutely nothing like my first attempt. Which annoyed me even MORE. So anyway, pleat one side, then add filling, or do it Jen's way and add filling THEN pleat them. Whichever works best for you. As I got going on them, I did get better at the pleating, but it took awhile.

Note- Do NOT ask the hubby to fill the dumplings as you pleat them. Just don't. It's a control thing, and I swear, I didn't mean to get so mad at him when I thought he was putting too much filling in them. I did not order him out of the kitchen. You have no proof. Nope.



If I'd thought about it, I'd have walked down to the Asian Market a block away and looked for actual Napa Cabbage. But instead, I used the red cabbage I used in the fillings to steam the dumplings on. I also do not have one of those really cool, niftyneatokeen bamboo steamers. But I will have one eventually, yessirree I will...

Instead I used the steamer insert that came with my pan set. It worked beautifully. sort of.



A word of warning. See how many dumplings are in my steamer? See how they touch just a wee bit? Yeah. This is not a good thing, believe me. Cause when they're done and you're attempting to remove them, the areas were they touch will invariably rip holes in them. Yup. This is not cool, really it's not.

So lesson is, fewer in a small steamer is better. *nods sagely*

That night, because of my mood, I only made 16 dumplings. The rest got shoved in the fridge and made up the next day. I will admit, I did , nicely even!, ask the hubby to make up the suggested dipping sauce. I enjoyed it, he didn't and used his sweet chili sauce instead.

The next day, I made up the rest of the dumplings and froze them. They freeze beautifully. You just set them out on a cookie sheet, not touching, stick them in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour, then toss them in a Ziploc bag to cook up whenever you want. I had some for lunch the day after.



Steamed, with the dipping sauce.



Boiled up in a clear broth with fresh veggies. They were very filling, needless to say. And despite everything, I'd definitely make them again. Mark agreed.

THE RECIPE-

Chinese dumplings/potstickers (aka gyoza in Japanese)

pork filling:
1 lb (450g) ground pork
4 large napa cabbage leaves, minced
3 stalks green onions, minced
7 shitake mushrooms, minced (if dried - rehydrated and rinsed carefully)
1/2 cup (75g) bamboo shoots, minced
1/4 (55g) cup ginger root, minced
3 tbsp (40g) soy sauce
2 tbsp (28g) sesame oil
2 tbsp (16g) corn starch

OR

shrimp filling:
1/2 lb (225g) raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped
1/2 lb (225g) ground pork
3 stalks green onions, minced
1/4 cup (55g) ginger root, minced
1 cup (142g) water chestnuts, minced
1 tsp (5g) salt
3 tbsp (40g) sesame oil
2 tbsp (16g) corn starch

dough: (double this for the amount of filling, but easier to make it in 2 batches - or just halve the filling recipe)
2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (113g) warm water *** you may need to add more water***
flour for work surface

dipping sauce:
2 parts soy sauce
1 part vinegar (red wine or black)
a few drops of sesame oil
chili garlic paste (optional)
minced ginger (optional)
minced garlic (optional)
minced green onion (optional)
sugar (optional)

Combine all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly (I mix by clean hand). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (up to a day, but preferably within an hour or two).

Make the dough, Method 1: Place the flour in the work bowl of a food processor with the dough blade. Run the processor and pour the warm water in until incorporated. Pour the contents into a sturdy bowl or onto a work surface and knead until uniform and smooth. The dough should be firm and silky to the touch and not sticky.[Note: it’s better to have a moist dough and have to incorporate more flour than to have a dry and pilling dough and have to incorporate more water).

Make the dough, Method 2 (my mom’s instructions): In a large bowl mix flour with 1/4 cup of water and stir until water is absorbed. Continue adding water one teaspoon at a time and mixing thoroughly until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. We want a firm dough that is barely sticky to the touch.

[EDIT: 5/26/09] There have been two complaints posted about a dry dough and I realize that this rests in the problem of measuring flour which has a different density and hence weight for 2 cups depending on how you scoop it. That is why I also list the weight: 250g. Flour tends to settle over time, so when I scoop it out, I shake several cups' worth back into the container before taking a final scoop of soft, fluffy, flour and I get 250g for 2 cups. When you knead the dough, if it feels hard and dry, then you can add more water. [Warning: it will NOT be a soft bread dough, so don't expect it to be, but it shouldn't be a brick either.] It is perfectly fine to use more than the 1/2 cup listed in the recipe as everyone's climate and flours vary. Use your judgment - this is what being a Daring Cook is about. We are trying to cultivate a sense of intuition so that recipes are general guidelines from which you can expand your own style.

Both dough methods: Knead the dough about twenty strokes then cover with a damp towel for 15 minutes. Take the dough and form a flattened dome. Cut into strips about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. Shape the strips into rounded long cylinders. On a floured surface, cut the strips into 3/4 inch pieces. Press palm down on each piece to form a flat circle (you can shape the corners in with your fingers). With a rolling pin, roll out a circular wrapper from each flat disc. Take care not to roll out too thin or the dumplings will break during cooking - about 1/16th inch. Leave the centers slightly thicker than the edges. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper and fold the dough in half, pleating the edges along one side (see images in post for how to fold pleats). Keep all unused dough under damp cloth.

To boil: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add dumplings to pot. Boil the dumplings until they float.

To steam: Place dumplings on a single layer of napa cabbage leaves or on a well-greased surface in a steamer basket with lid. Steam covered for about 6 minutes.