Make a quick, easy weeknight meal with Asian dumplings
The thought of making some foods at home can be intimidating. For me, Asian dumplings fall into that camp.
I surprised myself a few weeks ago while planning a week's worth of meals by deciding to make Pork and Shiitake Mushroom Pot Stickers, a recipe ripped from the pages of Cooking Light magazine. I didn't plan to whip these up on a leisurely Sunday afternoon, but rather on a Tuesday night.
So I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that dumplings — made with store-bought wrappers — are so easy to make. Best of all, the recipe made way more than we could eat in one meal so I had a plastic bag full of pot stickers to stash in the freezer for a future weeknight feast.
Despite their often picture-perfect presentation, Andrea Nguyen, author of the Viet World Kitchen blog and “Asian Dumplings” cookbook, said dumplings aren't meant to be fussy. They are traditionally made with ingredients home cooks have on hand and are easily adaptable. (Do what I did. Don't have ground pork, use Italian or breakfast sausage; don't have green onions, substitute cooked greens and more garlic.)
They also don't have to be pretty. “Once you have dumplings made, get the darn things closed,” Nguyen said. “If you think of them that way, then you don't view them as so foreign or so precious.”
Dumplings lend themselves to various preparations: boiling, steaming, pan-frying and frying, Nguyen said.
“It is a very versatile food,” she said. “As a home cook, you can really wow people.”
Don't fret about finding the correct store-bought wrapper. Wonton wrappers are thinner, square sheets, typically used to make wontons for soup. Gyoza wrappers are three-inch round wrappers, used to make pot stickers and other dishes.
They are interchangeable.
That's just one more reason to love dumplings.
Yield: about 40 pot stickers2 tablespoons dark sesame oil¾ cup thinly sliced green onions, divided1 tablespoon minced garlic1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger4 ounces thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps5 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce, divided1 tablespoon hoisin sauce½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper14 ounces lean ground pork40 gyoza skins or round wonton wrappersCornstarch¼ cup hot water2 tablespoons brown sugar2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar1½ tablespoons sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste, aka Rooster sauce)Cooking sprayHeat a large skillet over high heat. Add sesame oil to the pan; swirl to coat. Add ½ cup onions, garlic, ginger and mushrooms; stir-fry 3 minutes. Remove from pan; cool slightly.Combine mushroom mixture, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, hoisin sauce, pepper and pork in a bowl.Arrange 8 gyoza skins on a clean work surface; cover remaining skins with a damp towel to keep them from drying.Spoon about 1½ teaspoons pork mixture into center of each skin. Moisten edges of skin with water. Fold in half; press edges together with fingertips to seal.Place on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch; cover to prevent drying. Repeat with remaining gyoza skins and pork mixture.Combine hot water and brown sugar in a small bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add remaining ¼ cup green onions, remaining ¼ cup soy sauce, vinegar and chile paste, stirring with a whisk until well combined.Heat a large heavy skillet over high heat. Generously coat pan with cooking spray. Add 10 pot stickers to pan; cook 30 seconds or until browned on one side.Turn pot stickers over; carefully add 1/3 cup water to the pan. Cover tightly with a lid; steam 4 minutes.Repeat batches with remaining pot stickers and more water or follow freezing instructions. If frozen, increase steaming time by 2 minutes.After cooking, serve immediately with dipping sauce.
Yield: 36 wontons4 ounces cream cheese or Tofutti cream cheese, at room temperature1 (6-ounce) can crab meat or about 1/4 pound2 tablespoons finely chopped scallion, white and green parts¼ teaspoon ground black pepper½ teaspoon A-1, Tonkatsu or Worcestershire sauce1/8 to ¼ teaspoon garlic powderSalt36 wonton skinsCornstarchCanola oil, for deep fryingSweet and sour sauce or plum sauce, optional condimentCombine cream cheese, crab meat, scallions, black pepper, A-1 and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Use a fork to mix well. Taste and add salt, as needed.Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes before using, or refrigerate up to a day in advance. Makes about 3/4 cup.Fill each wonton skin with about 1 teaspoon of the filling. Moisten edges of skin with water. Fold in half; press edges together with fingertips.Place finished wontons on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet that’s been lightly dusted with cornstarch. Repeat with wonton skins and filling until done. Cover with a damp towel to prevent drying.Pour enough canola oil into a large deep skillet, wok or Dutch oven for a depth of about 2 inches. Heat oil over medium-high heat to about 325 degrees.Working in batches of about 4 to 6, slide wontons into oil and fry about 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Use a skimmer or slotted spoon to remove to paper towel-lined plate or wire rack on baking sheet.Serve warm with sweet and sour sauce or plum sauce.To freeze dumplingsBefore cooking, spread the dumplings out on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch; be careful that none are touching each other. Freeze 10 minutes or until firm. Place in a large zip-top freezer bag with 1 teaspoon cornstarch. Freeze for up to 2 months. To cook, follow recipe instructions, placing frozen dumplings in pan and increasing cooking time slightly as needed. Any leftover wrappers freeze well.
