Ingredients:
filling:
1 bag of Morningstar Chik'n Strips, cooked, small chopped
1/2 an onion, small dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-1.5 cups broccoli, cooked and blended/chopped finely
to taste:
soy sauce
ginger paste
rice vinegar
toasted sesame oil
garlic chili paste
Also:
1 package of potsticker wraps, which can be purchased at any Asian grocery as well as many major chain supermarkets
Canola oil
butter for sealing edges of wrapper
Hardware:
One deep pot or pan for pan frying
One pot to boil the potstickers in (should be able to just cover the potstickers)
A station set up on a counter to assemble the potstickers and set them on a plate
a station to set/drain the finished potstickers
A tablespoon to measure out filling
a pan for the chik'n, a pan for the broccoli (or steamer)
What to do:
1. Make the filling. First, cook the frozen chik'n strips until heated through. Get the water for the broccoli boiling, add broccoli (I used frozen.)
2. To the chik'n, add onion and garlic until onion is translucent. Turn off heat. Once cool, chop up the chik'n and set into a bowl. Chop very small/fine. Blending may work for this, too.
3. Drain broccoli when it's done, let cool. Once cooled, blend or chop finely.
4. To the chi'n, add ginger, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, and garlic chili paste -- all to taste. Add in the blended mush of broccoli and mix everything together. That's the filling! Other options worth trying: scallions (I didn't have any), rice noodles, rice, carrot, etc.
5. Get your assembly line ready. It's best if you can work in a left to right or right to left line: a place to set the open wrappers and fill them, fold them; next a plate to set the folded potstickers; next into the boiling water; into the frying pan with oil and finally onto a place to drain the oil and get served.
6. For filling: put less than 1T (3/4 or so) of filling into the middle of the wrapper. I buttered the edge to help it stick together, but it didn't always work. Fold in half, then crimp edges and set on plate to await boiling. Important: avoid air bubbles, avoid holes, make SURE the edges are sealed.
7. You'll know when they are done boiling because they turn transluscent. Remove and set each potsticker into the frying pan and fry either one or both sides until golden brown. Drain off excess oil, EAT!
i read some of the questions about boiling the potstickers over in the vegan food community.
ReplyDeleteanother option is to place the potstickers in a frying pan, fill it with a little water and put a lid on it. this will steam the potstickers. then once the water has gone, you can fry them in the same pan. this is the way i usually do them.
(i'm trying to figure out a good measurement of water. you don't want to drown or cover the potstickers. but you definitely want enough water to cover the bottom of the pan without burning them. 1/4 cup-1/2 cup? maybe less?)
-kari
this method also helps from having to use butter to seal the edges. you can use just plain water instead since they won't be rolling around in a boil.
ReplyDeleteunless of course, the butter is just an extra bonus of flavor.
-k
Do you add oil/fat after the water is gone?
ReplyDeleteWe tried to have a little less water in the pan in order to steam them, but we were using too much/little or something because they kept sticking to the bottom of the pan and then would tear. We were also assembly line style and doing batches so I think that maybe
Anotehr problem I kept having was after they boiled/steamed they would be sealed closed but then the edges would pop open a bit during the pan frying. They were like clams, opening a little bit. Weird. Tasty as hell, though.
I agree that the butter is pretty uneccesary. just an excuse to use more fat, haha. I think that all of the issues I had could be easily resolved by either making my own dough next time or just using paper towels/tea towels to keep the wraps moist. I also need a more gentle spoon to transport the potstickers with rather than my rough metal tongs.
It was more of an interesting experiment that I really, really want to do again. With scallions. This is one dish I really want to master because I think it has the potential to become an awesome appetizer for family gatherings.
yeah, once the water is gone, i usually throw in some oil.
ReplyDeletethe sticking though during the initial part is hard though. either use a really good non-stick or else just don't move them during or after the steaming? i think generally when you do it the pan method, you're simply frying the bottoms, not the whole thing. so you shouldn't have to shift them around a lot.
crimping....i use a small touch of water to seal the edges, then crimp really really well.
Excellent. I'll definitely try using one pan next time and see how that goes.
ReplyDeletehey remember when i said put the water in first, then the oil?
ReplyDeletedo it the other way around.
throw some oil in, which will crisp/fry the bottoms (and in turn prevent sticking and tearing).
then once the bottoms are nice and golden brown, throw a few tablespoons of water in, cover and let steam.
voila. that makes more sense than water first.