Tuesday 18 February 2014

Chinese Chicken Potsticker Dumplings

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful





This recipe is for Chinese Chicken Potsticker Dumplings. It's something that I had wanted to try for ages and finally got a chance a few weeks ago.

Where I live, halal Chinese food isn't readily available and so I have to make do with making my own which usually involves a lot of recipe adjustments to suit the Muslim diet.
Every culture has their own version of a dumpling, and being a Pakistani, I am well versed in the art of making our kind of dumpling, the Samosa! 

There are many different varieties of Chinese dumplings, but I decided to try the Potsticker, and I am definitely hooked - these will definitely be made for our Ramadan spread this year, Insha Allah.

A Simple List of Ingredients:

1. Plain Flour

2. Boiling Water
3. Salt
4. Chicken Mince
5. Bicarbonate of Soda
6. Cornflour
7. Salt
8. Sugar
9. White Pepper
10. Cold Water
11. Soy Sauce
12. Sesame Oil
13. Spring Onions
14. Ginger
15. Garlic
16. Chinese 5 Spice Powder
17. Hot Chilli Sauce

Bismillah, let's begin!


First, to make the dough. Place 10.5 ounces (300 grams) of Plain Flour into a large bowl.
If you want to buy the dumpling wrappers online, you can find some here.

Add a pinch of Salt.

Add 220ml of Boiling Water.

Mix the dough until it becomes a rough ball.

Tip it out onto a lightly floured surface.

And, knead for 10 minutes until smooth. You can do this in a machine too.

Cut the dough into 2 equal sized pieces.

Use your thumb to make a hole in the middle of each piece.

Stretch out to a bagel sized shape with an even thickness all around.

Cover with clingfilm, and leave to rest for 20 minutes.

Next, make the filling for the dumplings. Into a large bowl, place:
1/2 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
1 teaspoon Cornflour
1 and 1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Sugar
Pinch of White Pepper
1 teaspoon of Chinese 5 Spice Powder (this is available in most supermarkets)

Add 1 pound of Chicken Mince. Try to get chicken mince that has been made with chicken thighs. This will result in a juicy filling.

2 Spring Onions, finely chopped

2 teaspoon Crushed Ginger and 2 Garlic Cloves, peeled and crushed

3 teaspoons of Cold Water
2 teaspoons Soy Sauce
2 teaspoons Toasted Sesame Oil

Mix well, and set aside.

Important Note: This filling will go into the dumplings raw, and will be cooked when the dumplings are fried and then steamed. If you prefer, you can cook the mixture now too - just make sure to cool before filling. I tried both methods - using both raw and cooked fillings, and they both turned out good.

Once the dough has rested ..

.. slice each ring in half.

Straighten it out ..

And, cut into 16 equal pieces.

Take a piece of dough and flatten with your palm.

Roll into a thin circle which should be 8cm in diameter.


Note: I have also tried putting this dough through a pasta machine. It worked really well and took out all the hassle of rolling by hand. 


Just divide the whole dough into 4 pieces and pass through the machine - I went up to number 4 in mine. Then, place on a counter and use a large round cutter to cut out rounds.

Brush the edges with a little water.

Place a heaped teaspoon full of the mixture in the middle.

Fold over in to a half-moon shape. Press the edges down.

Crimp the edges in the style of the potsticker dumpling. Continue making the rest.

Pretty soon, you'll have a production line on the go. Keep the dumplings on a floured tray to stop them from sticking.


You could freeze the dumplings at this point too.


For a spicy dipping sauce, mix together:
2 tablespoons crushed Ginger
2 tablespoons crushed Garlic (less, if you're not a major raw garlic fan)
Handful Fresh Coriander, finely chopped
3 Spring Onions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons Chilli Garlic Sauce
1 tablespoon Chilli Oil
1 tablespoon Toasted Sesame Oil
4 tablespoons Soy Sauce
6 tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar (or any white vinegar)
2 tablespoons Sugar
Water, as needed to loosen the sauce

For a simple dipping sauce, take 1 teaspoon of Toasted Sesame Oil.

2 teaspoons of Soy Sauce

And, 1 teaspoon of Hot Chilli Sauce.

Mix well, and set aside.

To cook the dumplings, heat up a few teaspoons of Vegetable Oil in a frying pan.

Once the oil is hot, add as many dumplings as can fit in the pan. Put them so that their bottoms are in the hot oil.

Fry the dumplings for a few minutes until the bottoms are golden brown. Lift one up to check!

Then, turn the heat down and add 1/4 cup of Water. The pan will hiss so be careful.


Immediately cover with a lid and let the dumplings steam for 8-10 minutes on a low heat.

Uncover them and cook for another 3 minutes on a higher heat until any extra water has dried out. 


Once the dumplings are translucent, they're done!

 Serve them straight away with the dipping sauce!

Full Written Recipe:


Chinese Chicken Potsticker Dumplings

(adapted from The Dumpling Sisters)

Ingredients

For the Dough
10.5 ounces (300 grams) Plain Flour
220 ml Boiling Water
Pinch of Salt

For the Filling
1 pound Chicken Mince
½ teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
1 teaspoon Cornflour
1 ½ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Sugar
Pinch of White Pepper
3 teaspoons Cold Water
2 teaspoons Soy Sauce
2 teaspoons Sesame Oil
2 Spring Onions, finely chopped
2 teaspoon Crushed Ginger
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon Chinese 5 Spice Powder

For the Simple Dipping Sauce
1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
2 teaspoons Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon Hot Chilli Sauce

For the Spicy Dipping Sauce
2 tablespoons crushed Ginger
2 tablespoons crushed Garlic (less, if you're not a major raw garlic fan)
Handful Fresh Coriander, finely chopped
3 Spring Onions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons Chilli Garlic Sauce
1 tablespoon Chilli Oil
1 tablespoon Toasted Sesame Oil
4 tablespoons Soy Sauce
6 tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar (or any white vinegar)
2 tablespoons Sugar

Water, as needed to loosen the sauce


Method

1. First, make the dough. Place the flour, boiling water and salt into a bowl, and mix. When the dough becomes a rough ball, knead for 10 minutes on a surface until smooth.

2. Divide the dough into two equal-sized pieces. Use your thumb to make a hole in the middle of each piece (like a bagel). Stretch out to a bagel sized shape with an even thickness all around.

3. Cover with cling-film and leave to rest for 20 minutes.

4. While the dough rests, make the filling. Mix all the filling ingredients together, and set aside.

5. Lightly flour a surface. Divide each dough piece into 16 equal sized pieces.

6. Lightly toss in plain flour. Take a piece of dough, and flatten with your palm. Roll into a thin disc which should be roughly 8cm in diameter. Brush a little water on the edges.

7. Place a heaped teaspoon of the filling in the middle of the circle. Fold over into a half moon shape, and crimp the sides to create a crescent moon shape.

8. Heat a few teaspoons of oil in a frying pan. Add as many dumplings as fit in to the pan. Put on a low heat for 10 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown. (If you want them brown all over, then keep turning after every few minutes.)

9. Then, add ¼ cup water. Cover and turn the heat to the lowest and let them steam for 8 minutes.

10.              Uncover and allow to cook for another 3 minutes.

11.              To make the simple dipping sauce, mix all the ingredients together. To make the spicy dipping sauce, mix all the ingredients together.

12.              Serve the dumplings straight away with the dipping sauce!

This Time Last Year:





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Keep me in your duas, please,

Wasalaam!


Spice Enthusiast
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