Lamb Potstickers

By Claudine Noppe

Potstickers are a dumpling from Chinese origin. It’s usually a minced meat mixture wrapped in a thin dough, fried in a pan until crispy on one side, and then steamed to cook through. The first time I had potstickers was at an Asian restaurant as part of a dim sum starter. Among some spring rolls and steamed buns were two chicken potstickers. Now I have had spring rolls before *intense flashbacks to my first few years of uni when I lived next door to Kung Fu Kitchen* and we made steamed buns in a practical once. I had never seen potstickers before!

The potstickers reminded me of ravioli in the sense that it was a filling delicately wrapped in a pasta type dough, cooked to that perfect al dente-ness. Ravioli is something I’ve made many times before, so I decided that potstickers would not be that difficult to master. Boy oh boy was I wrong! Yes the filling is simple enough. The dough is a basic water and flour mixture. But for my sausage fingers, the folding of the potstickers was near impossible. My first batch looked like they had been dropped on the floor and stepped on.

I trained myself to do the signature pleated folds by watching hours of YouTube videos and making batches and batches of potstickers. For a while I felt sorry for my parents (and my waistline), but soon enough it became a family favourite, and is still, three years later, the one thing my parents beg me to make when I visit them.

These are a must try recipe for a weekend when you can spend some time perfecting the fold! If you struggle, you can easily just seal the sides with a fork. They are delicious no matter how they look!

Click here for the downloadable recipe.

Ingredients:

Makes 20 – 24 potstickers (enough for 2-3 people)

For the Filling:

·         250 g lamb mince

·         2 carrots, finely grated

·         ¼ cabbage, shredded (about 125 ml)

·         2 garlic cloves, minced

·         15 ml minced ginger (A thumb sized piece)

·         15 ml chopped coriander

·         15 ml soy sauce

For the dough:

·         2 cups flour (500 ml) + extra for dusting

·         15 ml vegetable oil

·         ¾ to 1 cup of boiling water (187 ml to 250 ml)

·         2,5 ml salt

For the dipping sauce (optional)

·         60 ml soy sauce

·         15 ml lime juice/ rive wine vinegar

·         7,5 ml honey

·         7,5 ml sesame oil

·         5 ml chili flakes or chopped fresh chili (add more or less depending on how spicy you like it)

Method:

1. Mix all the filling ingredients together, cover and leave in the fridge until the dough is ready.

2. To make the dough mix the flour and salt, make a well in the middle and then mix in the oil and half of the boiling water. Using a fork, mix the ingredients and add more water as needed. The dough should come together in a nice ball.

3. On a floured surface knead the dough for a couple of minutes until it is pliable and smooth. A good way of knowing if it’s kneaded enough is to press the dough lightly with your finger, and if it bounces back it’s ready.

4. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and then leave to rest for 30 minutes.

5. In the meantime, make the dipping sauce by adding all the ingredients to a jar, and shaking it until combined. Adjust the acidity with the lime juice and the sweetness with the honey to your liking.

6. When the dough has rested, use a rolling pin, or a pasta roller to roll out the dough. Mine was about 3 mm thick. Cut circles from the dough (I used a 7 cm cutter).

7. Place each cut put of dough on a plate and place a tablespoon of filling in the center, slightly towards the bottom.

8. Using your finger or a pastry brush, wet the outer edge of the pastry and fold it in half. Press it down to make sure the semi-circle is sealed.

9. Wet the outer lip of the dough again and starting at one edge, fold sections of the dough, over the other to create pleats. This is how I do mine, but there are more intricate and technical ways of folding potstickers. Feel free to look them up online or to watch tutorial videos and to get creative with it!

*Disclaimer – even after all the practice, my potstickers are still slightly peasant looking. Sadly my fingers have gotten no thinner over the years, and thus, I still have trouble folding them delicately.

10. Heat a non stick pan. When it is piping hot, add a teaspoon of vegetable oil and then pack the potstickers neatly on there with the folds facing up. Turn the heat down and fry the potstickers until golden brown on the bottom.

11. Once they are golden brown, add about 60 ml of hot water, and place a lid on the pan. Leave the potstickers to steam for about 5 – 8 minutes.

12. Serve with some fresh spring onion and the dipping sauce!