Golden Potstickers Recipe
Potstickers - For my flight to London, I made the filling with lots of caramelized shallots & pureed yellow split peas then pan-fried them until the bottoms were crisp and golden. They freeze like beautifully, perfect for quick dumpling-centric meals later on.
I'm writing this post from 35,000 feet. We're rocketing through the clouds at 550 m.p.h, the wilds of Canada are below me, and I'm wedged into my seat on a nine hour flight. London is the destination, my hit list is long, and I've got some good stuff to eat tucked under my seat right now. I was on a bit of a dumpling bender leading up to my departure. In part, because I knew I wanted to pack a luck box full of them for the marathon flight.
Let me start off by saying, these aren't traditional in any way. I've simply cobbled favorite aspects of different dumplings I've loved, in the past, into this version. Caramelized shallots (or onions) and pureed yellow split peas make the filling. They somewhat resemble momos in shape. And I tend to serve them nestled deep into a bed of arugula (when I'm not on a plane) in an attempt to get some greens in the mix.
I'd argue, these dumplings are the distant (west coast?) cousin of these. My favorite dumplings ever. Today's recipe, my friends, is the slacker's version. I didn't make the wrappers from scratch. I use the folding style that comes most natural to me (basically, crimp & pinch), I use yellow split peas because I always have them on hand. And, because I love the golden, crisped footprint you get with the potsticker cooking method (instead of steaming) that's how it goes down. So here we are.
Just so you know - there are a couple simple components at play here. You make a scallion oil, to drizzle. There's a chile-spiked, salty sweet dipping sauce, and then the dumplings. Before cooking my airplane potstickers, I cooked a plate for Wayne to take to a birthday picnic the other day. Up above you can see what that looked like - served over a bed of arugula, sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds, drizzled with the sauces. Easy finger food.
I know a number of you were curious about my carry-on packing. Here's a shot of everything going with me (sort of hard to see though). As well as a beautiful shot from the sky. Just after take-off our pilot banked north, then east, through the Golden Gate. We flew directly over San Francisco, and if you look, you can see the big darkened square mid-right - Golden Gate Park. And the dark patch at the bottom - the Presidio. It was a real treat and a spectacular way to start the trip. xo -h
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Golden Potstickers
I use yellow split peas here, but you can swap in green split peas, mung beans, or lentils if you like. They won't have a gold filling, but...You can also steam cook these, or poach them in a thin broth.
1/2 cup sunflower oil
8 green onions / scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced1 small serrano chiles, thinly sliced, or to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup / 60 ml soy sauce
1/4 cup / 60 ml water4 tablespoons sunflower oil, plus more for pan-frying
1/2 cup chopped shallots (4 medium)
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, or to taste2 cups / 11 oz / 310 g cooked yellow split peas, ideally at room temperature, then process in a food processor until uniform and fluffy
1 package round potsticker wrappers
Start by making a scallion oil. Heat the oil in a small skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onions and stir well. When they soften, after about 30 seconds, remove from the heat. Set aside. Note: You can refrigerate this for later use, but bring to room temperature before using.
Make a dipping sauce by sprinkling the chiles with sugar. Chop and smash a bit with a knife. Place in a jar or small bowl, add the soy sauce and water, and stir to combine. Taste and adjust to your liking - more sugar, water, etc.
To make the filling, in a large skillet, fry the shallots in the sunflower oil over medium heat until golden brown, 5 minutes or so. Sprinkle with salt, and stir in the yellow split pea meal. You want to stir until the shallots are evenly distributed. And you want the filling to hold together if you pinch a bit between your fingers. If it's too dry, work in water a small splash at a time. Now give it a taste - you should want to eat it straight, if not tweak with more salt until you do.
Now, fill and shape the dumplings. Very lightly dust your counter top with a bit of flour. Place 12 wrappers on the floured countertop, and add a small dollop of filling just off-center of each dumpling. Run a wet finger around the rim of each wrapper, press the edges together well, and try to avoid trapping air bubbles in the dumplings if you can. Crimp each dumpling, and gently press it down against the counter to give it a flat base, so it sits upright. This base is also what gets brown and crunchy - one of the things you're after. Repeat until you run out of wrappers or filling. Place the dumplings seam side up on a well-floured plate or baking sheet. The extra flour that sticks to the base gives extra crunch.
At this point you can freeze any dumplings you know you aren't going to cook.
To cook the dumplings, heat another scant tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange dumplings in the pan, seam side up, with a sliver of space between each (so they don't stick together). Pan-fry until the bottoms are golden, a few minutes. With a large lid in one hand, carefully and quickly add 1/3 cup / 80 ml water to the pan, immediately cover, and cook the dumplings for a few minutes, or until the water is nearly evaporated. Uncover and finish cooking until all the water is gone - another minute or so. Dial back the heat if the bottoms are getting too dark. Cook in batches, and serve drizzled with the scallion oil and spicy soy sauce.
Makes a big platter of dumplings.
Prep time: 60 minutes - Cook time: 10 minutes
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Comments
I bet you can freeze them too. These sound delicious and I love the yellow split pea addition.
I'm glad these come from pre-made wrappers. So much less intimidating than I thought! Nice to know I could actually make these after a day of working...
These are gorgeous and look so delicious. Can't wait to give them a try! Hope you have a safe trip!
I love the idea of using beans in the filling of vegetarian dumplings! My family loves making dumplings and this idea will soon be making its way to our table. I usually make the dough from scratch because the whole family (especially my 6 and 9 year old boys) enjoys rolling and filling them. Have a good trip. Robin
I love cute finger food, Heidi, and these look great. Thanks for sharing! I admire you so much for actually planning ahead and giving yourself enough time to prepare food for plane rides. When I leave for trips, I'm always rushing around, throwing things into a suitcase at the very last minute. And then I'm stuck eating terrible airport snacks when I get hungry waiting for the flight...so good on you! Looks like you're an expert packer too.
these are so beautiful! i love asian food and never make it at home...these sound so simple and turn out so well!
This sounds lovely! These postickers are beautiful.
Oooo, Heidi! Have an awesome time on your trip! And in the meantime, I'm gonna sit here with my mouth open and wait for those potstickers to pop into my mouth, 'mkay? xo!
Oh those are so fun just to look at- I can't imagine how much better they are to eat! have a great trip!
That is so neat- I love getting those close-to-the-ground shots from planes, but am wary of breaking the 'electronic devices must be turned to the off position" rule. Great view. And I love the packing pride- isn't it lovely when everything is so neat and tidy and ready to go? Crispy golden is the only way to go. Forget steamed; I'm with you all the way.
Beautiful writing and photography. I just love how your writing always pulls me right in. I would love to try these. I've never attempted anything like this at home. Hope you have a great time in London! Thanks for sharing. P.S. I'd love to be sitting next to you on an airplane and forgo the usual garbage!
I always end up with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, some pretzels and carrot sticks when I fly...This seems like a much better choice. They look delicious!
Love everything about these! I like the way you folded them, too- like little purses!
These are gorgeous! No way I could make mine so pretty. Never. Wish I could have this - beats any airplane food!
Wow, beautiful work on the crimping! Coming from an Asian background, I don't immediately think of a meatless filling for dumplings. Next time I make them I have to try your recipe. Btw, I'm surprised with all your camera equipment your carry on didn't go over the weight limit!
These sound delicious and look absolutely wonderful! Have a good time in London :)
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I love the shot of your camera gear and of SF And your potstickers are PERFECT. Wow. They look so uniformly perfect and almost too good to eat. Almost :)
These sound and look delicious! Regardless of whether they are true to the original, I actually like the sound of these better :)
This recipe looks so fancy yet easy to make! I can't wait to try this! The pictures look amazing :)
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