Well it is about time for me to get to some Chinese cooking isn’t it? Dave Lieberman’s Veggie Potstickers are the first dumpling-type treats I ever made. Getting to see him make them and show me just how to do it got me over my anxiety of making something that seemed so difficult and made me realize it is no big deal. Time consuming? Yes. Difficult? No. Get the recipe here.
First, I just have to say, this is a Napa cabbage. Or what my grocery store refers to as a Chinese cabbage. The recipe calls for an entire head of cabbage which I did the first time and then ended up with twice as many potstickers as the recipe calls for. This time I only used half a small head of Napa cabbage which I thinly sliced.
The rest of the filling includes leeks, garlic, rice wine vinegar, soy, ginger and carrot. Refer to the recipe for all the details but remember, the filling can be anything you want. Want mushroom potstickers? No problem! How about shrimp? Of course! Made to order, I love that about cooking for yourself. These are terrific just as they are and cabbage is so good for you and Napa cabbage seems to be less overpowering to cook than every-day cabbage.
Ah yes, the fun part! OK, get out your wonton wrapper and use your finger to water the edges. Put about 1 tbsp of the cooled filling inside. Take opposite corners and stick them together.
Take the other opposite corners and stick them together and close the seams to make a pocket. Even with just half a head of cabbage I still managed to make around 20 potstickers which was all my back could handle. Ouch!
You begin first by getting your frying pan and oil very hot and then letting the dumpling sit for a couple of minutes. Then add 1/2 cup of water and immediately cover the pan with a lid. This will help release the potstickers from the bottom of the pan and steam the dough and heat the filling at the same time.
I had these yesterday with Dave’s recipe for Asian Dipping Sauce but I recommend making it with a more-salty soy than tamari. I also made my own homemade sweet and sour sauce but will cover that recipe on another day. For now, leave me be with these delicious treats. They are all mine!
They look delicious! I’ve always been too intimidated by the wrappers to try to make potstickers at home. I am forced to go to my favourite Japanese restaurant and eat theirs. Yum!
I’ve never tried making potstickers either! Yummy! Mike doesn’t like cabbage though – do you have any ideas for a “main” substitute?
I have used wrappers to make spring rolls, so should be good with the actual wrapping process! 🙂 Thanks for sharing, Suzie!! You rock, as usual!
My husband doesn’t like cabbage either but Napa is much more gentle. I would recommend finely chopping up mushrooms with garlic and shallots. Or instead of cabbage you can still do leeks and carrots, focus more on the carrots though.
Thank you both so much! 🙂
These are cooked to perfection! Love the crispness on the bottom and the nicely steamed doughy part. I bet they’re fun to eat, I have no patience for chopsticks, I usually stab ’em then pop them in my mouth.
yum! these look amazing! I also made some steamed dumplings on my blog, but made the dough from scratch since where I am living, its hard to come by wonton wrappers. Check it out if you have time at http://foodandpassion.blogspot.com
Take care!
These are quite cute. The recipe makes them seem simple. And you’re right, they don’t seem as hard when you see the recipe, but then your blog makes everything seem easier–really “seeing” it with the pictures! And explaining things like “Chinese cabbage”. I’ve heard of that, plus seen them in the store, but never put the name with the veggie. Blessings today, O
Wow they look so professional. I don’t know that I could be bothered with the faff, but would love to eat them!
Glad to see you gave it a go! So many people say they want to prepare and cook these yummy morsels but steer clear of them for some obscure reason.