Your Cart is Empty
A fan favorite at her Flushing restaurant Dumpling Galaxy, these beef and onion potstickers get a dose of chili heat from chili oil. Go for a chili oil with bits of actual chili to add extra character to the filling. Making the crisp layer of starch on the bottom of the pan takes some practice but is well worth the effort.— from The Dumpling Galaxy Cookbook by Helen You and Max Falkowitz. Buy this book from Penguin Random House, Indiebound, or Amazon.
Excerpt from The Dumpling Galaxy Cookbook by Helen You and Max Falkowitz. Copyright 2017 by Helen You and Max Falkowitz. Excerpted by permission of Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
In a medium skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 9 to 10 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent. Stir in the chile oil, then remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, use your hands to combine the beef, scallions, soy sauce, oyster sauce, ginger, sesame oil, pepper, and salt, and mix until well combined. Gently fold in the onions and mix until fully incorporated.
Cup your non-dominant hand like you’re holding a light bulb and press a dumpling wrapper into your palm so the center forms a pocket and the edges lie flat. With your dominant hand, use a fork to add about 1 tablespoon of the filling to the center of the wrapper, then lightly pat the filling down with the fork to get rid of any air bubbles (this will also make the dumpling easier to seal).
Fold the dumpling into a half-moon, pinching it shut with your thumbs and forefingers, then press the center of the dumpling while pulling on the corners to push out any air bubbles and shape it into a curved crescent. Inspect the dumpling for any holes where the filling could leak out and pinch them shut. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the rest of the wrappers to make 24 dumplings.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, vinegar, and 1 cup of water until combined to make a slurry. Brush the oil in a medium cast iron or non-stick skillet and heat over medium-high heat, until the oil starts to shimmer. Add 6 dumplings with the folded edges lying flat on the pan, spacing them 1 inch apart, then slowly pour in just enough of the slurry to come one-third of the way up the dumplings. Partially cover the pan, leaving a small gap for steam to escape. Increase heat to high and cook for 2 minutes for cast iron (1 minute for non-stick). Lower heat to medium for 2 minutes for cast iron (3 minutes for non-stick). Then lower heat to low for 2 to 3 minutes for cast iron (3 minutes for non-stick).
Cook until the water has evaporated, leaving a paper-thin disc of golden-brown starch on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and slide a thin, flexible spatula around the rim of the pan to loosen the edges of the starch disc, then carefully slide the spatula underneath and flip the dumplings onto a plate in one piece, crispy-side-up. Clean skillet and repeat steps 5 and 6 for remaining dumplings. Serve immediately.
