Paper Palate

According to Wikipedia, a potsticker is not just any old dumpling. It is “a Northern Chinese style dumpling popular as a street food, appetizer, or side order” and the filling typically contains pork or chicken, cabbage, scallions, ginger, and sesame seed oil. “The mixed filling is sealed into a dumpling wrapper, steamed in a wok, and then fried to crispness on one side in a shallow frying pan.”

The potstickers in the March/April issue of Cook’s Illustrated followed all the rules – they were stuffed with the requisite ingredients, steamed on one side and crisped on the other. But could they live up to Cook’s promise of “light,” “flavorful,” and “virtually foolproof”? The perfect potsticker is a lofty claim – I prepared this recipe to evaluate whether these were better than the potstickers at my local Japanese takeout places.

Cook’s Illustrated “Perfect Potstickers”

Filling

3 cups minced napa cabbage leaves
¾ tsp table salt
¾ lb ground pork
6 T minced scallions (about 4)
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
4 tsp soy sauce
1 ½ tsp grated ginger
1 medium garlic clove, minced
2 egg whites, lightly beaten

24 round gyoza wrappers
4 tsp vegetable oil

Dipping Sauce

¼ cup soy sauce
2 T rice vinegar
2 T mirin
2 T water
1 tsp chili oil
½ toasted sesame oil
1 medium scallion, minced

Cook’s instructs us to “toss the cabbage and salt in a colander or mesh strainer set over a medium bowl” and “let stand until cabbage begins to wilt, about 20 minutes; press cabbage gently with rubber spatula to squeeze out excess moisture.” This step just didn’t quite work out for me. I salted and I tossed and I waited, but nothing happened. I salted again, and tossed again, but still no wilting.

Mix cabbage and all other filling ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. To form the potstickers, just put a little filling in the middle (not too much), moisten the edge of the wrapper (only halfway around or, if using square wrappers, two sides), fold in half and pinch, starting from the center and working outwards. As you pinch, press out any air pockets. Once the dumpling is sealed, gently flatten by pressing on the side.

Perhaps because of my failure to properly wilt the cabbage, my potsticker filling was moister than I would have liked, which made stuffing the wrappers quite difficult. Liquid (cabbage juice? pork, um, stuff?) squirted out when I gently flattened. I had to make a few emergency repairs using some leftover wrappers. Additionally, I was only able to find square wrappers, so my potstickers just weren’t as naturally cute as those in Cook’s.

Once the potstickers are all more or less assembled, add 2 tsp oil to a large nonstick pan and spread so that entire bottom of the pan is covered (use a paper towel or your fingers), lay 12 potstickers in the pan, laying flat on one side, and put the pan over medium high heat. (Cook’s makes a big deal about making sure all the seams are facing the right direction, but I don’t really see the relevance of this step.) Cook for about 5 minutes, until potstickers are golden brown on the bottom. Don’t peek at them every 2 seconds or you’ll tear the delicate wrapper, just let them be. Reduce heat to low, add ½ cup water to the pan, and cook, fully covered, until most of the water is absorbed and the wrappers are a little bit translucent, about 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes or so, uncover the pan, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook until bottoms are well-browned and crisp (about 3-4 minutes). Remove and drain on a paper towel. I had quite a bit of trouble removing a few of them from the pan, and some sustained a fair bit of damage in the process, but I eventually discovered that by flooding the pan with a little more water I could unstuck them without disrupting the crispy brown surface.

Serve with dipping sauce.

The Verdict: Are They Indeed, the Perfect Potstickers?

The potstickers were tasty, but, in my opinion, not as good as the ones I get from the cheap sushi takeout place around the corner, and certainly not as good as the potstickers at the fancy Japanese restaurant. I prefer potstickers with a little more spice and a crispier exterior, both of which were lacking in this recipe. My co-tester disagrees – he thinks they were at least as good as the cheap sushi takeout potstickers. They weren’t awful by any means, I just wouldn’t call them perfect. The dipping sauce, however, was simple to make and absolutely divine.