Vegetable Chinese Dumplings

Instructions

Making the Dough

Place all the flour and the salt in medium bowl. Add the water, a little at a time, mixing constantly with your hands until a stiff dough comes together.

Knead the dough until it is smooth, 5-10 min. (This kneading step is important, it helps develop tender dumpling wrappers!)

Put the kneaded dough into clean bowl and cover it with a damp towel. Let the dough rest in a warm place for 45 mins-2 hours. (It can rest for up to 5 if you need it to.)

While the dough is resting make the filling.

Beat the eggs with ½ teaspoon of salt and scramble in a frying pan coated with vegetable oil. Stir constantly to break up the egg bits as they cook. Remove from pan to a bowl to cool.

Place cabbage into a bowl and add ½ tsp of sea salt. Massage the salt and cabbage well with fingers. Let sit for 10 minutes. drain and rinse the cabbage, squeeze out all of the water well.

Sautee the beansprouts in the same pan as the scrambled eggs,; adding sesame oil. Place in a large bowl.

Finely slice the scallions, separating the white from the green parts. Add the white scallions to the bowl with beansprouts along with the other diced vegetables.

Place rinsed cabbage into a bowl with the other vegetables. Stir  and season to taste with salt. Add the scrambled egg.

Mix well and taste the mixture. Add salt or soy sauce to taste.

Rolling the wrappers:

Knead the dough again for 3-5 min and cut it into four, roughly even pieces.

Roll each piece into a 1 inch diameter snake (roughly 8 inches long)., then cut into ¾ inch pieces. Let the dough snakes rest in a bowl, covered with a damp tea towel, for 30 min while you roll out the wrappers.

Rolling the Dumpling Wrappers

To roll the dumpling wrappers, dust your countertop lightly with flour. Roll each peace into a ball.

Keeping what you are not working with covered and roll one ball at a time into a thin disc roughly 3 ½ inched in diameter.

Filling and Sealing the Dumplings

Holding the dumpling wrapper in one hand, place 1 Tbsp of filling in the center of the rolled out round of dough.

If your wrapper seems dry, dip a finger into some water and lightly moisten the edge of the top half of the circular wrapper.

Fold the wrapper in half around the filling and pinch the top of the half circle together.

Continue sealing the edges, either by simply pressing or by using a ruffling technique. (Be sure to pinch the seam tightly to seal the filling inside.)

Place the shaped dumpling, seam side standing straight up, on a parchment lined platter.

Working quickly so that the dumpling wrappers don’t dry out, continue with remaining cut dough. (Either freeze or cook your dumplings within 30 min of filling, so that the wrappers don’t dry out too much.)

To Make Potstickers Dumplings

Heat enough oil to coat the bottom of a nonstick skillet with a lid over medium high heat.

Once the oil is hot, place the potstickers into the skillet, with the seam side standing straight up, being sure that they are close but not touching.

Let the potstickers sear for 1-2 minutes.

Add 3-4 Tbsp of water to the skillet. Cover the pan immediately, and reduce the heat to low. Steam the dumplings until all the water has evaporated. The potstickers should look opaque and noodle-like, and the filling should be heated through. This will take 3-5 min from fresh or 6-7 min from frozen.

Remove the lid and flip one potsticker over to see if the bottom side is nicely golden. If it isn’t, turn the heat to medium high, and cook until the bottom sides are golden.

Transfer the potstickers to a plate and serve immediately with dipping sauce (mix all sauce ingredients  and scallion tops together in a small bowl, serve with dumplings).