Anger Burger

For years I bought bags of potstickers from the Asian markets because they were cheap, tasted good enough and seemed impossible to make.  It was Mike — whose friends Christina and Melissa made him an honorary half-Chinese — who pointed out they they are even cheaper, even tastier and totally possible to make at home.

Apologies to my non-meaty friends.

The internet abounds with potsticker/gyoza recipes, though one should be advised that the fewer ingredients, the more authentic.  A basic, common potsticker is merely ground pork, salt, pepper, some chives or leeks and maybe a little sesame oil for flavor.  We build it from there by adding some more aromatics (garlic and ginger), some egg for a binder, cilantro, and some Chinese black vinegar for that unidentifiable “Chinese flavor”.  But even still, simplicity is key: no need for both chives and leeks, and to be honest, even the garlic is overkill.

Some ingredients of my “Sort-of-Thai Potstickers,” recipe listed below.

One thing I will likely never do is make homemade wrappers.  Fuck that.  Real dumpling/potsticker afficianados prefer a thicker dough, but I prefer thin (I lean toward the Japanese gyoza, which are practically tissue-thin) and even I have to draw a line in the lazy sand somewhere.  Anyway, finding a brand preference is up to you: most grocery stores carry Dynasty brand gyoza-wrappers, which as I said are thin but also small in circumference, and most Asian markets will carry a half-dozen or more brands ranging in size.  I buy which ever ones are packaged the sloppiest.

These are not the Dynasty wrappers, these are big, nameless Chinese ones.

The other secret to potsticker-making is to not over-fill.  Better to under-fill.  The small Dynasty wrappers need no more than a lightly heaping half-teaspoon, and a larger wrapper about double that.  While I’ll leave you to figure out how to shape them by Googling it, rest assured that by the time you get the hang of it you’ll be addicted to the forming process.  Which is good, because you’ll be making several dozen.  Line them up on a cookie sheet (with wet paper towels draped over to keep them from drying out) and then put the whole thing (minus the towels) into the freezer and let them set up for at least 20 minutes before bagging.  This keeps them from sticking together into a block as they freeze.

From there, you cook them.  Or, I don’t.  I leave it to Mike.  The gist of it is: fry them nearly as brown as you want them in a little hot oil, then pour in about a half a cup of water and cover to steam until cooked through, about 10 minutes (keep adding water and steaming until the edges of the wrappers are soft).

Yeah, fry it.

Porky Potstickers/Gyoza
when I say “finely” I mean it: the smaller the chop, the better the texture

½ lb ground pork
¼ C. finely chopped chives (green onion can substitute)
1 egg
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 Tbs. black vinegar
2 heaping Tbs. finely chopped ginger
1 finely chopped clove garlic
¼ C. finely chopped cilantro (stems too, they have more flavor)
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

1 pkg. small wrappers (buy one for back-up and freeze if you don’t use)

Mix all ingredients but the wrappers together in a bowl, stirring vigorously until well-combined.  If it seems too runny to work with, let sit in the fridge for 15 minutes and it will firm up a little.  Form each potsticker as you please, but basically: brush 1/2 of wrapper edge with water (I prefer using a pastry brush in an attempt to keep my fingers dry) or with your finger (I’m warning you: it’s harder if your hands are sticky) and then fold over in some kind of decorative manner.  Just make sure they are stuck closed.  This makes about 40 of the small Dynasty wrappers and about 30 of the bigger ones.

Sort-of-Thai Potstickers/Gyoza
these can be vegetarian by substituting the shrimp for either tofu or more cabbage or chopped mushrooms, but if you do do all-vegetable, very quickly fry up the veggies to knock out a little of the water first – also, same rules apply for chopping finely

½ lb raw, shelled shrimp, finely chopped
1 egg
¼ C. finely shredded carrot
½ C. finely chopped cabbage
¼ C. finely chopped leek whites
¼ C. finely chopped cilantro (stems too, they have more flavor)
1 Tbs. fish sauce (nam pla)
2 Tbs. sweet chili sauce (failing that: 1 Tbs. hot chili sauce + 2 Tbs. brown sugar)
2 Tbs. finely chopped ginger
1 tsp. salt
2-3 finely finely finely chopped lime leaves**

Same general idea: stir it all up really good until totally incorporated. It’s a lot of ingredients, yes, and specialty ingredients to boot, but I use both fish sauce and sweet chili sauce a lot. You don’t need them, but I have to admit they are what make these potstickers taste vaguely Thai in origin.  Prepare as for pork potstickers.

**A note on the lime leaf: there’s some back-and-forth about whether we call these “Kaffir lime” anymore. The term “Kaffir” is derogatory, but it is still commonly (and innocently) used in reference to Kaffir limes and leaves.  The alternate suggestion for use is “makrud lime,” since “makrud” is the Thai name.  As you can see, I prefer just “lime leaf.”  Anyway: lime leaf is super-powerful and a little tough to chew, so chop it as fine as pepper.