Pot stickers (fried siomai)

Let me take a break from the series of dishes I cooked using pre-boiled pork belly. I still have two recipes to post in that series — a fast and easy pancit canton (chow mein) and repolyo guisado (sauteed cabbage) with a new twist. But I am excited about something I cooked a couple of nights ago and I decided to post this ahead of the other two. Pot stickers. At least that’s what they called in British cookbooks. But what it is actually is fried siomai (dumplings). Unlike the pinsec frito which is deep fried, pot stickers are boiled in a mixture of broth and cooking oil. When the broth evaporates, the dumplings are fried in oil. “Pot stickers” is really just another name for the Japanese gyoza which, according to this site, was originally a Chinese dish.

The name “pot stickers” conjures an image of dumplings sticking to the bottom of the pan. But that’s not really supposed to happen. If the dumplings stick, they’re ruined. Among all the recipes of pot stickers that I’ve come across, not one specifically mentions that using a non-stick pan is the best way to cook these tasty little beasts. I suppose that traditional Japanese and Chinese cooks would cringe at the idea but for a mother who never trained in the fine art of dimsum making but who wants to cook some great dumplings for her family nevertheless, well, a non-stick pan is the way to go.

There are no strict rules as to what should go into the filling. Ground pork is most convenient and, with the right vegetables, herbs and spices, it is delicious. For my pot stickers, I used minced chicken thigh fillets. I used less traditional herbs to go with the chicken too. Instead of the very oriental mixture of chopped onion leaves, garlic and ginger, I went for a combination of garlic, shallots, and fresh tarragon and cilantro. I did stay with the traditional seasoning of soy sauce, however.

Let’s start with the wrapper. You can make your own or you can buy dumpling wrappers like I did. Note that these are not the paper thin square siomai wrappers which disintegrate during boiling. You will need the round thicker kind which are sold alongside the square variety in the cold section of bigger supermarkets. I bought mine from Shopwise Libis.

For the filling (good for 16 to 20 pot stickers):

five chicken thigh fillets, minced
half a head of garlic, finely minced
2 shallots, finely chopped
half a teaspoonful each of finely chopped fresh tarragon and cilantro
light soy sauce, about 3 tablespoonfuls
lots of freshly ground pepper
sesame seed oil, about a teaspoonful
optionally, you may add a tablespoonful or so of sake or some other sweet cooking wine

Mix all the ingredients for the filling. Place a teaspoonful of the mixture on a piece of dumpling wrapper. Wet the edges of the wrapper with water, fold and press to seal. Wet the edges of the wrapper again — the top fold — and fold in the edges in an overlapping fashion — just as you would if you were making empanadas. This will make sure that the dumplings are completely sealed.

Boil together about 2 cups of broth and 5 tablespoonfuls of vegetable cooking oil in a non-stick fying pan. When boiling, add the dumplings, not too close to each other to allow room for turning.

Cook the dumplings over medium heat, turning once, until the liquid has evaporated. They will get more and more sticky as they cook, believe me, and turning can be a real challenge. That’s why it’s best not to overcrowd the pan. Mine was a bit overcrowded. Ideally, there should be less dumplings in every batch.

When only the oil remains, continue cooking the dumplings until lightly browned. This is where it gets tricky. The dumplings will be very sticky at this point and turning them over in the hot oil won’t be easy. But you’ll manage. It’ll be worth it because the cooked dumplings will be so good… the outside will be very chewy and crunchy in some places while the inside will be bursting with the flavors of the chicken, spices and seasonings which had been locked in during cooking.

For best results, dip in a mixture of light soy sauce, rice vinegar, a little sugar, rice wine and grated ginger. How much of each ingredient depends on your preferences, of course.

In the mood for more food?

1. Food for the Gods and the accidental Christmas cake
2. Floyd’s Greek stew
3. The old Magnolia Ice Cream House
4. Fiery Adobo
5. Chicken & Broccoli Pasta
6. Creamed cabbage soup
7. Pancit miki bihon
8. Fish and malunggay soup
9. Hototay
10. Rib-eye steak

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Amateur baker

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Side Notes