Chinese dumplings/potstickers

I've always wanted to try to make potstickers but never had the courage to try...
When I joined Daring Kitchens earlier this month, their May challenge was Chinese dumplings but I was too late signing up to participate. I decided that I'll try to make them anyway... My husband is Chinese and he grew up on these. We always have a bag of them in our freezer but as somebody pointed out they are just not the same as the home made version. This recipe makes a lot of dumplings, so unless you have a large group of people over for dinner, you can freeze them for future use. Enjoy!

This recipe is from www.thedaringkitchens.com




Dough:
(double this for the amount of filling, but easier to make it in 2 batches - or just halve the filling recipe) 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour 1/2 cup (113g) warm water flour for work surface

Make the dough: Place the flour in the work bowl of a food processor with the dough blade. Run the processor and pour the warm water in until incorporated. Pour the contents into a sturdy bowl or onto a work surface and knead until uniform and smooth. The dough should be firm and silky to the touch and not sticky.[Note: it’s better to have a moist dough and have to incorporate more flour than to have a dry and pilling dough and have to incorporate more water).



Fillings:

pork filling:

1 lb (450g) ground pork 4 large napa cabbage leaves, minced 3 stalks green onions, minced 7 shitake mushrooms, minced (if dried - re hydrated and rinsed carefully) 1/2 cup (75g) bamboo shoots, minced 1/4 (55g) cup ginger root, minced 3 tbsp (40g) soy sauce 2 tbsp (28g) sesame oil 2 tbsp (16g) corn starch

Shrimp filling:

1/2 lb (225g) raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped 1/2 lb (225g) ground pork 3 stalks green onions, minced 1/4 cup (55g) ginger root, minced 1 cup (142g) water chestnuts, minced 1 tsp (5g) salt 3 tbsp (40g) sesame oil 2 tbsp (16g) corn starch

Combine all filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly (I mix by clean hand). Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (up to a day, but preferably within an hour or two).

dipping sauce:

2 parts soy sauce 1 part vinegar (red wine or black) a few drops of sesame oil chili garlic paste (optional) minced ginger (optional) minced garlic (optional) minced green onion (optional) sugar (optional)