Dream dumplings
Pleasantly plump potstickers you won't soon forget

Eating my first potsticker belongs on the list of life experiences that I’ll never forget. It happened at a Chinese restaurant in my hometown. They were labeled “Peking Ravioli,” and I had a good feeling about them from the start. Filled with an intoxicating mix of pork, ginger and green onion, I was transformed. After my first taste, those succulent dumplings were all I desired. 

Years later, as I surveyed my springtime garden for signs of life, I noted a clump of chives growing by a fence post. Then I spotted the green glint of Egyptian walking onions partially buried by the remains of a tomato bush. And of course, I saw the red-hued green of my tall, rotund garlic shoots. These were the only bits of green in the garden, all members of the allium family, also known as the lily family, which also includes shallots, onions, garlic and chives. Some people call it the onion family. Some people call them the “fragrant lilies.”

I recalled that old expression, “he knows his onions,” which means that someone has in-depth knowledge of a particular subject. In my case, I know my onions about onions, so I felt it was time to write a column about onions. But, I couldn’t decide upon which facet of the onion-verse to write.   

Later, my son, Remy, walked in the door from school and announced that he wanted to make potstickers. And just like that, I had my onion topic. Because you can’t have a potsticker without some kind of allium. I may not know potstickers as well as I know onions, but I knew that much. 

Remy is the kind of cook who, if you say let’s make spaghetti, whips out a batch of fresh pasta. So when he said he wanted to make potstickers, I knew he didn’t mean from a bag in the freezer.

We took an inventory of ingredients, noting that in addition to onion, we also had ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and even powdered white pepper, which really helps when you want to turn the Asian flavor up to eleven. For the meat, we decided to use ground elk mixed with pork fat, both of which we had on hand.

Ultimately, only one ingredient was missing: wrappers. I resigned myself to head to the supermarket for a pack of wonton wrappers, but Remy was in no rush to wait for a trip to the store. Instead, he rolled up his sleeves, dumped some flour on the counter and began kneading dough. In a few minutes, he had it rolled out. It was a bit on the thick side but made glorious pot stickers with a uniquely puffy wrapper. (He also made a really cool YouTube video on the potsticker process. You can check it out here.)

For you Normies who don’t have an in-house dough maker, I recommend those store-bought wonton wrappers. And if you don’t have a meat grinder, pre-ground burger works just fine. 

As you search or shop for green onions, whether in the backyard, farmers market or grocery store, keep your eyes peeled for garlic chives, the queen of the fragrant lilies. They are easily identified by their flat, garlic-like leaves, as opposed to the round and hollow leaves of onions and normal chives. Finding garlic chives can be a bit of an effort, but your dumplings will thank you. But as long as there is a hint of allium green in your potstickers, they will do what they are supposed to do in your mouth. 

 

Potstickers

2 pounds ground meat, ideally pork or pork mixed with shrimp or beef

1 tablespoon minced ginger

¼ cup minced shallot or onion

4 minced green onions or a handful of chopped chives, garlic tops or garlic chives

½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

2 leaves Napa cabbage, minced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

Pinch of white pepper

One package wonton wrappers

Thoroughly mix ingredients, except the wrappers, in a large bowl. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes.

While mixture marinates, there is a little operation to do with the wrappers. They come out of the package square, but you want them round for pot sticker folding. Find a glass with a diameter close to that of the wrapper and press down to cut a circle and peel away corners. 

Spoon a teaspoon of filling into the center of each wrapper. Dip your fingers in a glass of water and rub wet fingers on the perimeter of the wrapper. Then fold it over the filling and press down on edges. Pan-fry or steam your dumplings how you like them.