Potstickers, Part 2

*Disclaimer*:  If you are looking for an exact recipe, you will not find it here.  This is a venue to help you search for other recipes online; combine, modify, and revise recipes to cater to your needs; and provide you with more of the experience of making a particular dish rather than just the ingredients and directions.


You've made potstickers, but how do you cook them?  Well, you've come to the right place!

From this...

...to this!

It's not hard.  You can probably find directions online, or on the package of your favorite store bought brand.  Here are the basic principles first, and then some tips.

Basic Principles:

Basically, what you want to do is crisp up one side of each potsticker with some oil in a pan over medium heat.  Then add some water and cover.  Let the water boil off (approximately 6 minutes or so).  Then let the all sides of the dumplings crisp up, if desired.  Some people just like one side crisp.  I like crispy things so I like to crisp up all sides.  That's it!

Tips:

1) You can cook these from frozen!!  So, when you get in the mood, have a jiaozi making party and freeze a bunch.

2) Preheat the pan.  You want the potstickers to start crisping up once they hit the pan, especially if you are cooking them from frozen.  You'll want to find the right heat for your stove.  My stove tends to run a little high once it gets above Medium-Low.  Medium and just under is perfect for my range.

3) Finding the right amount of oil takes some experience.  Most directions say 1-2 Tbsp. which is exactly right.  You want enough oil that the dumplings don't stick, but not so much that it'll splatter during the last crisping stage.

4) Make sure the bottom of each dumpling has a nice crust on it before adding water.  This will keep the potstickers from living up to its name--i.e. sticking to the pan =).  I try to keep track of the first and last ones I put in the pan so that I can check that the first ones don't burn, but that the last ones still have a nice crust.




...it's hard to tell in this picture but that's a good enough crust to add the water.

5) Knowing the right amount of water will also take some experience.  Most directions say about 1/2 cup.  You're not making soup so don't add too much water, but I would err toward the side of too much water than not enough.  You do want to make sure that the jiaozi is thoroughly cooked.

...don't forget to cover.

6) You can cook until the water has cooked off.  If you have erred on the side of "too much" water let the dumplings cook for at least 6 minutes.  It doesn't really matter (unless you're picky about overcooking).  When you think they're done and there is still water in the pan, you can take the lid off and let the water evaporate.  If you're too impatient or if there's a lot of water left, you can pout it out, but that takes some doing.

7) Now that the jiaozi are thoroughly cooked, you will want to leave them there to re-crisp side that crisped up when you first started cooking.  (They will have gotten soggy from the water.)  Keep a good eye during this step because the dumplings can burn quickly.  Once the water has cooked off (or you've poured it out) give it about a minute or so and then check to see if you need to unstick the potstickers before they continue to crisp up.  Use a spatula or something similar to just gently unstick them from the pan.  If they're sticking too much, give them a little more time and try again.  They should unstick easily, even if they are sticking some.

They are read to eat now!!  If, however, you like things crispy you can crisp up the other sides too.  This is where it was important to have enough oil, but not too much.  Just turn the potstickers to let the other sides crisp up.  They will stick at first, but should be easy to move once they've crisped up.

Then, enjoy!