Here’s Sticking With You, Dad

For me, potstickers are the best test of a Chinese kitchen. Each bite of an artfully made potsticker should explode in the mouth in a symphony of flavor and pleasing texture.

The top of the dumpling should be slightly chewy but tender; the bottom, crisp and toasty brown. Potsticker fillings ought to be a finely ground mixture of a perfect meat-to-fat-to-seasoning ratio, yielding a moist, succulent and juicy interior.

As luscious and compelling as potstickers are, the world of Chinese dumplings does not begin and end with these marvelous pork-filled crescents. Consider making a special Father’s Day meal of delicate homemade chicken wontons, pork-stuffed siu mai or made-from-scratch shrimp-filled dumplings constructed with a fresh spinach dough.

Making dumplings in your own kitchen requires only a few pieces of standard cooking equipment and one visit to a well-stocked Asian market.

It’s best to use a food processor to thoroughly grind the filling ingredients. Although ground meat is often sold in grocery stores, it isn’t ground to the proper consistency for making good dumplings. And, of course, you’re welcome to mince every component by hand.

An electric steamer is great for steaming small batches of dumplings; for larger quantities, use a 12-inch bamboo steamer (and lid) set over a water-filled wok.

You can purchase all the ingredients in these recipes at any Asian market and at most upscale grocery stores, although you won’t have the variety of wrappers available at a grocery store.

Making the filling is fast and simple; assembling the dumplings can be another story, especially if you’re not used to high-volume production work. For this reason, you may want to use the Tom Sawyer technique of recruiting manually dexterous family members--maybe even Dad himself--and friends to help with your first dumpling-making venture.

Stand by with several sets of chopsticks and a few Tsingtao beers and you’re set for the day. The rewards will be obvious with the first bite.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Kitchen Tip

*To grind fillings: Place meat, poultry or seafood in freezer for 40 to 45 minutes before grinding. Cut meat, poultry or seafood into 1-inch chunks before placing in food processor so the meat will grind evenly. Do not over-process, because it makes the filling tough, rubbery and, sometimes, dry. If the mixture looks stringy, you have gone too far.

*To reheat dumplings: Set dumplings in steamer over simmering water. Reheat pan-fried dumplings in saute pan over moderately low heat with a little oil. Reheat boiled or simmered dumplings by immersing in simmering water until just heated through.

*To store dumplings: It’s best to assemble dumplings just before you plan to cook them, but you can arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate them up to 3 hours before cooking.

*To freeze assembled, uncooked dumplings: Arrange in single layer on baking sheet and place in freezer until frozen solid. Transfer to plastic bag and squeeze out excess air. Label with contents and date and freeze up to 3 months.

*To store cooked dumplings: Cool to room temperature. Transfer to shallow bowl and drizzle with a little peanut oil to keep from sticking. Dumplings cooked in liquid can be stored in cooled liquid in plastic container up to 3 days in refrigerator.

Cooking Dumplings

Steaming: Set dumplings on 12-inch bamboo steamer rack. Fill wok 3/4 full with water and bring water to boil over moderately high or high heat. Set rack over water, cover with tight-fitting lid and steam until filling is cooked and wrapper is tender. When dumplings are cooked, remove from steamer immediately to prevent them from sticking.

Pan-frying: Cover bottom of nonstick saute pan with a bland oil, such as vegetable or peanut. Heat over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. If oil smokes for more than 1 minute, discard it and begin again. Place dry dumplings in oil and cook as directed in recipe. Stand back when adding water to hot oil and dumplings, as the water could cause the oil to flame momentarily. If this happens, apply a tight-fitting lid to the pan immediately.

Simmering in broth: Bring liquid to boil over moderately high or high heat. Add dumplings and reduce heat so liquid boils lightly. Stir gently to prevent dumplings from sticking. Do not cover. Remove dumplings with slotted spoon or with ladle.

When steaming, pan-frying or simmering in broth, do not crowd dumplings or they will not cook properly. Steam or pan-fry in batches. When cooking in liquid, use a pot large enough to accommodate all the dumplings and liquid so they can move around freely while cooking.

CORNSTARCH SLURRY

3 tablespoons cornstarch

5 tablespoons cold water

Combine cornstarch and cold water and mix well. Use as directed in the accompanying recipes.

PAN-FRIED CURRY VEGETABLE POTSTICKERS (VEGETARIAN)

6 dried shiitake mushrooms

1/2 pound button mushrooms, stemmed

1 zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces

6 green onions, white part only, coarsely chopped

4 red jalapen~os, stemmed and coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon oil

1 1/2 tablespoons Asian-style curry powder

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons mushroom soy sauce

20 to 22 potsticker wrappers

Cornstarch Slurry

2 cups water

Although pork is the traditional ingredient in Chinese potstickers, this all-vegetable version, with its robust flavor and meaty texture, should please meat-eaters and vegetarians alike.

Soak shiitake mushrooms in hot water in small bowl until soft and pliable, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain well and squeeze out excess water. Remove and discard stems and chop coarsely.

Pulse shiitake and button mushrooms, zucchini, onions, jalapen~os and garlic in food processor until finely ground.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet. Add vegetable mixture, curry, sugar and soy sauce and saute over high heat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Arrange 5 potsticker wrappers on flat surface. Brush with Cornstarch Slurry and place scant tablespoon filling on upper half of each wrap. Starting at left hand corner, bring both sides of wrap up and over filling. With side closest to you, begin making pleats in wrap, joining it to straight side as pleats are complete. When side closest to you has been pleated and joined from 1 corner to other, press firmly to seal 2 sides together. Repeat process with remaining wrappers and filling.

Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Arrange 1 layer of potstickers in pan and cook without disturbing until bottoms are dark golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 cup water, cover with tight-fitting lid and cook until dumplings are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove lid. Cook until all liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute.

Remove potstickers from pan with spatula. Cook second batch using remaining oil and water. Serve hot.

20 potstickers. Each potsticker:

61 calories; 128 mg sodium; 1 mg cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.41 gram fiber.

STEAMED PORK AND DRIED MUSHROOM SIU MAI

These dumplings are easy to assemble and simple to cook and are greatly complemented by various Chinese dipping sauces. Make your own sauce by combining equal parts rice vinegar with hot chile oil and a dash of black bean sauce, or purchase commercially made Chinese sauces.

4 dried shiitake mushrooms

4 dried black fungus mushrooms

3/4 pound boneless pork chops, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground star anise

3 green onions, white part only, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

3 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons mushroom soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon sugar

36 siu mai wrappers

Cornstarch Slurry

Soak dried shiitake and black fungus mushrooms in hot water in small bowl until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain well and squeeze out excess water. Remove and discard stems and chop coarsely.

Pulse mushrooms, pork, coriander and star anise in food processor until coarsely ground. Add green onions, cilantro, garlic, mushroom soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar. Process until finely ground and thoroughly combined.

Arrange 6 siu mai wrappers on flat surface. Brush with Cornstarch Slurry. Place 1 tablespoon filling in center of each wrapper. Fold wrapper up around filling in pleated fashion like petals of tulip. Leave top open. Place dumpling sideways in palm of hand and gently roll to form straight sides. Pat bottom of dumpling on hard surface to flatten bottom. Repeat process with remaining wrappers and filling.

Place dumplings in single layer on steaming rack. Cover with tight-fitting lid and cook over high heat until filling is cooked through, about 7 minutes. Remove from steamer and serve immediately.

36 siu mai. Each siu mai:

39 calories; 79 mg sodium; 5 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.10 gram fiber.

SIMMERED CHICKEN-GINGER DUMPLINGS IN BROTH

I prefer the fresh, less pungent taste of young ginger root in these delicate dumplings. The other advantage of using young ginger root is that it does not need to be peeled before using.

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 pound bacon, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup coarsely chopped young ginger root

2 green onions, white part only, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup cilantro leaves plus finely chopped cilantro for garnish

1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

55 medium wonton wrappers

Cornstarch Slurry

8 cups chicken stock

Pulse chicken, bacon, ginger root, green onions, garlic, cilantro leaves, pepper and vinegar in food processor until finely ground and thoroughly combined.

Arrange 10 wonton wrappers on flat surface. Brush with cornstarch slurry. Place scant tablespoon filling in center of each skin. Bring 2 opposing corners together and hold tips between thumb and forefinger. Bring left side up over filling, pressing it together with 2 wrapper sides you are holding, making tight seal around filling. Bring right side up, joining wrapper to 3 sides to completely enclose filling. Squeeze 4 tips together to make tight seal. Repeat in same fashion with remaining wraps until all filling is used.

Place stock in pot large enough to accommodate all dumplings and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Add dumplings and stir gently to prevent them from sticking to each other or to bottom of pot. Reduce to medium heat and simmer until filling and wrappers are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Serve immediately with broth and garnish with finely chopped cilantro.

55 dumplings. Each dumpling:

50 calories; 159 mg sodium; 7 mg cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.02 gram fiber.

EMERALD STEAMED SHRIMP AND GREEN ONION DUMPLINGS

This homemade dough is simple to prepare and makes absolutely stunning, brilliant green dumplings. If you are pressed for time, however, use commercial wraps instead. If you do, decrease the cooking time by about 2 minutes because the commercial wrappers are thinner.

FILLING

3/4 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined and coarsely chopped

1/4 pound bacon, coarsely chopped

3 green onions, white part only, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons cilantro leaves

1 teaspoon white pepper

1/3 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined and finely chopped

DOUGH

2 3/4 to 3 cups flour

3 cups tightly packed spinach leaves

1/2 cup water

FILLING

Pulse coarsely chopped shrimp, bacon, green onions, cilantro and pepper in food processor until finely ground and thoroughly mixed. Remove to separate bowl. Add finely chopped shrimp and mix well.

DOUGH

*Put 2 3/4 cups flour in medium bowl.

Puree spinach and 1/2 cup water in blender until liquefied and smooth. Add to flour and mix to form cohesive dough. If dough is too sticky, add enough flour to hold it together. Turn dough out onto smooth surface and knead gently 3 to 4 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Cover with damp towel and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Divide dough into 40 equal-sized balls. On lightly floured surface, use rolling pin to roll each ball into circle about 3 1/2 inches in diameter.

Place 1 rounded teaspoon Filling down center of each circle in oval shape. Pull sides of dough up around filling and pinch together to make tight seal. (Note: When using fresh dough, it’s not necessary to use slurry to seal dough together. If using commercial wraps, brush each wrapper with slurry as directed in other recipes.)

Place dumplings in single layer on steaming rack. Cover with tight-fitting lid and cook over high heat until dough is tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from steamer and serve immediately.

40 dumplings. Each dumpling:

51 calories; 32 mg sodium; 15 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.07 gram fiber.