Nom Nom Paleo’s potstickers are made with love, not gluten. (Henry Fong)
Home made dumplings are the bodily embodiment of the love Asian mothers have for his or her
children, says Michelle Tam, recipe developer behind the wildly-popular Nom Nom Paleo weblog, meal-planning app and cookbooks. The Palo Alto blogger and mom makes use of a mix of cassava flour and arrowroot powder to make these gluten-free potstickers for her household throughout Chinese language New 12 months, when dumplings are historically eaten to represent wealth within the new 12 months.
Paleo Potstickers
Makes 48
FILLING:
3 massive dried shiitake mushrooms
1 small (1-pound) head Napa cabbage
1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided
1 pound floor pork
¼ cup hen broth
½ cup minced scallions
1 tablespoon minced recent garlic
½ teaspoon floor ginger
½ teaspoon floor white pepper
1 tablespoon coconut aminos (a sauce just like soy sauce)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
WRAPPERS:
3 cups cassava flour
¾ cup arrowroot powder
1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
2¼ cups boiling water
FOR COOKING:
¼ cup avocado oil for pan-frying, divided
2 cups boiling water for pan-steaming, divided
DIRECTIONS
Begin by making the filling: In a bowl, soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in water for at the least half-hour or as much as 8 hours within the fridge till they’re utterly rehydrated.
Whereas the mushrooms are soaking, finely chop the Napa cabbage.
In a big bowl, mix the finely chopped cabbage and a pair of teaspoons kosher salt; toss effectively. Switch the salted cabbage to a high-quality mesh strainer or colander and set it over a bowl. Let it stand at room temperature for at the least half-hour or within the fridge for as much as 8 hours.
Once you’re able to make the filling, seize the soaked shiitake mushrooms and squeeze out the surplus liquid. Take away and discard the powerful stems and finely cube the caps.
Switch the salted cabbage to a big piece of cheesecloth or clear dish towel. Collect up the perimeters and squeeze and twist the cabbage bundle to wring out as a lot liquid as attainable. You must find yourself with about 1 cup of cabbage.
In a big bowl, add the bottom pork and hen broth. Use your fingers to combine them, till the liquid is included into the meat. Toss within the drained cabbage, mushrooms, minced scallions, minced garlic, floor ginger, white pepper and remaining teaspoon of salt. Add the coconut aminos and sesame oil. Use your fingers to knead the filling till all the pieces is well-mixed and begins to really feel cheesy and sticky.
To examine the seasoning, fry up a tiny patty of the meat combination in a pan and style it. Add extra salt if wanted. Should you’re not cooking instantly, you possibly can retailer the filling in a sealed container within the fridge for as much as two days.
To make the dough for the wrappers: In a big bowl, mix the cassava flour, arrowroot and salt. Pour in about 2 cups of boiling water and stir it in. As soon as the water cools down sufficient to the touch, use your fingers to knead the dough. Proceed including boiling water slightly at a time and knead it till you type a springy, not-sticky dough.
If it appears further dry, add a contact extra water, however be careful: You don’t desire a moist, smooth dough, otherwise you’ll have bother working with it. If it will get too moist, knead in a bit extra cassava flour. When unsure, err on the facet of being slightly stickier than drier.
Divide the dough ball into thirds, after which divide every smaller ball in half to provide 6 dough balls. Subsequent, divide every of the 6 dough balls in half, then in half repeatedly till you have got 48 equal-sized balls. Cowl the dough balls with a moist kitchen towel to maintain them from drying out.
Now, it’s time to assemble your family and friends to assist assemble the wrappers and
pot stickers!
Assign somebody to portion out the fillings: Scoop out a scant tablespoon of filling and place the oval-shaped filling on a plate. Repeat till you have got 48 equal oval-shaped parts.
Subsequent, let’s type the wrappers. Seize a tortilla press, some parchment, a rimmed baking sheet, a moist kitchen towel and a small bowl of water. Take one of many dough balls and dab it with slightly water if it feels dry. Then, use your fingers to roll it right into a spherical ball. Place the dough ball on the tortilla press between items of parchment paper and smush flat. The ensuing wrapper ought to be very skinny, about 3½-inches in diameter.
Put the pre-scooped filling into the center of the wrapper. Make certain your fingers are clear or it’ll be arduous to fold correctly! Fold the perimeters of the wrapper across the filling like a taco.
Use your thumb to maintain the filling in place whereas utilizing your different hand to rigorously pleat and crimp one facet of the pot sticker, as you press collectively the wrapper edges to seal the filling inside. Proceed pleating just one facet of the wrapper and sealing the highest of the pot sticker till you attain the opposite facet. Use your fingers to securely seal the highest of the pot sticker, dabbing on slightly water if the perimeters really feel dry. The completed pot sticker ought to have a flat backside and type a crescent with the pleats on the skin.
Place the pot stickers on a parchment-lined. rimmed baking sheet and canopy them with a moist kitchen towel to maintain them from drying out. Proceed making and stuffing wrappers till you have got 48 dumplings.
At this level, you possibly can both freeze the raw pot stickers (in a single layer in a food-safe freezer bag) for as much as 2 months or cook dinner them instantly. You may fry them instantly from the freezer whenever you’re able to eat.
Warmth a 10-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high warmth. When the pan is sizzling, add a tablespoon of avocado oil. Place as many pot stickers into the pan as will slot in a single layer. Fry the dumplings till the bottoms are golden-brown, about 2 minutes.
Fastidiously pour in ½ cup boiling water and rapidly cowl the skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Scale back warmth to medium and steam-fry the dumplings for five minutes (7 minutes if cooking from frozen).
When the timer goes off, take away the lid. Proceed cooking for 1 to 2 minutes to cook dinner off any remaining liquid and to re-crisp the underside of the pot stickers.
Switch the cooked pot stickers to a plate and repeat the method till you’re completed. Serve together with your favourite dipping sauce.
— Michelle Tam and Henry Fong, “Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go!” (Andrews McMeel, $35)