Pork and Cabbage Potstickers
300 gm (2 cups) plain flour, plus extra, for dusting 2 tbsp mild-flavoured oil, such as grapeseed 350 ml chicken stock 50 ml soy sauce, or to taste 1 tbsp brown rice vinegar 2 tsp mirin 1 tbsp finely grated ginger 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 2 spring onions, thinly sliced To serve: baby shiso leaves (optional) Pork and cabbage filling 120 gm finely sliced Chinese cabbage 500 gm minced pork ¼ cup finely sliced shiso 4 spring onions, thinly sliced 1½ tbsp finely grated ginger 2 garlic cloves, finely grated 1 tbsp shiro miso paste (see note) 1 tbsp dark soy sauce ½ tsp shichimi togarashi (optional; see note)
Method
- 01
- For pork and cabbage filling, toss cabbage in a colander with 2 tsp salt to coat and leave to drain (30 minutes). Tip cabbage onto a clean tea towel, squeeze out as much liquid as possible, then combine in a bowl with remaining ingredients. Mix well with your hands, then lift pork mixture out of the bowl and throw it back in, slapping against the side of the bowl, repeating until mixture is thoroughly combined (6-8 minutes). Refrigerate until required, then form into 9 oval balls and set aside on a tray.
- 02
- Combine flour and ½ tsp salt in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Gradually add 175ml boiling water, mixing with chopsticks or a knife until you can form the mixture into a ball, adding extra boiling water if necessary. Place dough in a bowl, cover with a cloth and stand to rest (1 hour). Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth (5 minutes), roll into a 6cm cylinder, then cut into 9 even slices. Roll out each slice on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 2mm, cut out a 10cm round from each with a pastry cutter, dust with flour, then stack rounds and wrap in plastic wrap. You can refrigerate them for 1-2 days at this stage.
- 03
- Working with a wrapper at a time, place a ball of pork filling in the centre, brush around edge lightly with water, then fold wrapper over to form a half-moon and pinch in the centre to join. Pleat to seal either side of the centre, place on a tray and repeat for remaining pot-stickers.
- 04
- Heat oil in a frying pan large enough to hold pot-stickers in a single layer (about 22cm diameter) over medium-high heat, add pot-stickers and cook until browned on the base (2-3 minutes). Pour in stock, cover with a lid and cook until the liquid has completely reduced and pot-stickers are cooked through (6-8 minutes).
- 05
- Combine soy sauce, vinegar, mirin, ginger and garlic in a bowl and serve with hot pot-stickers topped with spring onions and baby shiso.
Note Shiro miso paste and shichimi togarashi, a spice blend, are available from Japanese grocers.