Eating my first potsticker belongs on the list of life experiences that I’ll never forget. It happened at the Oriental Garden Chinese restaurant in my hometown. They were labeled Peking Ravioli, and I had a good feeling about them from the start, all plump and golden brown. I found them filled with an intoxicating mix of pork, ginger and green onion, and I was transformed. The restaurant’s all-you-can-eat buffet offered a full range of classic Chinese delicacies. But after my first taste of Peking Ravioli, those succulent dumplings were all I desired. I returned many times with friends, and my companions and I would pile our plates and feast on those exotic morsels like Greek warriors upon fat oxen.
Years later, with many years and more potstickers under my belt, I surveyed my springtime garden, searching for signs of life. I noted a clump of chives growing densely by a fence post. Then I spotted the green glint of Egyptian walking onions partially buried by the remains of a dried tomato bush. And of course, I saw the red-hued green of my tall and rotund garlic shoots. These were the only living bits of green in the garden, are 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 the edible members of the allium family 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 the subject was onions themselves, and thus I know my onions about onions. I felt it was time to write a column about the onions of which I have so much knowledge, but couldn’t decide upon which facet of the onion-verse I would write.
Hours later my son Remy walked in the door, home 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 pot sticker without some kind of allium inside. I may not know potstickers as well as I know my onions, but I knew that much.
Remy is the kind of cook who, if you say let’s make spaghetti, will dump some flour on the counter, make a well in the middle for some eggs, and whips out a batch of fresh pasta dough to run though the pasta roller. 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 our ingredients, noting that in addition to our many onions we also had ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and even powdered white pepper, which really helps when you want that Oriental flavor turned 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 in which to enclose the filling. I resigned myself to head to Albertsons for a pack those wonton wrappers they sell in little packages in the refrigerated section, but Remy had no time to wait for a trip to the store. Instead, he rolled up his sleeves, dumped some flour on the counter, and began kneading some 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 short video on the pot sticker process. You can check it out here.
For you Normies who don’t have an in-house dough maker on call, I recommend those store-bought wonton wrappers. And if you don’t have a meat grinder, pre-ground burger — or Impossible Burger, or other meat substitute — works just fine.
As you search or shop for your 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 — or at least y0ur dumpling eaters — will thank you. There is a Chinese vendor named Nancy at the original Missoula farmers market, by the XXXXs, who sells the most amazing garlic chives at her small table. 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.
Ingredients
2 pounds ground meat, ideally pork, or pork mixed with shrimp, or pork mixed with beef
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1/4 cup minced shallot or onion 4 minced green onions or a handful of chopped chives, garlic tops, or garlic chives
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 leaves Napa cabbage, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
A pinch of white pepper
One package wonton wrappers
Throughly mix all of the ingredients, save the wrappers, in a large bowl. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
While it 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. So find a glass with a diameter close in length to the length of the side of the wrapper. Press the glass down to cut a circle and peel away the corners on the outside of the glass.
Spoon a teaspoon of filling into the center of each wrapper. Dip your fingers in a glass of water and rub your wet fingers on the perimeter of the wrapper. Then fold it over the filling and press down on the edges. Pan-fry or steam your dumplings how you like them.