Spring Chicken Dumplings

The world is your dumpling! Decide if you want to make a pot sticker with dipping sauce or wontons in soup. Or make both! Instructions for both below.

Serves: 4+
Active time: 40 minutes
Inactive time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

50-60 dumpling wrappers for potstickers or wonton wrappers for wonton soup

Filling:

500g chicken mince
3 spring onion, finely minced (white and light green with dark green reserved)
1 tablespoon grated ginger (grated on a microplane)
1 bunch garlic chives, finely sliced or 2 cloves fresh garlic grated on a microplane
3 Tablespoons finely minced dill
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoon all purpose or light soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine or sake
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp toasted sesame oil

To serve:

Dipping sauce:
1/4 cup light soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced green or red chili
1 tablespoon minced French or green shallot
1 tablespoon chopped dill

OR

1.2L chicken broth seasoned with soy sauce to your taste
3 heads Bok Choy, leaves separated and steamed or boiled for 1 minute
Sliced green onion, for garnish
Extra chopped dill

Method:

In a mixing bowl, add all the dumpling filling ingredients and stir to combine.

To make pot stickers: Take a dumpling wrapper and place a rounded teaspoon of the filling mixture in the center. Fold the wrapper in half, creating a half-moon shape and pinch the centre together then pleat one side of the wrapper towards the centre, then the other side and press firmly. Stand them up on a nearby tray. Repeat this step until all the filling is used.

To cook the pot stickers, for a crispier texture: In a large frying pan with a tight fitting lid, heat 1/4 cup of neutral oil over medium high heat. Add the dumplings, flat side down, in a tight circle. How many you fry will depend on the size of your pan. You will probably need to cook them in two batches if making all of them. Cook until golden brown. Grab 100ml of water and with the heat on high, the lid in your left hand and the water in your right (or vice versa if youre left handed) in one quick movement add the water into the pan and immediately cover the pan tightly to vigorously steam. Allow to steam for about 3 minutes and then uncover and continue cooking until all the water has evaporated.

To make the dipping sauce: combine all ingredients and stir to combine and dissolve the sugar. Serve crispy pot stickers with the dipping sauce.

To make wontons: use wonton wrappers and lay a few at a time on your bench, with one of the points of the square pointing up like a diamond. Add your filling to the centre. Use a bit of water to dampen the top edges of the diamond and fold the bottom point up to meet the top. You now have a triangle. Press the edges tightly to seal and place on a parchment lined tray. Continue until you have used all the filling.

To cook the wontons, boil a large pot of water, cook the dumplings in batches for about 3 minutes or until they float to the surface and become slightly translucent. Remove the cooked dumplings with a slotted spoon, allowing any excess water to drain, and transfer them to a serving plate. Serve with hot seasoned broth, boiled egg noodles if desired and steamed Bok Choy leaves. I also like to add a little chilli oil.