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Gluten-Free Potstickers will delight children as an after-school snack or meal!
What is a potsticker?
It is a part-fried, part-steamed Chinese wonton dumpling, fried until brown and crisp on the bottom and simmered in a small amount of broth which adds flavour and steams the potsticker.
Where do they originate from?
China. According to legend, an imperial Chinese court chef accidentally left a batch of regular Shui jiao boiled dumplings to burn in the wok, causing the bottoms to be crisp and overcooked. Panicking, the chef pried them from the work and proceeded to serve them. Luckily, they were well-received by the guests who loved the contrasts between the rich filling, delicate skin and crispy bottom. In Mandarin, the name for potsticker is Guotie – Guo means wok and tie means stuck.
How do you serve potstickers?
Gluten-Free potstickers are served with a tangy soy & vinegar dipping sauce. For a more complete meal, serve a bowl of broth, steamed rice and Asian steamed greens on the side.
There are plenty of fillings to choose from. I have two fillings for you to choose from, meat & cabbage filling or a vegetarian/vegan filling of tofu, mushrooms and water chestnuts.
What are water chestnuts?
Actually, the water chestnut is not a nut, but an aquatic vegetable that grows in marshes, underwater, in muddy conditions. The small, round “corms” of this aquatic plant are eaten raw or cooked mainly in Asian dishes. The water chestnuts give the gluten-free potsticker filling a slight sweet crunch and absorb the seasoning well. If you have never bought water chestnuts before, they are readily available at most Asian supermarkets.
Food memories…
Asian dumplings, wontons and potstickers were one of my favourite Dim Sum snacks in Singapore. Dim Sum is a large range of small dishes traditionally served in restaurants for breakfast and lunch. As a child, there was something magical about Dim Sum restaurants, where the staff carted around the tables with their trolleys laden with bamboo steam baskets filled with piping hot dumplings and other snacks. I never knew what filling I was eating, as there were so many varieties, but I ate them anyway – all of them were so good!
Gluten-Free Potstickers
Equipment
Ingredients
Gluten-Free Potsticker Wrappers
- 300 g rice flour or store-bought or homemade gluten-free plain flour
- 1 tbsp xanthan gum
- 1½ tsp salt
- 4 tsp sunflower or vegetable oil
- 300 ml hot water
Meat Filling
- 3 spring onions, chopped finely
- 1 onion, chopped finely
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 cm ginger piece, chopped finely
- 300-400 g minced turkey, chicken or pork
- 50 g white cabbage, chopped finely
- 9 water chestnuts, chopped into small pieces
- 2 tbsp Tamari or gluten-free soy sauce
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 2 tsp sesame oil
Vegetarian or Vegan Filling
- 3 spring onions, chopped finely
- 1 onion, chopped finely
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 cm ginger piece, chopped finely
- 250 g plain semi-firm tofu, chopped finely
- 10 g dried Chinese mushrooms (soak for 20 minutes in hot water) or fresh Shiitake mushrooms, chopped finely
- 9 water chestnuts, chopped into small pieces
- 2 tbsp Tamari or gluten-free soy sauce
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 2 tsp sesame oil
For Frying & Steaming Potstickers
- Sunflower or vegetable oil for frying
- 250 ml hot water or beef, chicken or vegetable stock
Dipping Sauce
- 100 ml Tamari or gluten-free soy sauce
- 50 ml rice wine vinegar
- 1 spring onion, green part, sliced thinly into small rings
- 1 red chilli, chopped finely, optional
Instructions
Making the Potsticker Dough
- Whisk the rice flour or gluten-free plain flour, xanthan gum and salt together in a medium bowl.
- Mix in the oil.
- Add the hot water gradually, mixing and pressing the flour mixture against the side of the bowl with the back of a spoon.
- When the dough appears crumbly, start to knead it using your hands. Add a bit more water if it feels too dry or more rice flour if it is too sticky.
- Knead the dough for a good 3 minutes until it looks smooth. I do not recommend using a stand mixer or a food processor to mix the dough as it tends to become tough. It is best done by hand.
- Cover the dough ball with a damp tea towel and rest for 20 minutes.
Meat Filling
- Fry the spring onions, onion, garlic and ginger over medium heat for 2 minutes.
- Transfer to a medium bowl.
- Add the minced meat, cabbage, water chestnuts, Tamari soy sauce, white pepper and sesame oil.
- Mix well, cover and set aside.
Vegetarian or Vegan Filling
- Fry the spring onions, onion, garlic and ginger over medium heat for 2 minutes.
- Transfer to a medium bowl.
- Add the tofu, mushrooms, water chestnuts, Tamari soy sauce, white pepper and sesame oil. Mix well, cover and set aside.
Rolling Out & Assembling the Potstickers
- Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it into a log. Cut 30 even pieces and roll them into small balls(approx. 4 cm in diameter).
- Roll out the dough ball one at a time as thinly as possible between two sheets of baking paper.
- Cut out a round shape disc using a round cookie cutter or trim the edges into a round shape with a knife.
- Brush the edges with water.
- Add 2 teaspoons of either meat or vegetarian filling to one half of the disc.
- Dip your fingers in some rice flour and gently lift the empty side of the disc and fold it over the filling, sealing the edges together into a half-moon shape.
- Lift the potsticker and pleat the edges together, dipping your fingers often in rice flour to prevent them from sticking to the dough. Watch my video for more details on how to assemble the potsticker.
- Place each assembled potsticker onto a large plate covering them with a damp tea towel. Set aside.
Cooking the Potstickers
- Heat the water or stock covered in a small saucepan and leave it on the lowest setting.
- Heat a large frying pan on medium. Drizzle enough cooking oil to cover the bottom of the pan thinly.
- In two batches, Add the potstickers with the seam facing upwards and fry for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown underneath.
- Gently ladle half the simmering water or stock from the saucepan to the frying pan and cover with a lid to steam for 3 to 4 minutes or until the water has evaporated.
- Place the cooked potstickers on a serving platter and cover them with foil to keep warm while cooking the second batch of potstickers.
Dipping Sauce
- Mix all the ingredients for the dipping sauce together in a small bowl and serve with warm potstickers.
Video
Notes
- Best eaten on the same day made, although potstickers can be made earlier in the day and reheated in a steamer for a few minutes or in a microwave for 1.5 minutes on High at 800 watts.
- The dipping sauce can be stored in a glass jar in the fridge for several days.
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I was wondering if I could just use normal gluten free flour that has the xanthan gum in it, since I can’t buy just plan rice flour where I live.
Hi Sandy! As long as the gluten-free flour has xanthan gum or guar gum, it should work. You may need to add less or more warm water depending on the flour blend as some flours fluctuate when absorbing water. I hope they turn out well. Would love to hear your feedback.