Tina says the best way to make your own dumplings is to make an occasion of it – gather friends and family, assign tasks and freeze the extras. We asked her expert advice on how to throw the perfect potsticker party. 

The wrapper 

• Always have a protein in your dough (like an egg or protein substitute) to bind the gluten and keep things smooth.
• Kneading and rolling out dough balls doesn’t develop the gluten as well as a pasta machine can, so invest in one. Put it on the thickest setting, pass the dough through, fold it and put it through again. Rest for five minutes and do it again on a thinner setting. Repeat the process until the wrapper is 1mm thick.
• Use a cookie cutter to get the perfect round wrapper.
• If you can, make the dough the day before so it can absorb the most water.

The filling 

• Add the flavour to the protein before adding the fat, as it’s more difficult to absorb after that.
• Soy sauce in the filling is overrated – a better alternative is oyster sauce, which has a more balanced flavour and a bit of sweetness.
• White pepper in the filling is under-rated. It uplifts the dish in general.
• Go for whichever protein you enjoy most but remember that some are drier than others. The filing of lean protein to fat should be 3:1.
• Chicken tends to be lean, so add some chicken fat, broth or sesame oil to your filling.
• Most dumpling recipes include a high fat ratio to keep things moist. Substitute a lot of it with bone broth to make it healthier and taste better.
• Use a stand mixer to mix the protein in the same direction, so the protein structures align and create good texture.
• If you use a veg that releases a lot of water, remove the liquid before adding to filling.

Good to know
In Taiwan and China, we call them dumplings or potstickers (jiaozi). In Japan, it’s called gyoza and in Korea it’s mandu. They are essentially very similar, but the key difference is the flavour profile. Mandu often has kimchi and veggies in it whereas in Thailand, the taste is sweet and sour. The Taiwanese flavour profile is sweet and savoury.

The folding 

• It doesn’t matter what fold you do, but it’s key to seal it tightly all around so that it doesn’t explode as you cook it.
• The more pleats = the more texture and chew.
• Use different folds to indicate the different fillings.

The storing 

• Sprinkle cornstarch on a tray (it has no gluten, so it won’t become sticky when wet), arrange the uncooked dumplings and freeze.
• Once frozen, divide into resealable plastic bags to prevent freezer burn.

The cooking 

• The steamer may look sexy, but I avoid it at home. Unless you have an industrial steamer, it’s hard to create enough heat and steam at home. If the steam doesn’t penetrate, then you get hard edges.
• Boiling is quick, easy and just like making ravioli.
• Our go-to is to pan fry them because you get two textures: The silky steamed top and crunchy bottom.
• Get a non-stick pan, add dumplings, cover the bottom in water, put a lid on and let it steam for five minutes from frozen.
• Make it fancy by adding some cornstarch to the water to create a crispy “lace”.

The serving 

• A dinner portion is 10 dumplings.
• Our dipping sauce ratio of soy sauce, sesame oil and balsamic vinegar is 3:2:1. Zhuzh it up with some fresh ginger, spring onion or celery. It goes without saying that everyone should have their own dipping sauce bowl!
• Dumplings are traditionally served on a big plate in the middle of the table and everyone helps themselves. If you’re getting to grips with your chopsticks, it can be easier to use a soup spoon to serve yourself. 

By: Christi Nortier 

Photographs: Supplied