I have previously posted about potstickers/dumplings/gyozas before but for this recipe I have used the basic idea of the potsticker and given it a South Asian twist!
Chinese potstickers are traditionally served with a milder flavours in comparison to spicy South Asian cooking (as with a lot of Chinese cooking the flavours are simple and subtle) and the dumplings served with a simple dipping sauce, usually based on soy sauce and vinegar. Taking inspiration from the was South Asian samosas are served, I decided to add a little spiciness to the filling of the potstickers as well as serve them with a couple of punchier dips!
Recipe
For the dumplings:
- 1 packet of pre-made dumpling pastry (I’m too lazy to make my own this time!)
- 4 skinned and boneless chicken thighs (chopped very finely or minced)
- 2 tbs Tikka Masala curry paste (or make your own spice marinade)
- 1 medium cooked potato, crushed (I used left over roasted potatoes)
- 2 chopped spring onions (can use leeks or onions)
- Salt (to taste)
- 2 tsp oil (for frying)
- Boiled water (for steaming)
For the Chilli, Mint and Yoghurt Dip
- 1 cup of natural yoghurt
- 2 tbs green chilli sauce (I used bottled)
- 2 tbs mint sauce (I used bottled but you can use fresh mint too!)
- Salt (to taste)
For the Spiced Tomato Dip
- 5 ripe tomatoes, chopped
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 1 tbs oil (for frying)
- Spices (I used 1 tsp each of mustard seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and dried chilli flakes)
- Curry leaves (a few)
- 2 tbs tomato paste
- 2 tsp vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
- 0.5 tsp sugar
- Salt (to taste)
Method
For the dumplings:
- Mix the chicken with the Tikka paste and allow to marinade for a few hours of over night.
- Mix the raw chicken with crushed potatoes and leeks and add a little salt.
- Wrap the dumplings using about 2 tsp of filling per dumpling. Line a couple of plates or baking trays with ling film to put the dumplings on to avoid them sticking the plate. make sure the dumplings aren’t touching as they will stuck together. You can also stick them straight into the freezer on the tray/plate then stick them into freezer bags for later use.
- In a heavy based sauce pan that has a lid or wok, add the oil and warm up. Add the dumplings into the pan, fairly close together, completely filling the pan but with a little space between each dumpling as they expand during cooking. Fry for a few minutes until the bottom of the dumplings have browned a little.
- Now it is time to cook the filling, so add some water to the pan (about 1 cup), cover with the lid and steam for 5-10 minutes on a low heat (until the filling is cooked through). If there is still water left in the pan, increase the heat to evaporate the remaining water and crisp up the bottoms.
- The dumplings will stick to the pan (hence the name ‘potstickers’ but with a little care and the help of a fish slice spatula, you can easily lift them out!)
- If cooking from frozen, no need to de-frost them. Just stick them straight in the pan and steam for an extra 5 minutes.
For the Chilli, Mint and Yoghurt Dip:
- Mix everything together and add salt to taste, simple!
For the Spiced Tomato Dip:
- Dry roast the whole spices and curry leaves in a saucepan
- Add oil and cook the onions until softened
- Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste, stir and then cook for a few minutes until they are soft and most of the juices from the tomatoes has gone
- Add the salt, sugar and vinegar and cook for a couple more minutes
- Taste and allow to cool
I made a batch of these and froze them for future meals when there is no time to cook or I’m too tired. Today was that day!
The filling was nicely spiced and very much reminiscent of the taste of chicken samosas but a lot lighter since they aren’t deep fried. The potatoes in the filling help to keep it all quite dry so there is less risk of the dumplings bursting, however it also means that dips/chutneys are very much necessary!
The spiced tomato chutney worked very nicely, as the vinegar added a sharpness that lifts all the flavours and brings back in the freshness that you would normally get from a traditional Chinese dipping sauce. Then the minty yoghurt cools everything down… So delicious! I ate at least 10 in one sitting! 🙂