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1
To make the filling, combine the beef, Chinese chives, and ginger in a bowl.
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2
Use a fork or spatula to stir and lightly mash the ingredients so that they start commingling.
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3
In a small bowl, stir together the salt, white pepper, chicken stock, soy sauce, rice wine, canola oil, and sesame oil.
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4
Pour these seasonings over the beef mixture, then stir and fold the ingredients together.
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5
Once you have broken up the large chunks of beef, briskly stir to blend the ingredients into a cohesive, thick mixture.
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6
To develop the flavors, cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.
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7
You should have about 2 cups of filling.
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8
(The filling can be prepared 1 day ahead and refrigerated.
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9
Bring it to room temperature before assembling the dumplings.)
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10
Meanwhile, form 16 wrappers from half of the dough.
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11
Aim for wrappers that are about 3 1/4 inches in diameter.
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12
(For guidance, see page 24.)
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13
Before assembling the dumplings, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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14
(If you plan to refrigerate the dumplings for several hours or freeze them, lightly dust the paper with flour to avoid sticking.)
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15
For each dumpling, hold a wrapper in a slightly cupped hand.
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16
Scoop up about 1 tablespoon of filling with a bamboo dumpling spatula, dinner knife, or fork and position it slightly off-center toward the upper half of the wrapper, pressing and shaping it into a flat mound and keeping about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of wrapper clear on all sides.
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17
Fold, pleat, and press to enclose the filling and create half-moon, pea pod, or pleated crescent shapes (see pages 26 to 29 for instructions).
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18
Place the finished dumpling on the prepared baking sheet.
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19
Repeat with the other wrappers, assembling the dumplings and spacing them a good 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet.
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20
Keeping the finished dumplings covered with a dry kitchen towel, form and fill the wrappers from the remaining dough.
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21
Once all the dumplings are assembled, they can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for several hours; they can be cooked straight from the refrigerator.
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22
For longer storage, freeze them on their baking sheet until hard (about 1 hour), transfer them to a zip-top freezer bag, pressing out excess air before sealing, and keep them frozen for up to 1 month; partially thaw, using your finger to smooth over any cracks that may have formed during freezing, before cooking.
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23
To pan fry the dumplings, use a medium or large nonstick skillet; if both sizes are handy, cook two batches at the same time.
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24
Heat the skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 1/2 tablespoons oil for a medium skillet and 2 tablespoons for a large one.
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25
Place the dumplings 1 at a time, sealed edges up, in a winding circle pattern.
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26
Th e dumplings can touch.
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27
(In general, medium skillets will fit 12 to 14 dumplings, large skillets will fit 16 to 18 dumplings.)
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28
Fry the dumplings for 1 to 2 minutes, until they are golden or light brown on the bottom.
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29
Holding the lid close to the skillet to lessen the dramatic effect of water hitting hot oil, use a kettle or measuring cup to add water to a depth of roughly 1/4 inch; expect to use about 1/3 cup of water.
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30
The water will immediately sputter and boil vigorously.
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31
Cover with a lid or aluminum foil, lower the heat to medium, and let the water bubble away for 8 to 10 minutes, until it is mostly gone.
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32
After 6 to 8 minutes, move the lid or foil so that it is slightly ajar to allow steam to shoot out from underneath.
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33
This lessens the drama of condensation dripping down onto to the hot oil when you remove the lid.
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34
When you hear sizzling noises (a sign that most of the water is gone), remove the lid.
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35
Let the dumplings fry for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the bottoms are brown and crisp.
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36
Turn off the heat and wait until the sizzling stops before using a spatula to transfer the dumplings to a serving plate.
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37
Display them with their bottoms facing up so that they remain crisp.
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38
Serve with the dipping sauce in a communal bowl for people to help themselves or divided up among individual rice bowls or large dipping sauce dishes.
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39
Eat these with chopsticks in one hand and a spoon or rice bowl in the other to catch any drips of dipping sauce or juices that spill out when you bite into the pot sticker.
