daring cooks: crab potstickers

time has been flying past at an amazing speed. so fast that i’ve only just managed to complete this month’s daring cooks challenge – chinese dumplings, as chosen by jen from use real butter (jen’s blog is fabulous and well worth a visit if you haven’t seen it already!).

i’ve made dumplings before but have not made my own dumpling wrappers which was the main focus of this challenge.

so, how did i get on?

making the dumpling dough was nice and easy but getting the wrappers thin enough, and the right size, was a little more tricky. the wrappers were rolled out by hand and mine weren’t really sufficiently thin. they were also a bit large as i wasn’t sure what size pieces of dough to work with and, because i was making this at the last minute to fit in with the daring cooks deadline, i didn’t have time to make a second batch.

the filling for my dumplings was easy enough – i chose crab (using a dressed crab from food4london which meant i had a nice mix of white and brown crab meat) to which i added some finely chopped cabbage, spring onions, wood ear mushrooms and ginger plus a splash of sesame oil and some corn flour to help bind it all together.

the decision about how to cook the dumplings was left open so i decided to fry and then steam mine, creating the contrasting crispy base and softly steamed dumpling which makes potstickers so moreish.

the final verdict:

• would i have tried this recipe if it hadn't been part of the daring cooks challenge? no. i’ve made dumpling before using bought wrappers and found it easy and delicious enough that rolling out my own wouldn’t have occurred to me!
• would i try this recipe again in the future? i will make dumplings more often but i think i’ll be sticking to the ready-rolled wrappers. in fact, i have a packet in the freezer which i’ll be putting to use very soon!

for recipe details and wonderful pictures to help with the dumpling creation, visit use real butter where you can find gluten-free and traditional versions.

 

Comments

[Simone (junglefrog)]

Yours look delicious! Great idea on the crab filling. I do have to agree with you on making your own dough. While I will definitely be making dumplings again, it is difficult to give the wrappers the right thickness (yours look better then mine!!) and size, so I struggled with that as well. But it was fun!

[Anh]

Yum, crab dumplings. I love your variation!

[Audax Artifex]

Just love that first picture and that wonderous green background. Crab dumplings also a fav of mine. Great effort on this challenge. Yes the dough rolling out was very time consuming better with friends and company. Cheers

[Anula]

Hmmmm, crab filling - had to be delicious! :)

[Lisa]

YESSS..I was hoping soemone would do crab, and you did not disappoint! They look marvelous and mouth watering, You see, I was originally going to do crab, but forgot..lol Great job all around!

[claire]

Yours look great - much better than my attempt! I have to agree with you, if I made them again I would try using the wrappers - found mine really hard to pleat which I think was partly because the wrappers were too thick. Interesting choice of filling, not one I would have thought of myself but sounds like they would taste great.

[Jenn]

I am in awe of your beautiful photo! How did you ever hold your hand steady enough to take such a clear sharp picture?

[Lauren]

Ooo! Your dumplings look amazing =D. I love the filling you chose, and your photos are gorgeous! Awesome job on this challenge!

[Amy I.]

Yum, crab! Fantastic photo and great work... even if you won't be making homemade wrappers again, now at least you can say you've tried it :)

[isa]

The crab dumplings sounds delicious! Great idea.
Awesome job on this challenge!

[Mary]

Wow! It all looks amazing. The addition of crab is brilliant. I hope you have a wonderful day.

[Heather B]

Great job! Love the crab filling. I'm with you on using store bought wrappers next time, its so much easier!

[abby]

thanks everyone! it's been great looking at all the different versions out there.

jenn - the photo's clarity was thanks to my boyfriend's steady hand with the chop sticks and mine with the camera. the green is just our lawn in the background!

[rose]

Great job!!!! I too, will be using store bought wrappers, although the handmade ones were delicious! Well done!

[Jen Yu]

Wow, look at those! I love crab and the thought of a crab dumpling or potsticker is pretty enticing :) You did a lovely job on the challenge. Kudos!

[Cheri]

Ooo... your crab filling looks so delicious and that first photo is fabulous! Way to get it done in the nick of time! :)

[asti]

That first photo makes me drool.. That crab filling sounds like a winner :)

[Helen]

Great dumplings Abby, I am also with you on the ready made wrappers (I can also highly recommend a gyoza press!)