Dumpling Wings Recipe

 

Using equal parts cornflour/AP flour leads to thin, wafer-like and non-lattice structure (as compared to the lattice structure using tapioca starch - as below) 

Of all the recipes that I do, the ones that get revisited a lot more are those that can be served for breakfast, lunch, dinner or even as a between-meal snack. That means things that are things that are simple and fast (no slow roasts, and not platefuls of carbohydrate). An omelette is one such dish, as are Kimchi pancakes and dumplings. Today, I'll like to, if I can, to ponder over my love for dumplings. 

Of course, this isn't a recipe to make dumplings from scratch. This post is about a simple trick to get crispy thin "wings" attached to your pan-fried dumplings. Using frozen, store-bought dumplings are perfectly fine. Given that the technique was first developed in Tokyo in the 1980s, Japanese gyoza would be perfect for this, though I've seen Chinese restaurants employ this technique for their 饺子 (potstickers). I've gotten my dumplings from a store near my workplace in Jurong Gateway at 山东東记拉面小笼包 (the current rate is a bag of frozen dumplings at 30 for $10, and as you can see, these are huge and juicy!) My home non-stick skillet is 8-inch, though any size would work as long as the dumplings fit and there is a well-fitting lid.  

Pan-frying dumpling involves adding dumplings to a hot pan with a thin layer of oil until the bottom is browned, then adding water to the pan, covering it with a lid and steaming the dumplings well cooked on the inside. The trick to getting delicate crisp wings is adding half a tablespoon of tapioca starch to the water you use to steam the dumplings. As the water cooks off, the starch remains and forms the wings.

Tapioca starch

Dumpling Wings Recipe
Original recipe from J. Kenji López-Alt
I've tried this recipe with both gyoza and regular Chinese dumplings. The essence remains the same, though plumper dumplings (like the Chinese ones I've made with) will require a bit more water to completely cook the dumplings.  

INGREDIENTS

1-2 tbsp flavourless oil, such as canola oil 
Dumplings, fresh or frozen
80ml water 
1/2 tbsp tapioca flour
Black vinegar, with julienned ginger (cut into long thin strips) - optional

STEPS

1. Set a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add a thin layer of oil. 

2. When the oil gets hot, add dumplings. If using gyoza, you may choose to arrange them in a spiral pattern. Whichever way you choose, leave some space between dumplings to develop the 'wings'. Allow the bottom of the dumplings to brown. 

3. As the dumplings are cooking, add flour to a measuring cup. Drizzle water in, stirring as you do to form a thin slurry. When the bottoms of the dumplings are browned, pour the slurry into the hot pan (beware of rising steam as you do so), then cover the with lid and continue to cook until the water has evaporated and you're left with a 

4. Evert onto a serving plate. Serve immediately. Black vinegar and ginger are common accompaniments.