Guotie
Guotie (锅贴) are Chinese pan-fried dumplings: crisp and golden on the bottom, soft and juicy on top. The wrappers are made with hot water, which makes the dough easy to roll and gives a tender but chewy bite.
Makes about 30 dumplings.
- 300 g all-purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 170 ml hot water (just off the boil)
- extra flour for dusting
- 300 g minced pork (not too lean)
- 300 g napa cabbage (about a quarter of a head)
- 1 teaspoon salt (for the cabbage)
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 3 tablespoons water or stock
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 100 ml water
- 1 teaspoon flour (optional, for a crispy “skirt”)
- 3 tablespoons black vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ginger, cut into thin strips
- chili oil, to taste
- put the flour and salt in a bowl
- pour in the hot water while stirring with chopsticks until shaggy
- once cool enough to handle, knead for about 5 minutes until smooth
- cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes
- finely chop the cabbage, mix it with the salt and let it sit for 15 minutes
- squeeze out as much liquid as possible
- in a bowl, mix the pork, ginger, soy sauce, wine, sesame oil, sugar and pepper
- add the water or stock, one spoon at a time, and stir in one direction until the meat is sticky and has absorbed it
- fold in the cabbage and spring onions
- refrigerate until you’re ready to fill
- roll the dough into a log of about 3 cm thick and cut into 30 equal pieces (~15 g each)
- dust each piece with flour and press flat
- roll out each piece into a round of about 8 cm, keep the edges thinner than the center
- place a heaped tablespoon of filling in the middle
- fold in half and pinch the center closed, then pleat or pinch the rest of the edge shut
- keep filled dumplings on a floured tray, covered, so they don’t dry out or stick
- heat the oil in a non-stick pan with a lid on medium heat
- place the dumplings flat side down, close together
- fry for 2 to 3 minutes until the bottoms are golden
- mix the flour into the water (if using), pour it into the pan and immediately cover
- steam for 6 to 8 minutes, until the dumplings are cooked through
- remove the lid and cook until the water has evaporated and the bottoms are crisp again
- loosen with a spatula and serve crispy side up, with the dipping sauce
- mix the vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and chili oil
- the dumplings freeze well: freeze them on a tray before moving them into a bag, and cook straight from frozen with 2 to 3 extra minutes of steaming