Gluten Free Potstickers

I love these gluten free potstickers! When my husband and I were dating many decades ago we used to frequent a restaurant, “Yet Wah”. It holds some very special memories for us. To recreate a bit of the past I decided to create a gluten free potstickers recipe.

We tried the frozen potstickers from Costco, back when I was not cooking gluten-free, but they are loaded with niacin and sodium. This recipe uses low-sodium, gluten-free ingredients.

Some gluten free potstickers are steamed; some are fried; but these are fried and then steamed.

Gluten Free Potstickers

Makes about 5-1/2 dozen potstickers.

Gluten Free Potstickers Recipe

Filling

• 4-1/2 cups chopped napa cabbage
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 package Farmer John 4% fat extra lean ground pork (1.2 lbs.)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 3-1/2 Tablespoons organic tamari gluten-free reduced sodium soy sauce
• 5-1/2 Tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 beaten eggs

Instructions

1. Pulsate cabbage in food processor, or chop finely by hand.
2. Add cabbage to a large bowl; add salt to cabbage and toss thoroughly; allow to sit while peeling and chopping garlic.
3. Squeeze excess water out of the cabbage by pushing it through a fine mesh strainer. You’ll end up with about a cup of cabbage. (That is how much water will be removed.)
4. Add cabbage back to the bowl and add remaining filling ingredients; mix thoroughly.
5. Allow to sit for while mixing the dough.

Dough Ingredients

• 2 cups tapioca flour
• 1 cup corn starch
• 1/2 cup white rice flour
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 2 1/2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder (Rumford’s Gluten-free Baking Powder contains 110 mg sodium per 1/4 teaspoon. Use less if needed.)
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• extra cornstarch and rice flour (explained below)
• approximately 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 cup water
• 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil

Frying ingredients

• 1/2 to 1 cup chicken stock
• extra virgin olive oil or sesame seed oil

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.
2. Whisk 1 1/4 cups water with 2 tablespoons oil to form a stretchy type of dough, the consistency of raw biscuit dough.  I use a pastry cutter to cut the dough and liquids together.  Add additional water to create the correct consistency.
3. Dust with a little cornstarch to get it dry enough to handle without sticking to your hands. If the dough is too dry you can always add a little water.
4. Sprinkle a smooth surface generously with rice flour. Flour your hands and rolling pin, too. Turn the dough adding additional flour to surface, as needed. Roll out thin, but not as thin as possible, as this will cause the dough to stick to the surface and tear while filling.
5. Roll enough dough out so that you will be able to cut out about 3 or 4 1/2” circles.
6. To each circle add about 1 measuring teaspoon of filling and close to a half circle.
7. Pinch and pleat each potsticker closed.
8. Preheat a little oil in a frying pan or skillet; add as many postickers as possible to the pan, allowing space to turn over each one; and cook until golden brown on each side (about 1 to 1-1/2 minutes on each side).
9. Add about ¼ – 1/3 cup of chicken stock and cover immediately and allow to steam for about 3 minutes. Repeat above until all dough and/or filling is used.

Dipping Sauce

• 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon gluten-free low sodium tamari/soy sauce
• 3 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon hot chili oil (1/2 teaspoon for mild; 1 teaspoon for a little spicier)

Mix all the ingredients together and serve aside potstickers in a tiny prep bowl.

Tips

• If you tear one of the potsticker either pinch the tear closed or add a little more dough to a hole; pinch; and smear a little rice flour topped with a little water.
• Ensure you use Napa Cabbage, as it is sweeter and has a milder flavor than green cabbage. Napa cabbage looks like bok choy. It is oval shaped.
• Please note, these are not low in sodium, but lower in sodium compared to other recipes.
• Freeze unused poststickers in a ziplock bag and freeze until ready to use. Defrost and prepare as above when needed. Many homemade gluten-free foods do not freeze well, but these certainly do! Just ensure you freeze them in layer, rather than throwing them  all at once in a freezer bag, or they may stick together. I usually use quart size bags and add one layer to each bag. Keep them flat in the freezer until thoroughly frozen.
• I find that cutting 3″ circles out is best and then rolling them out a little thinner; not too thin or they will tear easily.
• If your dough dries a bit, when you go to pinch them closed they will not adhere.  Just brush a bit of water on half the circle edge and it will close properly.
• The dough tends to stick once rolled. Just lift each circle off the rolling surface with a thin, sharp, long knife or pastry scraper.
• My next experiment with this recipe will be using egg instead of xanthan gum.