Ice Flower Potstickers are a mouthwatering traditional delicacy, with an exquisite appearance that resembles a piece of art. The unique shape of Ice Flower Potstickers showcases beautiful icy floral patterns, enticingly golden in color. Under sunlight, the potstickers glisten and become even more captivating. The texture of this dish is delightfully diverse, with a crispy outer layer and tender, juicy filling that brings pure bliss with every bite. Whether enjoyed at breakfast, lunch, or dinner, Ice Flower Potstickers are an irresistible culinary masterpiece that should not be missed.
Ingredients for Ice Flower Potstickers:
| Flour | 200g |
| Salt | 3g |
| Streaky pork | 80g |
| Cooking wine | 2g |
| Light soy sauce | 2g |
| Dark soy sauce | 2g |
| Oyster sauce | 3g |
| Ginger | 3g |
| Starch | 10g |
| Zanthoxylum oil | 2g |
| Sesame oil | 2g |
Step:
1.First, we need to prepare a clean bowl. Pour warm water into the bowl, not too hot and not too cold. Sprinkle in a moderate amount of salt and gently stir until the salt dissolves in the water. Next, take a wide-mouthed large basin and add an appropriate amount of flour. You can choose all-purpose flour or high-gluten flour based on your preferences and recipe requirements. Then, use a spoon to make a small well in the flour. Adjust the size of the well according to the amount of dough needed. Now, slowly pour the previously prepared warm saltwater into the well of flour. To control the amount of water, pour it in gradually but in larger quantities. While slowly pouring the water, continuously stir the flour with chopsticks or a spoon to fully mix the water and flour together. This process requires patience and attention to ensure that the flour is evenly hydrated. As the water is added, the flour will gradually turn into a moist batter. Continue stirring until there are no obvious dry flour particles. Then, knead and shape the batter into a dough using your hands. During the kneading process, gradually incorporate the flour from the sides of the bowl into the dough until it is no longer sticky. Keep kneading and folding the dough with your hands until it becomes soft, elastic, and the surface is smooth and glossy.
2.Prepare a piece of fatty streaky pork and cut it into minced meat, then put it in a bowl. Next, pour in an appropriate amount of zanthoxylum oil, sesame oil, cooking wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and oyster sauce, then mix well. You can adjust the amount of each seasoning according to personal taste. To enhance the flavor, we also need to add some finely chopped ginger. Pour the ginger into the bowl and stir continuously in one direction. The purpose of this step is to achieve a gelatinized state for the minced meat, making it more elastic. You will notice that during the stirring process, the minced meat gradually becomes sticky and elastic. This indicates that the minced meat has achieved the desired gelatinization. This step is crucial because gelatinized minced meat absorbs seasoning more easily during cooking and has a smoother texture.
3.Now, let’s roll out the dough and prepare the potsticker wrappers. First, take out the kneaded dough and press it slightly to relax it. Then, shape the dough into a long strip and use a knife to cut it into small pieces. Take one small piece of dough and roll it back and forth on the tabletop using a rolling pin to gradually thin it out. Remember to roll in both forward and backward directions to ensure even thinness of the wrapper. You can control the thickness of the wrapper according to personal preference, but generally, potsticker wrappers are rolled out into thin sheets. Sprinkle some flour on the rolled-out wrapper to prevent sticking between the wrappers. This will make it easier to separate each wrapper when filling them, avoiding any adhesion.
4.After taking one rolled-out wrapper, place a portion of the prepared filling in the center. Use a spoon or your fingers to evenly distribute the filling in the middle of the wrapper. Next, fold the wrapper in half, completely enclosing the filling. Ensure that the edges align and try to avoid leaving any gaps to prevent the filling from leaking out. Gently pinch the edges of the wrapper with your fingers to seal it completely and prevent any leakage. You can use your thumb and index finger to pinch together or use a simple sealing technique, whichever method suits you best. Once these steps are completed, one potsticker is successfully wrapped. Repeat this process until all the dough and filling are used up.
5.Arrange the wrapped potstickers neatly and attractively in a flat-bottomed pan. Cook over medium-low heat for about 15 seconds, which will slightly crisp up the bottom of the potstickers. Next, pour in an appropriate amount of oil and increase the heat to high, continuing to cook for about 10 seconds. This will make the bottom of the potstickers even more crispy and add layers of texture. Then, slowly pour a small amount of water into the pan, approximately 1/4 of the height of the potstickers. Be careful to avoid any burns. Cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat to medium-low, allowing the potstickers to steam for about three minutes. During this process, the water in the pan will slowly evaporate, steaming the filling inside the potstickers. This will help retain the tender texture of the potstickers and enhance the flavors. After approximately three minutes, you will notice that most of the water has evaporated, and the potstickers are thoroughly cooked.
6.To prepare the icy flower starch paste, we need a small bowl and mix a certain amount of starch with water. To achieve the desired consistency, the ratio of starch to water should be 1:2. Start by stirring the mixture clockwise and gradually increase the stirring force. If you find the starch paste too stiff and difficult to handle, you can continue to add a moderate amount of water while stirring. By adding water and continuing to stir, we can make the starch paste softer and reach a moderate hardness. Ultimately, we want the starch paste to have some toughness and elasticity while remaining soft enough. Only then can we create translucent and beautiful icy flower patterns.
7.After the 3-minute preparation, we can open the lid and slowly pour the prepared starch paste into the preheated pan. While pouring in the starch paste, we need to slowly rotate the pan to ensure even heat distribution on the bottom of the pan. By slowly rotating the pan, the starch paste will come into full contact with the high heat of the pan, promoting the evaporation of water. As time goes on, the water gradually evaporates, and the bottom of the pan becomes dry. Once the bottom of the pan is completely dry and the icy flower patterns start forming, we can carefully lift the pan and drain any excess oil. This step enhances the visual appearance and texture of the icy flowers. The entire process requires patience and attention to ensure even heating of the bottom of the pan, proper evaporation of water from the starch paste, and control of the amount of oil.
8.When the icy flowers have fully formed in the pan, we can gently invert the pan onto a plate, allowing the translucent and beautiful icy flowers to bloom in the dish. This process requires gentle and steady movements to maintain the integrity of the icy flowers. Once the icy flowers are successfully inverted onto the plate, we can carefully arrange them to create beautiful patterns and shapes. You can arrange them according to personal preference or take inspiration from the shape of the icy flowers to create an exquisite visual effect. Once arranged, the icy flower potstickers can be served on the table for enjoyment. Whether you’re enjoying them on your own or sharing them with friends and family, these flavorful and visually stunning icy flower potstickers will bring a unique surprise and satisfaction to the dining experience.
Tips:
1.The starch and water should be mixed in a ratio of 1:2 to create a moderately thick starch paste, which will result in potstickers that are more likely to form icy flowers.
2.When cooking potstickers, it is recommended to brush a small amount of oil on the bottom and pan-fry until golden brown before adding water to simmer. This method enhances the deliciousness of the potstickers.
Icy flower potstickers are a mouthwatering traditional delicacy with an exquisite appearance that resembles a work of art. They have a unique shape and display beautiful icy flower patterns with a tempting golden color. Under sunlight, the translucent nature of the icy flower potstickers becomes even more alluring. The taste of this dish is also rich and diverse, with a crispy outer shell and a tender, juicy filling that brings a sense of happiness with every bite.