Chinese · Authentic-ish Chinese
Wor Tip
325 kcal a serving, against 526 for the traditional version. That is 201 kcal off, or 38%, with 23.5g of protein. Serves 6. 1 hour 15 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Fatty pork shoulder minced down and mixed with salted cabbage, stuffed into circles of homemade plain flour dough. The dumplings are fried in a heavy pool of oil to crisp the base, then steamed in the same pan until cooked.
What changed, and what each change costs
500g of fatty pork shoulder for a mix of lean pork mince and raw prawns
Pork shoulder brings massive amounts of fat, which melts and bastes the dumpling from the inside. Prawns are pure lean muscle. Smashing them into a sticky paste binds the lean pork and provides a bouncy texture without the grease.
What it costs you. Prawns completely change the flavour profile. You end up with a lighter surf and turf situation. The version that's a pure, heavy meat dumpling anymore is still out there and still better.
60g of frying oil down to 15g
Traditional potstickers shallow fry in the pan before any water goes in. A good non-stick frying pan needs barely a tablespoon of oil to create a deeply browned, crispy base.
What it costs you. You miss out on the rich, bubbled edges that creep up the sides of the dough. The crispiness is strictly confined to the very bottom face.
30g of sesame oil down to 10g
Sesame oil is a flavour powerhouse, but it is entirely fat. Dropping the volume keeps the roasted, nutty background note without turning the filling into an oil slick.
What it costs you. The aromatic punch when you bite in is definitely milder. You taste the pork and fresh ginger over the toasted sesame.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 526 | 325 |
| Protein | 20.5g | 23.5g |
| Fat | 30.6g | 7.3g |
| Saturated fat | 7g | 1.5g |
| Carbohydrate | 40.9g | 41g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 3.9g | 7.2g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Chinese prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, crustaceans, soybeans, sesame.
The method is in the book
This is the first recipe in the book where you might actually curse me for the prep work. Rolling and pleating 30 dumplings by yourself takes patience, and there's no shortcut. But the payoff is massive. You get a huge plate of proper, handmade potstickers boasting a fantastic chew and a deeply crisp base. By leaning on the prawns for texture, the filling stays moist while the grease drops to almost nothing. Eat them straight out of the frying pan while the bottoms are still brittle.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Chinese, along with 55 more. Buy the paperback