Potsticker dumplings with herby cauliflower and pickled ginger salad

Name: Potsticker dumplings with herby cauliflower and pickled ginger salad
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Ingredients: ½ large head cauliflower; 1 tbsp coconut oil; ½ cup coriander leaves, shredded; ½ cup mint leaves, shredded; ½ cup Vietnamese mint leaves, shredded; ½ cup Thai basil leaves, shredded; 3 tbsp pickled ginger, chopped (reserve the pickling liquid for the filling); ½ red onion, finely sliced

Katrina Meynink

May 29, 2020

Lacy potsticker dumplings on a bed of roasted cauliflower, herb and pickled ginger salad.Katrina Meynink

Time:30 mins - 1 hourServes:4

This is a lovely light salad with great textures from the cauliflower salad and the crisp lacy dumplings.

Ingredients

Salad

½ large head cauliflower
1 tbsp coconut oil
½ cup coriander leaves, shredded
½ cup mint leaves, shredded
½ cup Vietnamese mint leaves, shredded
½ cup Thai basil leaves, shredded
3 tbsp pickled ginger, chopped (reserve the pickling liquid for the filling)
½ red onion, finely sliced

Dipping sauce

2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp mirin
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

Dumplings

about 20 wonton skins/wrappers
200g pork mince
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp pickling liquid from a jar of pickled ginger
200g tinned water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander
2 tbsp finely chopped mint
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 stalk lemongrass, white part only, finely grated
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp castor sugar

Slurry

1½ tsp cornflour
185ml water
2 tbsp grapeseed oil (or ricebran oil)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C.
For the cauliflower salad blitz the cauliflower to a rice-like consistency in a food processor. Turn out onto a baking tray lined with paper, pour over the coconut oil and toss lightly to coat. Roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until coloured to your liking, shaking the tray midway to prevent the cauliflower from burning. Allow to cool before combining in a bowl with the remaining salad ingredients.
For the dipping sauce combine all ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
For the dumplings combine all the ingredients except the wrappers in a bowl, massaging with your hands until the mixture is sticky to the touch and fully incorporated.
Place the wrappers on a clean work surface and brush the edges of each wrapper with water. Place 2 teaspoons of the pork mixture in the centre of each wrapper, fold the wrapper in half diagonally to form a triangle (or half moon if using round wrappers), bring the sides together and pinch, pressing along the length of the two edges to seal. Cover with a damp tea towel and set aside. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
For the slurry whisk the cornflour and water until combined.
Heat the grapeseed oil in a non-stick medium frying pan. Arrange half the dumplings in a circle in the centre of the pan so that they are almost touching and cook over medium-high heat until golden (3 to 4 minutes).
Pour half the cornstarch slurry over the dumplings, quickly cover with a lid and cook for 4 minutes. It is important to control your heat, if it is too high the slurry will evaporate too quickly and the lattice effect will be lost.
Uncover and continue to cook until the liquid has evaporated and dumplings have formed a thin golden crust (2 to 4 minutes). When ready, place a plate over the pan, invert quickly and cover the plate with foil to keep warm. Repeat for the second batch of dumplings.
Serve the dumplings on the cauliflower salad with the dipping sauce/dressing on the side.
Note: The crisp bottom 'skin' can be hard to achieve. If it looks like it hasn't formed, repeat the slurry step and lower your heat. It can be a little fiddly to master, but it's OK to repeat the process if necessary.