Pan-Fried Chicken and Cabbage Dumplings

Ingredients

• 10 ounces skinless chicken breast, finely chopped
• 6 ounces medium yellow Napa cabbage (approximately ⅕ cabbage), shredded
• 2 slices fresh ginger, ⅛ to ¼ inch thick, diced
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1½ teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon chicken powder (such as Lee Kum Kee)
• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 20 Shanghai-style circular wrappers
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil
• ¾ cup light soy sauce
• 1 cup rice wine vinegar
• 3½ tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Steps

1. In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, cabbage, ginger, and scallions until the mixture resembles a fine paste. Add the salt, sugar, chicken powder, white pepper, cornstarch, and toasted sesame oil and continue to stir for 3 to 5 minutes, until well incorporated.
2. Dampen a towel under which to keep the rest of the dumpling wrappers while you work.
3. Prepare a parchment-lined baking sheet on which to store the already prepared dumplings.
4. Place 1½ teaspoons of filling in the center of each dumpling wrapper. Fold the dumpling into a half-moon shape. Hold the dumpling, seam-side up, between your thumb and index finger. Use the index finger and thumb of your other hand to pinch a section of the dumpling edge and pull it toward the web of the holding hand to make a small pleat. Repeat around the edge of the dumpling until you have between 6 and 8 pleats.
5. Set up a steamer: Fill a wok with enough water to come up to the lower rim of a steamer but not so much the waterline is above the food bed. (If you do want to DIY it, just use a plate in a pot. Fill a pot with ½ an inch of water. Then make a sort of tripod out of tinfoil by forming three golf ball– sized balls and placing them in the bottom of the pot, making sure their tops rest above the water- line. Rest the plate on the tinfoil, cover, and steam.) Bring water to a boil. Working in batches, add the dumplings, making sure to leave 1½ inches of space between each (they expand as they cook), and steam for 12 to 13 minutes. Let rest for a minute or so to tighten slightly. If you need more water— water tends to evaporate—add boiling, not cold, water so as not to stop the steaming.
6. Heat the neutral oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the dumplings, pleat to the side, and pan-fry until golden brown, approximately 1 minute per side. Do Ahead: After shaping, dumplings can be kept in the refrigerator for up to four days or frozen for up to three months.
7. Place all ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk together until well mixed and the sugar dissolved. Do Ahead: Dumpling Dipping Sauce can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to three days.