The Hypothesis:
If I make potsicker wrappers from scratch, then my potstickers will be infinitely better than potstickers made with store bought wrappers (how do you like that "if.. then" statement? See I do remember something from high school science class).
The Experiment:
I made potsticker/gyoza wrappers from scratch just to see if there would be a noted difference between homemade and the 50 for $0.99 kind you can get from the Asian market. I found a simple recipe that called for three parts flour to one part water. Sounded easy enough. After a simple kneading and a half hour rest in the refrigerator, I was ready to make some vegetarian potstickers. Instead of flattening individual balls of dough as suggested by the recipe, I used my pasta maker to get sheets of dough and cut out circles using a round cutter. A much more efficient way IMO. I've also heard of using a tortilla press as a short cut. I formed, cooked and ate my potstickers and here are my findings.
The Conclusion: Taste-wise… surprisingly, the texture and flavor were not discernible. But if you're a nerd like me and get immense satisfaction out of making a dish start to finish, then it's a task worth taking on. 
Another upside to making the dough was its versatility, which I found out inadvertently. With my leftover dough, I made the above pan-fried dumplings. These required a thicker wrapper (a number 4 if you're using a pasta maker. I used a 6 for the potstickers).
Now, they don't sell wrappers that thick at the Asian market. A major plus to homemade dough! I formed the circles using my round cutter and filled it with my cooled saute of carrots, ginger, spinach and reconstituted dried scallops. I pinched the edges together and gave it a twist to seal my rosette-shaped dumplings. A quick fry on each side followed by a steam and my dumplings were ready to be devoured. Crispy on the top and bottom and soft and doughy with the perfect amount of bite on the sides. There you have it, savory snacks made possible by homemade wrappers.
4 Comments
Singing Horse
07 Jan 2008 06:01 pm
[this is good]
Jenny Bean
09 Jan 2008 09:01 pm
wow, you are amazing- I’m so hungry right now :0)
inari
21 Feb 2008 09:02 pm
[this is good] i want to make wrappers from scratch as well! do you have the exact recipe for the dough? what kind, rice flour or wheat or plain? i’d really like to see the recipe because right now, i am living in india and it is nearly impossible to find wonton wrappers in the supermarket. i have no choice but to make my own!
julie
23 Feb 2008 09:02 am
Hi Inari… Thanks for visiting. I used this recipe:
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