Regarding the potstickers, I use Andrea Nguyen’s Asian Dumplings book. She also has a website http://www.asiandumplingtips.com/asian-dumplings-recipe-index.html
I make the pot stickers so they are fried first for a couple of minutes until the bottoms are browned. Then water is added to a depth of 1/4 inch in the fry pan and a lid is put on for 7 minutes. Then remove lid and continue cooking for another 3 to 5 minutes until the liquid is gone and the dumplings are crispy on the bottom.
Andrea notes in her book that “wheat flour dumpling wrappers are made with hot or cold water—the temperature is traditionally dictated by the cooking method. Boiled dumplings are said to require thicker skins made from cold water dough in order to withstand the pressures of boiling, whereas pan fried and steamed dumplings require thinner skins made from hot water dough for their gentler cooking processes. Over the years, I’ve found that homemade wrappers of medium thickness, a scant 1/8 th inch in the centre and about 1/16 at the rim, work well for all cooking methods. If dumplings are gently boiled there is no need for thicker wrappers. Producing medium thick wrappers is easier with hot water dough as it is more yielding than its cold water counterpart.”
On her website there are very good videos on making these dumplings. I use her rolling method as well as the pasta roller method. Her Asian Dumplings cookbook is excellent.
