Spicy Chindian Potstickers

Leftovers are great (especially if it is from Thanksgiving!), you can toss it with some rice and name it a pulao, fried rice or even a paella if you will. Wrap leftover Sai Bhaji or sautéd spinach with cheese in puff pastry and make turnovers. My mother-in-law adds tomato sauce to left over Indian vegetables and then layers it with lasagna sheets, béchamel sauce and cheese to make an Indo-Italian lasagna. My all-time, quick and easy, favorite is to add some mashed boiled potatoes and breadcrumbs to the left over, to make patties or burgers. 

The list of options go on and on. This time I wanted to step out of the box and make something different with the left over chicken keema, and I wondered why I couldn't just 'dumpling-them-up'! Growing up in Bombay, we ate a lot of Chindian food, which explains where I was going with this.

So I took the left over keema, added some Shaoshing rice wine, soy sauce, Sriracha chili sauce, and spring onions, folded them in store-bought dumpling wrappers, and made yummy potstickers, drizzled with chili oil. (You know where my leftovers are going to end up now!)

Makes 15
Ingredients
Chicken Keema
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, minced (use a food processor to quicken the chopping process)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-inch ginger, minced
2-3 green chilies, finely chopped 
1 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 bay leaf
2 lbs ground chicken
Salt, to taste
3 medium tomatoes, minced (use a food processor to quicken the chopping process)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Potstickers
2 cups chicken keema
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1 tablespoon Shaoshing rice wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
15 round dumpling or Japanese Gyoza wrappers
1/4 cup water, for sealing potstickers
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup water, or more, to steam potstickers
Chili oil, to drizzle

Method, Chicken Keema

1. In a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pan, heat oil. Add the minced onions and brown well, for about 10-15 minutes.
2. Follow by adding the ginger, garlic, chilies, garam masala, and bay leaf. Mix well into onions and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Add the ground chicken and salt and cook until the chicken is just about done. The water from the chicken should dry up and your mixture should be dry.
4. Add the minced tomatoes, mix well, and cook until the oil separates.
5. Garnish with cilantro.

Serving options: Serve with flat naan, some chopped onions, and lemon.
Over plain white rice boiled with green peas.
Stuff in a pita pocket with hummus, greens, pickled jalapeño and fresh cilantro.


Method, Potstickers

1. Add spring onions, rice wine, soy sauce, and Sriracha sauce to the reserved 2 cups of Chicken Keema. Mix well. 
2. Lay a dumpling wrapper flat on one palm of your hand, moisten the edge of the pot sticker by brushing it with water. 
3. Add 1 tablespoon of the Chicken Keema mixture in the center of the wrapper.
4. Fold the potsticker wrapper over like a taco. Force the air out and press the edges together. You can add a few pleats like in the photograph above if you like.
5. In a large non-stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. When hot, add the potstickers (flat side down) and brown for 30–60 seconds. 
6. Add water, being careful not to splatter the oil (drain oil before if necessary) until 1/3rd the height of the potstickers. Cover and let it steam for 3–4 minutes.
7. Serve hot, with a drizzle of chili oil.

Cooks note: If you do not want to serve all the potstickers at one time, you can freeze by placing the potstickers on a baking tray for 15 minutes. Remove and place in a freezer bag, dated and marked with contents. Defrost before cooking.